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What If We Made Advertising Illegal? (simone.org)

submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The idea feels like sci-fi because you're so used to it, imagining ads gone feels like asking to outlaw gravity. But humanity had been free of current forms of advertising for 99.9% of its existence. Word-of-mouth and community networks worked just fine. First-party websites and online communities would now improve on that.

The traditional argument pro-advertising—that it provides consumers with necessary information—hasn't been valid for decades.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I personally think physical advertisements in the city should be limited to local businesses only.

And of course, no ads by the motorway, although that’s already the case here in France.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I remember when signage with ads had no lighting. Even that would be an improvement so I’d like to see any kind of illumination gone too.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I think art ads should be the exception to this in that movies, books, concerts et al shouldn't have to be local artists to be promoted.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

That’s fair, I think this could be allowed by authorizing those ads to be placed by local cinemas, concert halls, and museums.

That would also mean a film’s marketing has to pay cinemas directly to advertise in-town through them, which would be a source of revenue for them !

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Maybe make an exception for ads that consist mostly of artwork that customers are being sold? I'm talking about things like album covers and book covers that are often works of art in their own right.