JEDDAH, 3 January 2003 — In a move to raise money for the municipal budget, space on bridges has been rented out for the display of advertising signs.
Main road junctions and thoroughfares have been targeted for the project, joining the already plentiful supply of hoardings, television screens and flashing light displays around the city.
Prince Miteb ibn Abdul Aziz, minister of rural and municipal affairs, recently signed two contracts with advertisers to rent spaces on road and pedestrian bridges in Jeddah. The value of the two deals tops SR3.2 million.
The first contract, valued at SR1.47 million and valid for four years, includes 12 advertising locations on wooden pedestrian bridges.
The second contract includes renting 24 locations for advertising on bridges carrying traffic, and totals SR1.75 million over five years.
This new move by the municipality came about to take advantage of advertising locations as well as giving additional income to the municipality.
With an annual budget counted in billions, the added revenue generated by the advertising space is minimal.
“The added visual clutter and aggressive marketing runs counter to the idea of improving Jeddah,” said Saeed Farsi, a public relations manager in Jeddah. “With the increasing amounts of advertising, there comes a point where people get ‘advertising fatigue’ and the advertising ceases to generate extra sales.”
He added that when this happens, the signs still litter the buildings and structure of the city until the contract runs out. Eventually, people get angry. SR3.2 million is a tiny sum for all the damage the signage does to the skyline and visual amenity of the city.
