United Way ‘not out to break law’ with sidewalk ads

Ten flat faux-T-shirt images bearing the slogan "Live United" had only a brief life as advertisements on the sidewalk outside United Way headquarters in downtown Minneapolis today, Bob Geiger reports in Finance & Commerce. Minneapolis code restricts such promotional displays on public surfaces in public spaces.

"We’re not out to break the law," said Marsha Pitts-Phillips, public relations manager for United Way. She was frustrated in her attempts to clear the promotion with the city, she said.

Institutional advertising on flat surfaces in public spaces is an idea that seems to come around every couple of years. In May, St. Paul considered ads that would wrap around its skyways during the Republican National Convention. In 2006, a marketing firm started putting flat floor ads in privately-owned Minneapolis skyway system. In 2004, the Walker Art Center and Guthrie Theater stenciled long-lasting ads onto sidewalks with industrial-strength chalk. The Guthrie’s ads pitched its production of "Death of a Salesman" with outlines of bodies, while the Walker advertised its Target-sponsored mini-golf course in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.