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By Clare Kane
MADRID, June 24 (Reuters) - Big business is taking advantageof recession-hit Spain's hunger for cash, striking advertisingdeals for landmarks that have seen a Christopher Columbus statuedressed in a Barcelona soccer shirt and a metro station namedafter a telecoms company.
With local councils and transport authorities across Europefeeling the squeeze as governments battle to cut deficits, thesedeals could be a taste of things to come.
"Advertising seeking controversy isn't anything new ...what's different here is the inventive ways local authoritiesare coming up with to make money," said Manuel Martin,communication theory professor at Spain's University of Navarra.
Some Conservative politicians in Britain, for example, havesuggested allowing sponsorship of London Underground metro linesand stations to raise money that could keep down fares.
But allowing brands to associate themselves with publicservices and famous places is not without its detractors.
Protest group Ecologists In Action, for instance, says metrostations should be used to promote cultural activities and thatit is unfair to advertise to consumers where they might not beable to distinguish between publicity and information.
REVENUE RAISING
For supporters, opening up more landmarks to advertising isa win-win situation at a time when money is tight for bothgovernments and companies.
Spain is in the grip of a protracted recession that has left27 percent of the workforce jobless. Many of its 17 autonomousregions and councils are shouldering large amounts of debt andmost regions - though Madrid is an exception - have been lockedout of debt markets and must seek alternative funding.
For them, new advertising revenues could be a big help.
Barcelona city council received 114,000 euros ($150,200)from Nike to preview soccer club Barcelona's new shirton the 60-metre high statue of Columbus.
In the capital, Vodafone will pay subway companyMetro de Madrid 3 million euros over three years to rename thestation in the historic Sol plaza at kilometre 0 of Spain's roadnetwork and the focal point of anti-government protests. The Solstation is now called Vodafone-Sol.
Line 2, used by more than 122,000 people every day and whichstops at Sol, will also be renamed Linea 2 Vodafone inSeptember. It is the first time a company has sponsored anentire metro line in Europe. New maps of the metro system willbe made and distributed with the new name for the line andVodafone will foot the bill.
Metro de Madrid said the money raised would go to improveservice, while the regional government described Madrid'stransport network as "a shopfront for 1.5 billion journeys ayear" and said such advertising campaigns could help fund publictransport.
BRAND BACKLASH
Companies are also looking to save money, and create more ofa buzz when they do spend on advertising.
Consultancy Zenith says firms in Spain are expected to spend10.9 percent less on publicity this year.
Choosing a controversial location can be money well spent.
Marta Coll, director general at Havas Media's Barcelonaoffice, which was behind Nike's Columbus campaign, said themedia coverage generated by the stunt was valued at between 7million and 8 million euros.
Barcelona city council is currently reviewing its urbanlandscape regulation, making it unclear whether more such dealswill be permitted. The Columbus promotion was only allowedbecause it was for a short period of time and the statue wasbeing restored, according to the council.
A spokeswoman said while urban planning rules would bemodernised, nothing had been officially decided on advertising.
"The idea first came up seven years ago but the council wasmuch more restrictive and we weren't allowed to do it. Perhapsit was because of the current economic crisis and the factrestoration work was being carried out that they let us do it,"said Havas Media's Coll.
Vince Mitchell, consumer marketing professor at CassBusiness School in London, said companies would be keen tostrike advertising deals over other landmarks.
"Virtually every other form of advertising is so saturated,so marketers are constantly looking at new ways to engagepeople," he said.
But opponents are vowing to put up a fight.
In Spain, a group called "Cover The Brand" has set up awebsite with instructions on what size of paper is needed tocover the "Vodafone" brand on metro signs and uploads picturesshowing the brand papered over and covered by stickers.
In Barcelona, the council's decision to allow the Columbusstatue to wear the new FC Barcelona shirt also sparked fury atother clubs in the area, such as Espanyol, whose presidentdescribed the move as "the straw that broke the camel's back".
