Apple's 'illegal' Boston billboard at center of political controversy

[AppleInsider]

A giant iPod touch billboard in Boston deemed illegal due to its size and location is at the center of a political controversy involving the city's mayor.

Despite the fact that a 13,750-square-foot iPod touch banner on the side of a Boston self-storage building was declared illegal by the Massachusetts Outdoor Advertising Board, the massive advertisement has remained since the fall of 2007 with and without special permits. According to The Boston Globe, the companies behind the billboard agreed to pay the state $110,000 for a settlement in June -- the largest known payment for any such advertising dispute.

The report suggested that the deal was reached with some assistance: A top campaign aide to Mayor Thomas M. Menino admitted to helping a business acquaintance behind the advertising agreement work his way through the permitting process. That acquaintance has also donated the maximum-allowed political campaign contribution of $500 to Menino every year since 2005.

The report said the mayor eventually endorsed the giant outdoor billboard, despite what the Globe called his administration's "usual discouragement of new billboards."

The one-year temporary permit for the iPod ad expired last fall, but the partners behind it did not file for a new permit until June, when the $110,000 settlement with the state was reached.

"The Outdoor Advertising Board has argued since 2007 that the ad’s owners should have sought its approval for the sign," the report said. "If they had, it would have been rejected because of its size and proximity to other signs, according to Edward J. Farley, the board’s executive director."

It continued: "The owners, however, said they are exempt because their ad promotes sales on the premises: Inside the Planet Self-Storage facility, a customer can buy iTunes gift cards, along with packing tape and locks."

Photo credit Yoon S. Byun, The Boston Globe.

In 2008, Apple opened a flagship store in Boston, at 815 Boylston St. It is a three-story building fronted by glass, with a large 6,384 square feet of floor space.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Roland21]

That's the bigger ad i ever seen! REALLY BIG!

[teckstud]

What a rundown hood. Must be near a railway or highyway.
Or does all of Boston look like that?

[bedouin]

Good thing the city has time and money to waste bickering about how big a sign is rather than something actually productive.

[AppleStud]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

"The owners, however, said they are exempt because their ad promotes sales on the premises: Inside the Planet Self-Storage facility, a customer can buy iTunes gift cards, along with packing tape and locks."

hahaha, brilliant.

[johnmcboston]

Originally Posted by teckstud

What a rundown hood. Must be near a railway or highyway.
Or does all of Boston look like that?

Yes indeed - you move back 50 more feet and the photographer will be under an elevate highway; in a semi-industrial area of the city. So site wise, you got 100K+ cars seeing this every day. The ad does also change from time to time.

Local paper also is covering this - latest article here. Ironically, the other Boston paper is across the street, and has their own billboards on their building advertising their paper, and they're really dull and boring

I actually walk past it every day on my way into work. While I don't mind this particular billboard, I do see the issue of letting any building put any ad on the side of their 8 story building.

[Dogcow]

View from google streetview: http://tinyurl.com/yzx6bpr

It's covering that whale mural, on the side of a major highway.

The mayor, who is running for re-election is very particular about things like this. I'm not surprised he is involved.

[flash2004]

apparently some people have nothing better to do

[Dr Millmoss]

That is one big honking billboard. Trying to call it onsite advertising (i.e., a sign) instead of offsite advertising (a billboard) probably only works if Boston doesn't have any sign regulations. That seems unlikely.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss

Trying to call it onsite advertising (i.e., a sign) instead of offsite advertising (a billboard) probably only works if Boston doesn't have any sign regulations.

Hey, it's Boston.....

(I should elucidate. There's an old saying: "The law applies to enemies; interpretations of the law apply to friends").

[DKWalsh4]

I've seen bigger ads coming down either I-90 or 290 going into Chicago. Back in the Bulls hey-day they had a controversial Dennis Rodman ad which actually slowed down traffic. More recently I see Bud Light ads take up entire sides of buildings in similar fashion as this.

[digitalclips]

Can you see it from space?

[Dr Millmoss]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Hey, it's Boston.....

(I should elucidate. There's an old saying: "The law applies to enemies; interpretations of the law apply to friends").

Just like in Chicago?

Old joke: A very elderly woman announces to her friends and family that she will be moving to Chicago, a place where she has never lived. When asked why she says, "I expect to die soon, but I'd like to be able to continue voting."

[JS29]

I thought Mayor Menino was dead? LINGER LONGER!

