In a continuous effort to campaign against illegal hoardings mushrooming all over the country, Storyboard18 had a freewheeling conversation with Vikram Bhalla, Founder and Director, Vivify Asia. The ad man discussed how illegal hoardings pose a serious threat to commuters and pedestrians and some of the best global practices India can adopt to curb such menaces. He also highlighted how sub-standard DOOH installations can further put lives at risk.
Edited excerpts:
How do you look at the menace of illegal hoardings in the country?
All OOH in India is sporadic in nature—it varies from state to state, city to city. Its purpose is kept in the grey as it allows for preferential allotment and the lack of uniformity and visibility takes out the regular organised media players…because of the strongman monopoly legalities are stretched. This in turn sees the mushroom of illegal hoarding and sub-standard installations.
Read More: Advertisers alarmed by Mumbai hoarding collapse; ad agencies, brands call for audits and action
How do illegal hoardings pose a serious threat to commuters, pedestrians, and citizens in general and what measures can we adopt to curb the threat?
I believe, at first, there needs to be transparency on the allotment of these hoardings. Secondly, there needs to be a minimum criterion operationally speaking – something which is there in every other sector.
With hoardings becoming bigger and electronic, the downside of a safety mishap is much higher. The pitfalls are now not only them falling but electrocution/fire and also the new threat which is the hacking of digital hoardings. All these are concerns that can be addressed by ensuring that the media is handled by professionally trained teams, not just labour hired by a strongman.
Read More: “Imagine if there was a baby oil messaging on the billboard. And it falls and kills a few mothers”
What are some of the best global practices that the industry can borrow?
Using the internet/cyberspace to create transparency. Also, tenders should be broad-based and amplified, each proposal is there for the public to see— this will go a long way to create a cleaner ecosystem.
#FreeOurSkylines – Fight against illegal ad hoardings: A terrible tragedy struck on May 13 after a 100-foot-tall illegal billboard fell at a petrol pump in Ghatkopar during dust storms and unseasonal rains in Mumbai. The killer hoarding caused the deaths of over a dozen people and injured many others. The catastrophic incident outraged citizens who have been dealing with the menace of illegal ad hoardings. The people don’t want just answers but solutions, as they turn to civic authorities, advertising agencies, industry bodies, brand marketers, and media owners, to take responsibility and fight against the menace of illegal advertising hoardings. So speak up and join the #FreeOurSkylines movement. Write to us at Storyboard18@nw18.com with your concerns and views, and let’s make our cities safer together.
Catch all our special coverage here: #FreeOurSkylines – Fight against illegal ad hoardings