Supergraphic Advertisements In Los Angeles: How Big Is Too Big?

The city of Los Angeles has just dealt another blow to ad companies in the battle against supergraphic billboards.

Beverly Hills-based company SkyTag and its president, Michael McNeilly, face a new lawsuit for illegally posting their huge advertisements throughout Los Angeles, reports the Los Angeles Times. The lawsuit was filed last Friday by the office of City Attorney Carmen Trutanich.

In a statement released yesterday, Trutanich's office specified that they are seeking up to $5,000 for every day and every location that a supergraphic advertisement was put in place. It could all add up to tens of millions of dollars, considering that over 17 locations across 10 years are named in the lawsuit.

The press release also notes that this is the eighth time the City Attorney's office has filed civil enforcement claims against illegal supergraphic billboard advertisements, and that so far $6.3 million has been recovered for the city as a result of these lawsuits.

Quick Poll

Is the city of Los Angeles overreacting to supergraphic billboards?

YES: the ban will hurt business and drive away advertising dollars.

NO: they're a dangerous distraction and ugly to boot.

MAYBE: I've never noticed them before and not sure how it hurts people.

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Comments

[ArChiMi]

02:23 PM on 09/25/2011

There is an empty sad looking building on the corner of Doheny and Santa Monica Blvd. that purely serves as the pedestal to the billboard on its roof. The billboard economy sadly rules here.

[Jay from Ottawa]

05:26 PM on 09/22/2011

I recently came back from a trip to New Zealand (south island) and what I saw there, blew my mind.

I saw ONE, UNO, comercial billboard advertizing cable packages for the upcoming rugby world champtionships, other than that, the other THREE DOZEN billboards I saw were all public service annoucements and reminders, like; drive in the left lane, don't litter, the speed limit is not a target - drive according to conditions, be cautious when starting outdoor fires, be kind - recycle.

It blew me away how they consider billboards to be methods of getting information to people, not advertisement slabs to be rented out to companies. They value their beautiful landscape, and wouldn't want ugly comercial billboards blocking natural scenery. The country was so people-centeric (as opposed to N.A. being buisiness-centric) that you felt like you were in a place meant to live, not a place meant to generate money.

[MassTeacher]

12:20 PM on 09/22/2011

Any fines that are successfully collected (which will be damn few) we simply be factored into the cost of doing business by the giant corporations who post these ads. The ads will continue.

[BigRray]

09:20 AM on 09/22/2011

Money..Money....Money..Money.. ..Moooney.....Mooooney

Domt worry Greed will prevail the banners will stay

[Lemeritus]

04:30 PM on 09/21/2011

File under Pet Peeves:

I happen to like the Super Graphics that have adorned the side of the Hotel Figueroa for years -- they disappeared for a while but have recently, I'm happy to say, returned. They're colorful, creative, and amazingly topical.

This does not mean I like all Super Graphics. Take, for example, the cheesey Coke and beer banners that cascade HUGELY down the sides of the J.W. Marriott. While the Hotel Figueroa stood bare, these Blade Runner graphics stayed put and probably will remain long after a harsher ban takes effect (I wouldn't dare suggest that some filthy lucre lines the pockets of 'sympathetic' council people... would I?) With not an ounce of creativity, these graphics cheapen an interesting building and scream "who cares?" while other buildings are held to a different standard.

[SarcasticFringehead]

03:52 PM on 09/21/2011

With cash strapped cities all over Los Angeles, it seems to me a good source of revenue would be to pursue these billboard companies and do exactly what was done in the article above:

Fine them daily for every illegal billboard in the city.

There are thousands of illegal billboards all over Los Angeles county. A task force developed to hunt them down and levy fines would help tremendously with local government coffers and also rid Angelenos of the visual blight inflicted upon us by these billboards.

[skraeling]

12:32 AM on 09/22/2011

My city councilman, Krikorian, a former state legislature says the city is helpless because the laws were written in Sacto..or some such bs.......politicians write laws so that they can cash in when the time comes....LA is a city of blight and generally, no one cares....

[SarcasticFringehead]

11:38 AM on 09/22/2011

Yep..

Same old same old.

[Christopher Hull]

01:26 PM on 09/21/2011

Before the economy collapsed I used to be able to work half the year in LA and about half the year in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They don't allow billboards or ads in buses in the city. I have to tell you if I could I would move there in a heart beat. It is just a better environment without advertising beating down on you all the time. I had the chance while there to get to know some people in the "propaganda" industry and they believed that the ban on public advertising actually made their print, radio and television ads more effective. Their feeling was that when people are overwhelmed by advertising that they tune out to it.

[skraeling]

12:34 AM on 09/22/2011

you don't see much of the giant advertising and such in most nations that have a solid middle class that cares about their environment, and most US cities put tight curbs, as well..

[Jon Woods]

01:06 PM on 09/21/2011

Instead of supergraphics on buildings, how about low-flying advertising blimps? They could have searchlights and audio messages. I'm surprised to one ever thought of that before... ;)

[SarcasticFringehead]

03:56 PM on 09/21/2011

Just like in "Blade Runner."

[dbrett480]

12:33 PM on 09/21/2011

If the building owner wants to put ads up, let him. Los Angeles should avoid becoming the next San Francisco where everything is regulated.

[skraeling]

12:35 AM on 09/22/2011

San Francisco is thriving and a huge draw economically and cultural...LA? not so much.

[dbrett480]

02:10 AM on 09/22/2011

Not even remotely true. LA has a GDP of 792 billion; San Francisco has 297 billion. There are also just as many, if not more, cultural opportunities in LA than in San Francisco. And I'm not even counting the better weather and food.

[loritapaints2]

12:17 PM on 09/21/2011

no fur, now this....LA is becoming quite progressive...finally.

[mc]

11:16 AM on 09/21/2011

I feel sorry for the people whose offices are behind those supergraphics.

[Madbunny]

03:04 PM on 09/21/2011

particularly the ones that are behind a 10 foot crotch.

[Bubba10]

10:47 AM on 09/21/2011

We have all been told what our lives will look like from watching Bladerunner. Bring on the supergraphics. I love 'em.

[dsrtdwler]

09:16 AM on 09/21/2011

Ads are ads as far as I can tell. They are always intrusive. If it's netting the city millions in pay outs, I say keep them illegal and keep making the marketing companies pay. If it wasn't worth it for their product, they would take it down, and I expect LA is making a lot more off these lawsuits then they would if the legally rented the space to the advertisers. I've seen more than eight just on a trip into Hollywood, so they should become more vigilant on enforcement, easy money for the city, and it needs it.

[hereIamHuff]

09:01 AM on 09/21/2011

Super-graphic ads: One of the reasons I don't miss living in LA. I used to have to sit and wait for the bus in front of one of the building/ads you guys pictured.

[HamburgerTime]

08:23 AM on 09/21/2011

Idiocracy comes to mind.