[TBell]

I can see regulating a billboard on the side of a road, but not a sign on a building. Seems like there is free speech issues involved.

[nagromme]

This is a travesty: there is NO NEED to clutter up an iPod gaming ad by showing the earbud cord, when the device has a speaker

[Dr Millmoss]

Originally Posted by TBell

I can see regulating a billboard on the side of a road, but not a sign on a building. Seems like there is free speech issues involved.

Not really. A billboard is defined as off-site advertising. Doesn't matter if it's freestanding on a pole or on the side of a building.

[-cj-]

Originally Posted by nagromme

This is a travesty: there is NO NEED to clutter up an iPod gaming ad by showing the earbud cord, when the device has a speaker

lol... so true.

[justbobf]

In Los Angeles people and some in City Hall have been fighting the supergraphics billboard companies for years because they put these things up without getting permits first. It is like do first, ask for forgiveness later.

As a result, many people hate these signs, stunning as they are.

Apple should play completely by the rules. Take it down! If they get proper permits later, they can put it back up.

[mavfan1]

Originally Posted by TBell

I can see regulating a billboard on the side of a road, but not a sign on a building. Seems like there is free speech issues involved.

the real question for this forum is whether you'd say that if it were an ad for the Zune!

[Cubert]

Politics as usual for beantown.

[caljomac]

One more battle involving apple

[mark2005]

The "billboard" actually makes the semi-industrial/elevated highway/parking lot area look nicer, given its bright colors. (I've been there many times in person as it's also next to Chinatown.)

Before the iPod ads were placed there (before the touch, it was a series of different nano ads), it used to be a giant mural with dolphins and fish. That was nice too.

[cliphord]

As a MURP student, I've come to have a greater appreciation for codes and ordinances like the one regulating this scenario. If Apple (or the 3rd party advertiser) had simply followed the process (which isn't really that cumbersome) this wouldn't be a problem.

In fact, Boston seems to have a pretty democratic (i.e responsive and fair) process of regulating outdoor advertising. Not all municipalities have a board (probably comprised of local businesses and city officials/planners) to regulate these issues. Thus, some advertisers are simply shut out by the process if their plans don't meet required specifications.

In other words, before attacking Boston and its officials, at leats understand that they're doing this the right way, unlike the advertiser who purposefuly violated city code.

[JeffDM]

I certainly can't speak to the local codes, but wow, that's a tacky ad. Not only is it needlessly enormous, if I were paying for a billboard ad, I wouldn't want to post one where its immediate surroundings don't look nice or tidy.

[brucep]

Originally Posted by teckstud

What a rundown hood. Must be near a railway or highyway.
Or does all of Boston look like that?

yea bean town looks worn and tired ,

this topic is cutting edge news
thank you >> AI << for the watching grass growing is more than reading these articles of late

[brucep]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

I certainly can't speak to the local codes, but wow, that's a tacky ad. Not only is it needlessly enormous, if I were paying for a billboard ad, I wouldn't want to post one where its immediate surroundings don't look nice or tidy.

huh ??
jeff you sound so anti apple lately
that ad rocks dude
we had a very large mets player from 1996 dwight gooden in NYC . and it was so over the top smash face that it works. of course you need to love the subject to approve I guess .

i mean really jeff we are attacked all day with ads >>at least this one is fun

peace

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by brucep

huh ??
jeff you sound so anti apple lately
that ad rocks dude
we had a very large mets player from 1996 dwight gooden in NYC . and it was so over the top smash face that it works. of course you need to love the subject to approve I guess .

i mean really jeff we are attacked all day with ads >>at least this one is fun

To me, the excessive size is the only thing that is obnoxious about it, but why make excuses for that? Isn't Apple supposed to be about the subtle, tasteful, etc., don't you think the testosterone fest of being so outsized clash with that image?

And the surroundings really do look a bit run down.

[spliff monkey]

Originally Posted by Roland21

That's the bigger ad i ever seen! REALLY BIG!

Seems like some of you guys don't get out much but billboards like this are all over the place in NY. Boston has allays been a cluster F---K and always out to make a few extra bucks anyway they can. Do you remember the adult swim debacle? Ugh the mayor is an idiot... I mean who would send out a task force to round up a bunch of litebrights? I should mention that Adult Swim had the proper permits and a good friend got fired over it... and yeah it's a very ghetto city, always has been. Much of the east coast is that way; due to the 200 yr old infrastructure it's hard to make changes. The east coast is kinda like Windows I guess. we need to ditch some legacy code yet it's still where I want to be.

here's a link about the Adult Swim fiasco...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/art...eneration_gap/

[JasonBee]

Originally Posted by bedouin

Good thing the city has time and money to waste bickering about how big a sign is rather than something actually productive.

