| NEW MEDIA MOVEMENT MOBILIZATION: CULTURE JAMMING AND MEDIA ACTIVISM IN THE DIGITAL AGE 1 January 2009 by Jimbo Maritato |
For most New York City commuters, the morning of November 12,
2008 was not all that different from any other winter workday. Many of
those traveling via subway, however, had an unexpected addition to
their mornings, as they were greeted at the entrances to subway
platforms by activists handing out copies of The New York Times.
Many commuters appreciated the gesture – until they looked more
closely at the paper’s date (July 4, 2009) and headline: “IRAQ WAR
ENDS.”
Media activists The Yes Men had pulled a phenomenal prank, on both
NYC commuters and The New York Times, by producing a convincing
spoof of the popular New York newspaper. This “Special Edition” of
the Times was filled from cover to cover with hypothetical stories
outlining the actions of an Obama administration in its first six months,
with the most notable entry being the resolution of the conflict in Iraq,
and the return of American troops. Of course, the Yes Men are not
soothsayers; able to gaze into their crystal ball of political futures to
report to news of tomorrow. Rather, the group sought to raise
awareness of the promises made by the Obama campaign and to
send a message that Obama supporters fully expect those promises
to be fulfilled. As the accompanying website of the “print edition” of
the spoofed New York Times (http://www.nytimes-se.com) notes:
While certainly a prominent example, the November actions of “The
Yes Men” represent just one instance of a larger trend in political and
social activism. In recent years, as digital production tools have
become more accessible and affordable to the average citizen, and as
digital communications networks such as the Internet have become
more robust and supportive of multimedia formats, activists have
begun to engage in media production to target and/or foster ideas,
rather than merely action. We are at the dawn of a new age of
activism, fueled by the home production tools embedded in the
average PC and Mac, and the fervor of viral political and social
discourse.
The need for new activism
While activists certainly intervene through modes of direct action such
as protest, boycotts, rallies, and community organizing and outreach,
movements must also confront root causes of social and political
oppression that are upheld by culture. Activists are concerned not
only with isolating and solving one instance of injustice but also with
addressing the societal assumptions that allow current problems to
continue. Activists can use the Internet and digital production tools to
“popularize” or spread their ideas into larger circles. As media
strategist and former Organizing Director for the Rainforest Action
Network, Patrick Reinsborough (2003), explains in his essay
"Decolonizing the Revolutionary Imagination,"
Reinsborough calls for the development of actions, events and media
activism that call attention not just to the problems that stem from
social or political injustice, but that also question the foundational
assumptions that prop up social inequality and injustice. For instance,
we might look to the years of struggle that human rights activists
engaged in to encourage boycotts of Nike products due to sweatshop
labor practices. Most would agree that this is an important action that
supports the overall goal of bettering the quality of the factory worker’
s lives. However, the action doesn’t question the basic assumption
inherent in the problem: “Under the principles of free market
capitalism, these workers are ‘better off’ because they have jobs they
would not otherwise have without western development – therefore
capitalism creates progress.” Reinsborough goes on to argue that
what’s needed are “easily replicatable actions, new symbols and
contagious memes that we can combine with grassroots organizing
and alternative institution building to expand the transformative arena
of struggle.”
So what are “memes,” and how do they bring about the sort of social
change media activists seek to evoke from their audiences? Simply
put, a meme is a catchy idea that spreads from person to person.
Memes may also be considered a way to represent the ideas
contained within advertising. In order for such ideas to take hold in an
audience’s mind, the idea must be presented in a way that appeals to
the audience in a way that helps it to be remembered. Certain ideas
we interact with are more memorable and more repeated than others.
We retain a lot of information that is ancillary, or relatively unimportant
to what we do, and we tend to replicate it in our interactions with other
people. For instance, you can likely complete the following phrase:
“My bologna has a first name….”
Consider the way that advertising slogans, song lyrics, and television
and movie quotations are bandied about by individuals in
conversation on a daily basis. In these instances, individuals
communicate virally by appropriating an element of popular culture in
order to communicate their own ideas. In these instances, the original
or intended meaning of the idea may be cast aside as individuals
provide their own context. Thus when we look at our culture, we see
that many people engage in a practice of cultural reference and
reiteration in their day to day discourse, such that phrases like “Where’
s the beef?” and other popular advertising slogans are reused by
speakers within new and different contexts. From these roots of
cultural reappropriation and viral communication, activists have begun
to develop new styles of media activism – known as culture jamming.
