If you’ve been around the Vancouver Art Gallery recently, you may have noticed the installation of several new digital advertising signs.
As part of the City of Vancouver’s street furniture contract with Outfront/JCDecaux, seven of these digital signs are planned around the downtown peninsula.
Two of the first digital signs have been installed near the art gallery, one on West Georgia in front of the plaza (known as šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square), and one on Robson Street, half a block east of Burrard.
In 2002, the City entered into a 20-year agreement with Outfront for the supply, installation, maintenance and operation of all street furniture elements including benches, bus shelters, waste receptacles, digital signage and map stands. As part of this agreement, Outfront is permitted to sell advertisements on map stands and bus shelters.
The city says the new digital signage is up to industry standards, ensuring appropriate luminance levels, driver sight-lines, curbside clearances and general safety standards are met.
As for the advertising content, 10 per cent is allocated to the city for community use, although after observing both of the digital signs for several minutes, ads displayed were all for private enterprise, including McDonald’s, London Drugs and Manulife.
