Incessant advertising has been inescapable for decades now, but this new approach takes things to another level.
A recent post to the r/SaltLakeCity subreddit has people wondering how advertisers are able to get away with some of their marketing tactics. A user shared an image of cars stopped at a red light around dusk. Among them was a truck decked out in bright LED screens that showed full video, flashing advertisements.
Now, we'll just ignore the fact that the OP was taking pictures while out on the road for a moment.
The caption of the post reads: "Stop and go traffic at 5 PM. It's fairly dark at this hour, and a truck with all sides showing bright flashing ads is moving among the traffic. These are not still images either, they are full on video advertisements. Talk about distracting!"
The simple four-word title — which reads "How is this legal?" — says it all.
It's bad enough that we can't peruse a website, walk down the street, or use an Echo Dot that we've already paid for without being advertised to. Do we need the endless marketing tactics to follow us around on busy roads?
The OP's gripe that these four-wheeled video ads are distracting and dangerous is enough, but the issue here is even bigger than that. The omnipresence of ads contributes to a culture of overconsumption, overproduction, and overpacked landfills.
Recognizing this is a step toward reducing our consumption. Even though we're constantly being sold things, we don't need to give these companies the time of day. Instead, we can follow the lead of organizations such as Buy Nothing groups or opt for secondhand shopping for more sustainable means of getting what we need.
Commenters had a lot to say.
Some debated the legality of the ad truck.
"This is legal, but the heroes at [the Utah Department of Transportation] can no longer write their funny road messages because it was 'distracting to drivers,'" one said. "Make it make sense."Â
Another disagreed, saying, "Per Utah Code 41-6a-1603 it's not legal," and sharing a screenshot of the code in question. "How they get away with this is beyond me."
Someone else wittily pointed out that Utah residents should count themselves lucky, writing, "Don't move to Vegas."
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