In a sign of things to come, an increasing number of the world’s largest cities are coming up with strong regulations banning out of home. It seems that visual clutter is turning many people of. Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, is one of those metropolitan centers taking a clear stance on out of home and billboards, imposing strict regulations and giving advertisers a headache or two.
Why the push towards less? The reasons are clear, even when the view isn’t. First, there is the ubiquitous move towards everything green. There is also the growing number of people moving back to cities and demanding a better quality of life. It’s the physical manifestation of what many of us are already experiencing with media and commercial overload. So it won’t be too late before you will need to opt-in to see that 3-D billboard. But in the meantime, brands will have to engage in more subtle ways through elements that people actually want outdoors. A nature conservancy brought to you by Starbucks, anyone?