Reappropriation for a better future
Activists and artists can use the means of digital production to
produce new icons, symbols and multimedia artifacts that link with
larger pre-established cultural ideas. We can broadly refer to this form
of cultural production as culture jamming.
Culture jamming is a specific style of media activism wherein artists
and activists seek to generate a questioning of social and cultural
assumptions by reappropriating and redeploying cultural symbols and
artifacts in ways that cause a questioning – rather than a
reinforcement – of the ideas the symbols represent. Culture jammers
rely on viral discourse to get their work done. Because their works
move virally and are thus difficult to predict in terms of impact and
audience response, it becomes difficult to co-opt or control by those in
power.
For instance, consider the actions of the Billboard Liberation Front, a
group of activists who “improve” billboards as a statement against
corporate advertising in public spaces. In this example, the BLF
defaced a neon billboard advertising Camel cigarettes by knocking out
lights and adding some of their own to create the phrase “Am I Dead
Yet?” They also “superimpose” neon lights over the image of Joe
Camel to create a glowing red skull effect. Their hope is to link the
iconic figure of Joe Camel with the implications of cigarette smoking by
hijacking the billboard and modifying it to promote a new idea. In this
instance, the BLF hopes to inspire discussion among commuters who
drive past this billboard (for at least as long as it takes for the billboard
owner to correct the problem). The message presented directly
contradicts the brand image of Camel cigarettes, and calls the product
and its marketing into question – a question that the viewer is invited
to engage and consider.
2008 was not all that different from any other winter workday. Many of
those traveling via subway, however, had an unexpected addition to
their mornings, as they were greeted at the entrances to subway
platforms by activists handing out copies of The New York Times.
Many commuters appreciated the gesture – until they looked more
closely at the paper’s date (July 4, 2009) and headline: “IRAQ WAR
ENDS.”
Media activists The Yes Men had pulled a phenomenal prank, on both
NYC commuters and The New York Times, by producing a convincing
spoof of the popular New York newspaper. This “Special Edition” of
the Times was filled from cover to cover with hypothetical stories
outlining the actions of an Obama administration in its first six months,
with the most notable entry being the resolution of the conflict in Iraq,
and the return of American troops. Of course, the Yes Men are not
soothsayers; able to gaze into their crystal ball of political futures to
report to news of tomorrow. Rather, the group sought to raise
awareness of the promises made by the Obama campaign and to
send a message that Obama supporters fully expect those promises
to be fulfilled. As the accompanying website of the “print edition” of
the spoofed New York Times (http://www.nytimes-se.com) notes:
- This special edition of The New York Times comes from a future
in which we are accomplishing what we know today to be
possible.
The dozens of volunteer citizens who produced this paper spent
the last eight years dreaming of a better world for themselves,
their friends, and any descendants they might end up having.
Today, that better world, though still very far away, is finally
possible — but only if millions of us demand it, and finally force
our government to do its job.
While certainly a prominent example, the November actions of “The
Yes Men” represent just one instance of a larger trend in political and
social activism. In recent years, as digital production tools have
become more accessible and affordable to the average citizen, and as
digital communications networks such as the Internet have become
more robust and supportive of multimedia formats, activists have
begun to engage in media production to target and/or foster ideas,
rather than merely action. We are at the dawn of a new age of
activism, fueled by the home production tools embedded in the
average PC and Mac, and the fervor of viral political and social
discourse.
The need for new activism
While activists certainly intervene through modes of direct action such
as protest, boycotts, rallies, and community organizing and outreach,
movements must also confront root causes of social and political
oppression that are upheld by culture. Activists are concerned not
only with isolating and solving one instance of injustice but also with
addressing the societal assumptions that allow current problems to
continue. Activists can use the Internet and digital production tools to
“popularize” or spread their ideas into larger circles. As media
strategist and former Organizing Director for the Rainforest Action
Network, Patrick Reinsborough (2003), explains in his essay
"Decolonizing the Revolutionary Imagination,"
Targeting assumptions— the framework of myths, lies, and
flawed rationale that normalize the corporate take over—
requires some different approaches from actions at the other
points of intervention. “Point of assumption” actions operate in
the realm of ideas to expose pathological logic, cast doubt and
undermine existing loyalties. Successful direct action at the
point of assumption identifies, isolates and confronts the big lies
that maintain the status quo. A worthy goal for these types of
actions is to encourage the most important act that a concerned
citizen can take in an era defined by systematic propaganda –
QUESTIONING!
