Congrats, Taylor Swift! You’re Billboard’s Woman Of The Year!

From: http://www.hollywoodlife.com/

Taylor Swift, 21, is the youngest girl to ever receive this honor!

Taylor Swift is on fire! Not only was she nominated this morning for American Music Awards, but the 21-year-old singer is also going to be named Billboard’s Woman of the Year in New York City Dec. 2. We’re so proud of her!

“Taylor has shown the power of good songwriting with music that has transcended genres, and we’re thrilled to recognize all of her successes over the past year by honoring her with the Billboard Woman of the Year Award,” Bill Werde, Billboard’s Editorial Director, said in a release. “At the young age of 21, Taylor has already made a major impact on music and has been an incredible role model for aspiring singers/songwriters and young women everywhere. I look forward to watching her career continue to flourish in the years to come.”

Taylor is the youngest woman to ever receive this honor and last year, Fergie walked away with the award. Congrats on all of your success, Taylor! You make your fans proud!

The Most Clever Jewelry Store Billboard Ever

From: http://picchore.com/

Image source: Imgur

Billboard Win

‘Clean City’: São Paulo Scrubbed of Outdoor Ads

By Steph

From http://weburbanist.com/

(images via: tony demarco)

Outdoor advertising is so ubiquitous in almost every urban setting around the world, it’s difficult to walk down a street, take an escalator or sit on a bench without getting slapped in the face with one product or another. But the city of São Paulo, Brazil is like an advertising ghost town: all of its billboards stand oddly blank and empty.

In September of 2007, the world’s fourth-largest metropolis was scrubbed of almost every type of outdoor advertising – even pamphlets. It’s all part of mayor Gilberto Kassab’s quest to eliminate visual clutter, making the city itself the focal point rather than colorful, increasingly desperate marketing campaigns.

(images via: eduardoZ)

“The Clean City Law came from a necessity to combat pollution . . . pollution of water, sound, air, and the visual. We decided that we should start combating pollution with the most conspicuous sector – visual pollution,” said Kassab.

The results are astounding: gone are the 50-foot lingerie ads and oversized neon signs a la Times Square. In their place are strange vacancies, gaping holes… space. Suddenly, the architecture and natural scenery come into sharp focus.

(image via: katedubya)

While advertisers weren’t too happy about the law – $8 million in fines were levied against those who dawdled in taking ads down, and Clear Channel launched an unsuccessful campaign to raise support for putting them back up – the citizens clearly approve. Surveys found that at least 70% are happy with the change.

Giant Vagina Outlasts Spiteful Billboard in Koreatown

By Olsen Ebright

NBCLosAngeles.com

Ten-story vaginas are OK. Ads criticizing insurance companies are not.

Apparently, that's the way of the billboard world in Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In Koreatown, a billboard that read "Consumer Watchdog Says: 'You Can't Trust Mercury Insurance'" was dismantled last week after the company complained to CBS Outdoor. The billboard was preapproved by CBS Outdoor and was up for almost two weeks before Mercury's lawyers applied pressure, The Times reported.

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Yet a few blocks away, there's an Absolut Mango ad that wins our coveted "Outstanding Achievement in Vaginal Art" award. Actually the billboard is kind of tasteful -- well, as tasteful as a giant vagina can be. It does have a certain Edvard Munch vibe to it. Think "The Scream" meets the female anatomy.

As tasteful as it may be, it seems strange which billboard is still standing today.

"Truth is more controversial than pornography," Consumer Watchdog founder Harvey Rosenfield told the Times.

Rosenfield, who stands by the billboard's claims, has posted the "Top Ten Reasons You Can't Trust Mercury Insurance" on consumerwatchdog.org.

Mercury had this to say about the billboard:

"CBS apparently has considered our comments and, as a responsible organization, has removed the defamatory statements from their billboard. Consumer Watchdog's claims about Mercury Insurance and its motivation are without merit."

In the response to the incident, Rosenfield says, he's thinking about running for state insurance commissioner and Consumer Watchdog is considering a lawsuit.

[Photos courtesy Consumer Watchdog and howunoriginal.com]