Well think if it this way:

Say you have a large billboard that pays real estate and property taxes a few hundred feet away. You have a billboard because back in the day that was the only way to get such a large, stable (won't blow over in the wind) platform for large signs visible from the highway. You pay taxes and licensing fees if you are the owner (variable but temporarily fixed costs year over year), and you take in fees to post the adverts. You are also conforming to sign bylaws, and the best part is only so many are allowed so traffic is safe and least distracted.

Along comes a building owner who illegally paints, or posts to the whole side of his building for an advert that breaks a number of lesser defined sign and property bylaws, and you are losing out on advertising because the mindshare and visual spectacle of an 8 story building is far better than your piddly 25-50 foot signage.

So the hurt is not intangible. Property standards in municipal government is busy enough...they usually enforce sign bylaws on top of making sure people aren't dumping garbage and leaving car wrecks in their front yards. In my City it's just as bad...and yes all of those cool building-size ads are illegal, or sitting on the edge of being so. The pressure to enforce comes from people who are losing the benefit of a working business model. That kind of business complaint is championed by the Councillor or Mayor.

It's an interesting topic...once you lose control of your bylaw enforcement, you see posters and garbage everywhere as a result. Then the big players come in, and how do you stop that? You don't - you only control it as best you can. The end result is that every square inch of your neighbourhood could end up plastered in ads that end up abandoned in some way or another depending on which "space" is hot from one week to the next.

Don't think this is so cool...you'll have ads on your streets and driveways when they get done with it all. That's why restrictions are often imposed to keep things controlled and sane.

Imagine adverts on the side of every tall building you see.

[steve_arts]

wow thats a big billboard!

[brucep]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

To me, the excessive size is the only thing that is obnoxious about it, but why make excuses for that? Isn't Apple supposed to be about the subtle, tasteful, etc., don't you think the testosterone fest of being so outsized clash with that image?

And the surroundings really do look a bit run down.

i liked the over sized testosterone fest thats seen/scene for miles around

pk ok it is way way over board in size and it does insult locals who may be poor
and 3 yrs of it can be very obnoxious.

so i stand corrected

peace
0

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by brucep

i liked the over sized testosterone fest thats seen/scene for miles around

pk ok it is way way over board in size and it does insult locals who may be poor
and 3 yrs of it can be very obnoxious.

so i stand corrected

peace
0

It's OK to like it, I thought the size was incongruent with Apple's image.

[mark2005]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

I certainly can't speak to the local codes, but wow, that's a tacky ad. Not only is it needlessly enormous, if I were paying for a billboard ad, I wouldn't want to post one where its immediate surroundings don't look nice or tidy.

Since it's mainly to be viewed from the elevated highway across from it, it doesn't make a difference what the neighborhood looks like, and the size becomes appropriate. (The picture is taken from the edge of being underneath the highway.)

The surroundings may not look so nice, but the whole area behind that building (the other side) is rapidly being gentrified. A little while ago, new 1 and 2-bedroom condos (some being converted warehouses) in that area were going for $600K-$800K, and that's with the housing "crash."

[sheff]

LOl you can buy locks and itunes cards inside. These are some smart guys. I wonder if the wearhouse was asked to carry itunes cards.

[Multimedia]

I love that ad. How can they object to such a wonderful work of art?

[lws]

So, is that ad more than two times bigger than the store floor area in Boston?

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by mark2005

Since it's mainly to be viewed from the elevated highway across from it, it doesn't make a difference what the neighborhood looks like, and the size becomes appropriate. (The picture is taken from the edge of being underneath the highway.)

I'm aware that it's a billboard. But even then, why does it need to be so large? That's far larger than a typical billboard.

[The Other Steve]

You think they could take some of that $110,000 and clean-up the weeds around the billboard.

[brucep]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

It's OK to like it, I thought the size was incongruent with Apple's image.

remember all those tanks surrounding the tera flop mac tv ad ???

or the intel guy in silver suit on fire ??

yet it took mac 2 decades to, mention the no virus advantage ...

enjoy your football sunday
go jets !!