Mural advertising losing steam as advertisers opt for digital marketing

With the spread of technology, ad agencies are shifting their focus on digital advertisements to reach more consumers by investing less capital while mural advertising is waning.

Consequently, wall advertisement artists are losing business and suffering a severe crisis of advertisers.

Mural advertisements were once in great demand among various businesses, including corporations, as well as educational institutions and coaching centres. Even political parties would use wall writing to promote their ideologies.

But the heyday is gone due to the changing nature of advertisements, said Sumon Dey, proprietor of As Ad at Bakusha market in the capital’s Nilkhet.

He said technology and its use was causing the art of mural advertisement to become extinct.

“We now find it difficult to even earn the money needed to meet our daily expenses. Many have quit the profession while a lot of others are switching to offer online advertisement services to cope with the shift.”

Switching profession

Sector people say there were around 40 businesses in Nilkhet and Kataban offering mural ad services. Currently, five of them remain in Nilkhet, and there is no outlet in Kataban.

Md Shaukat Ali, proprietor of Lamia and Zone at Nilkhet, said he used to supply work orders to 10 artists, but he gets no orders now.

There were around 100 wall advertisement artists in Nilkhet, but only 10 are working now. Many have already left the profession, and others are planning to quit.

Nurul Islam, proprietor of Ad Sahara at Bakusha market, told The Business Post there was high demand for handwritten seminar banners and mural advertisements when he started the business in 1994. “I saw around 70 artists at the market back then, which has now come down to only five to 10.”

On the other hand, the sector is failing to attract new entrepreneurs and artists. Existing businesses say the sector is on the edge of extinction.

Artist Motin Saeed, 40, told The Business Post no new artist was being created and trained. “If this continues, there will be no artist after five to seven years.”

Coping with challenges

Though many have left the profession, some are surviving by bringing changes to their artwork aside from adopting technology. Besides, some have got involved in other types of paid work besides painting mural ads. Many have left the capital and moved to their village homes where there is still some demand for such advertising.

Sumon said he finds peace in the mural advertising profession, but the demand for work began to decline sharply after 2015. “To cope with the situation, I now offer digital printing services, but I enjoy wall writing the most. Digital printing machines are costly, but it is tough for us to buy those as we have no loan facilities,” he said. “I had five artists working under me till 2010. They all have quit, with some migrating abroad and others moving permanently to their hometowns,” he added.

The Ad Sahara proprietor said he now sells photo frames to stay afloat. “Also, we have brought varieties in our designs. For instance, we use eye-catching computer fonts in mural ads and also offer digital ad services to manage our livelihood.”

Despite the significant drop, mural advertisements still have demand among educational institutions as well as political and environmental organisations. Sumon said artists still get work orders from leftist organisations and coaching centres.

“We had lots of orders earlier, but now we have to wait for calls from clients. We find work three to four days a week during the peak season. In other times, we have to struggle to find clients,” he added.

Artist Shahidul Islam, who works at Nilkhet, said November to March is the peak season when orders come.

“We also get orders before occasions, such as the International Mother Language Day and Pahela Baishakh. Wall writing is still popular among cultural-minded people.”

Sheikh Afzal Hosain, chairman of the Department of Drawing and Painting at the University of Dhaka, said technology was diminishing mural advertisements’ popularity.

“When we will be able to ensure the proper use of technology, we will enjoy the advantages of technological advancement.”