City for Sale
Cities exist to advance the public good, for example, to keep us safe from fire and theft, maintain the parks, teach the children, tend to the poor, and help keep us healthy. But corporations are trying to turn our cities into billboards and marketing agents, which conflicts with the public purpose of government.
For example, Coca-Cola has signed marketing deals with Huntington Beach, CA; East Lansing, MI, and Ocean City, MD, while PepsiCo has agreements with San Diego, Fresno, Garden Grove, and Sacramento, CA. These cities receive cash for becoming marketing vehicles for soda companies, despite evidence that consuming large quantities of soda pop can cotribute to obesity, tooth decay, osteoporosis, heart disease, and kidney stones, according to Liquid Candy, a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
We work to keep public spaces public, and to stop companies from turning our public spaces into billboards.
More Information
News Releases
Commercial Alert Pans Plan to Put Ads on NYC Subway Tunnel Walls
Jonathan Rowe and Gary Ruskin | May 16th, 2006
Coalition Asks MTA Not to Sell Naming Rights to NYC Bridges, Subway Stations
Gary Ruskin | July 28th, 2004
San Francisco Moves to Ban Sale of Naming Rights; First Major City to Counter Naming Rights Trend
Gary Ruskin | July 30th, 2002
Sell the Naming Rights to Your Suits, Councilman
Gary Ruskin | May 2nd, 2001
Articles
What's in a Name? A Potful of Problems
Gary Ruskin | February 27th, 2004
Related Articles and Links
Related Articles
What's Ballpark Figure for Name on Police Building?
Rick Orlov | Los Angeles Daily News | May 4th, 2008
A Zoo by Any Other Name?
Joel Russell | Los Angeles Business Journal | April 28th, 2008
What's in a Name? Possibly A Lot of Money
Jeff Gray | Globe and Mail (Canada) | April 24th, 2008
Airport Naming Rights: Industry-First Partnership
PRNewswire | April 14th, 2008
Waterfront Toronto Considers Selling Naming Rights to Public Parks, Spaces
The Canadian Press | April 6th, 2008
When a Corporate Donation Raises Protests
Stuart Elliott | The New York Times | March 12th, 2008
A $100 Million Donation to the N.Y. Public Library
Robin Pogrebin | The New York Times | March 11th, 2008
Your Name Here?
Keith Edwards | Kennebec Journal, Morning Senitinel (ME) | February 5th, 2008
What's in a Name? Not Enough, Nassau County Finds
William Murphy | Newsday | February 1st, 2008
Naming Names in Milton
Paul E. Kandarian | Boston Globe | January 31st, 2008
Vending Contract Could Add to City Revenues
Cindy Barks | Daily Courier (Prescott, AZ) | January 30th, 2008
Naming Rights May Provide Districts With Funding
Lana F. Flowers | Morning News (Northwest AR) | January 26th, 2008
Set Strict Rules on Naming Rights
Detroit Free Press | January 10th, 2008
New Deal Reached with Cougars to Get Stadium Renovation Project Moving
William Presecky | Chicago Tribune | January 9th, 2008
Legislator Wants to Sell Naming Rights to Bridge
Ted Hayes | Warren Times Gazette | January 8th, 2008
PCCC looking to sell naming rights
Bernard Schoenburg | State Journal Register (MO) | December 18th, 2007
USC gives some ground on Coliseum
Sam Farmer and Gary Klein | Los Angeles Times | December 17th, 2007
A Shot at Naming Rights
James Mayer | The Oregonian | December 15th, 2007
Why the Name Game is Simply a Shame
Greg Baum | The Age (Melbourne, AU) | December 14th, 2007
State looks to buy Wrigley
Jim Kirk | Chicago Tribune | December 13th, 2007
Call to Arms to Retain Name at a Garden State Rest Stop
George Vecsey | New York Times | December 12th, 2007
Rest stops could lose historic titles
Associated Press | December 9th, 2007
City of Chicago may turn to naming rights to raise funds
Associated Press | November 23rd, 2007
Mass. officials eye sponsor-a-cruiser ad program
Mike Underwood | Boston Herald | November 19th, 2007
Ad firm gives to Muni measure, gets S.F. contract
Robert Selna | San Francisco Chronicle | October 31st, 2007
Agency May Rent Visibility
Gary Libow | Hartford Courant | February 7th, 2007
Not Just One N.J. Road to Riches From Assets
Jennifer Moroz | Philadelphia Inquirer | February 4th, 2007
City Policy for Naming Rights Sales Sketched In
Eric LaRose | Sheboygan Press (WI) | January 10th, 2007
With Ad Deal, Insurer Wades Into Bridge Traffic
Ken Belson | New York Times | January 4th, 2007
Golden Gate Bridge to Explore Corporate Sponsorship
Kim Curtis | Associated Press | November 16th, 2006
Library Selling Naming Rights
Kimball Perry | Cincinnati Enquirer | August 9th, 2006
If Price Is Right, City Sights Will Carry New Name Tags
Gary Washburn | Chicago Tribune | April 29th, 2006
State Selling Ads to Offset Cost of BMV Renewal Letters
Patrick Guinane | Northwest Indiana Times | April 15th, 2006
Suffolk May Sell Naming Rights
Emi Endo | Newsday | February 23rd, 2006
Texas Town Adopts Corporate Name
Matt Slagle | Associated Press | November 16th, 2005
Illinois Angles for Sponsors to Close Budget Gap
Stephanie Simon | Los Angeles Times | September 28th, 2003
New York Picks Its Beverage, for $166 Million
David M. Herszenhorn | New York Times | September 10th, 2003
Illinois: Brought to You by Sponsors; Blagojevich Plan Could Turn State into Land of Logos
John Chase and Ray Long | Chicago Tribune | September 5th, 2003
Town Square As Billboard; Short on Cash, Municipalities are Renting out Public Spaces to Marketers
Stuart Elliott | New York Times | June 23rd, 2003
Cities in Need Selling Themselves
Larry Copeland | USA Today | June 10th, 2003
Marketer Urges Town to Sell Endorsements for Revenue
Thomas Dolan | Buffalon News | May 14th, 2003
Branding in New York Is Just the Beginning
N. R. Kleinfeld | New York Times | April 6th, 2003
City's Going on the Block; Naming Rights to be Offered
David Saltonstall | New York Daily News | April 3rd, 2003
Villages Hustle to Sell Naming Rights
Lynette Kalsnes | Chicago Tribune | September 17th, 2002
Selling the City, Drink by Drink
Ralph Nader | September 16th, 2002
Let's Park the Naming-Rights Plan
Carrie McLaren | New York Newsday | February 28th, 2002
Bloomberg Passes Hat, Aiming at Corporate Help
Jennifer Steinhauer | New York Times | February 6th, 2002
Norquist Toys With Idea of Your-name-here Sponsors
Greg Borowski | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | January 26th, 2001
Now, Brought to You by Coke (or Pepsi): Your City Hall
Verne G. Kopytoff | New York Times | November 29th, 1999
External Links
City for Sale
Mokhiber and Weissman, Focus on the Corp. | February 15, 1999