Lodonee, I fully agree with you on SCRUB.
Tacky neon is one thing but the people of SCRUB (particularly their leader who must live near a lot of take-out places) seem less concerned with what I would call
blight and more about some intense vendetta against ad agencies (I've never heard of them calling for demolishing rotting buildings or neighborhood clean-ups).
This picture, taken directly from their website, illustrates what I've gathered about the organization based on everything I've ever heard involving their name.
The derelict building doesn't seem to offend their sensibilities as much as the fast food billboard that adorns it. They sound like another organization of bored, easily offended people with misplaced priorities. Cities, among other things, are places where ideas converge and all kinds of images are thrown about. It's where the most eyes and ears are found in one place. This is why there are no media pylons in quaint roadside villages. If you dislike signs, there's always Lancaster County.
I've held for a while that Market East could benefit from something along the lines of what you mentioned. Hokey as they can be, they do draw people. Such a development needn't be a ridiculous Dundas Square kind of thing but... a hood ornament enhances the appeal of even the nicest car.