Eyesore

There were 47 of them from my office in PJ en route to Kota Damansara. A staggering 98 from KLCC to the same destination, if NKVE was used. Even for a distance of roughly five kilometres, from Kota Damansara to IPC there were 13. And you know that there's one for every other lamp post from KLIA to anywhere. 

They are everywhere (Apple iPhone 4s)

They come in various sizes and shapes and to you and I they are known simply as billboards. But within the advertising community, they are sold as gantries, Unipole towers, overhead panels, arches, wraps and Spectaculars. It’s a multi-million ringgit business, looking rather healthy at the ADEX counter.

They are not pretty (Apple iPhone 4s)

In order to erect the structure, prior approvals and licenses from the authorities need to be obtained. Then the marketing team at the outdoor advertising companies will go and get willing advertisers. Contracts (i.e. rental agreement between the advertiser and the billboard owner) will be signed for a period of time for an agreed amount of money. Creative work and production will kick in now, if not earlier. When the contract’s up, the advertiser has the first right of refusal whether to continue or terminate. If it was terminated, the billboard owner would go to the market and start looking for another advertiser. 

They are pushy (Apple iPhone 4s)

The process can also be reversed in that the billboards may not even be there in the first place. Likelihood of sites not available when the advertisers want it is always high, especially when they are premium locations. Sometimes, the advertisers with their own business reasons, want to make a statement or create a difference with a certain outdoor venture. The advertisers can express their desirable locations to the outdoor advertising company and likewise, the latter would give ideas on possible locations to explore. It's a two-way street. At the end of the day, responsibility still lies with the outdoor advertising company to do the groundwork to make sure that the billboards happen and clients are happy.

They are distracting (Apple iPhone 4s)

Looking at the mushrooming of the billboards, it is safe to assume that there doesn't exist a framework or policy to guide the placement of such advertising that would coincide with the higher agenda of beautifying a constituent. Even if there is one, I'm pretty sure it only pertains to the structure requirement, the authorities license number, its logo placement and slogan of the day, where applicable. 
The authorities need to rethink their approach to outdoor advertising policing. I really hope the proliferation of the said channel is not motivated by sinister reasons.  
Billboard spotting and counting can be fun. Try it. You'll be amazed at the numbers.