Reinsborough calls for the development of actions, events and media
activism that call attention not just to the problems that stem from
social or political injustice, but that also question the foundational
assumptions that prop up social inequality and injustice. For instance,
we might look to the years of struggle that human rights activists
engaged in to encourage boycotts of Nike products due to sweatshop
labor practices. Most would agree that this is an important action that
supports the overall goal of bettering the quality of the factory worker’
s lives. However, the action doesn’t question the basic assumption
inherent in the problem: “Under the principles of free market
capitalism, these workers are ‘better off’ because they have jobs they
would not otherwise have without western development – therefore
capitalism creates progress.” Reinsborough goes on to argue that
what’s needed are “easily replicatable actions, new symbols and
contagious memes that we can combine with grassroots organizing
and alternative institution building to expand the transformative arena
of struggle.”
So what are “memes,” and how do they bring about the sort of social
change media activists seek to evoke from their audiences? Simply
put, a meme is a catchy idea that spreads from person to person.
Memes may also be considered a way to represent the ideas
contained within advertising. In order for such ideas to take hold in an
audience’s mind, the idea must be presented in a way that appeals to
the audience in a way that helps it to be remembered. Certain ideas
we interact with are more memorable and more repeated than others.
We retain a lot of information that is ancillary, or relatively unimportant
to what we do, and we tend to replicate it in our interactions with other
people. For instance, you can likely complete the following phrase:
“My bologna has a first name….”
Consider the way that advertising slogans, song lyrics, and television
and movie quotations are bandied about by individuals in
conversation on a daily basis. In these instances, individuals
communicate virally by appropriating an element of popular culture in
order to communicate their own ideas. In these instances, the original
or intended meaning of the idea may be cast aside as individuals
provide their own context. Thus when we look at our culture, we see
that many people engage in a practice of cultural reference and
reiteration in their day to day discourse, such that phrases like “Where’
s the beef?” and other popular advertising slogans are reused by
speakers within new and different contexts. From these roots of
cultural reappropriation and viral communication, activists have begun
to develop new styles of media activism – known as culture jamming.
Reappropriation for a better future
Activists and artists can use the means of digital production to
produce new icons, symbols and multimedia artifacts that link with
larger pre-established cultural ideas. We can broadly refer to this form
of cultural production as culture jamming.
Culture jamming is a specific style of media activism wherein artists
and activists seek to generate a questioning of social and cultural
assumptions by reappropriating and redeploying cultural symbols and
artifacts in ways that cause a questioning – rather than a
reinforcement – of the ideas the symbols represent. Culture jammers
rely on viral discourse to get their work done. Because their works
move virally and are thus difficult to predict in terms of impact and
audience response, it becomes difficult to co-opt or control by those in
power.
For instance, consider the actions of the Billboard Liberation Front, a
group of activists who “improve” billboards as a statement against
corporate advertising in public spaces. In this example, the BLF
defaced a neon billboard advertising Camel cigarettes by knocking out
lights and adding some of their own to create the phrase “Am I Dead
Yet?” They also “superimpose” neon lights over the image of Joe
Camel to create a glowing red skull effect. Their hope is to link the
iconic figure of Joe Camel with the implications of cigarette smoking by
hijacking the billboard and modifying it to promote a new idea. In this
instance, the BLF hopes to inspire discussion among commuters who
drive past this billboard (for at least as long as it takes for the billboard
owner to correct the problem). The message presented directly
contradicts the brand image of Camel cigarettes, and calls the product
and its marketing into question – a question that the viewer is invited
to engage and consider.
The technologies made available by the current era of digital convergence
(the Internet, digital means of production and communication, etc.) create
additional opportunities for viral communication as media consumers can
easily pass information between each other. Consider your own Internet
usage – how often do you IM or e-mail links to videos, images, music, ads
or articles that you find interesting to friends and family? Who do you send
these things to and why? Nearly all of us can say that we engage in this
process of passing along items we find important, humorous, worthwhile,
etc. When we do so, we’re participating in a viral communication process
because we “replicate” the idea to those we are communicating with. In
addition to using the means of the system it critiques, the BLF’s Camel ad is
also likely to serve as a conversation starter that allows the idea to be
passed word of mouth. Images on the BLF’s website can be easily linked,
allowing viral discourse to spread beyond the immediate locale of the BLF.
Culture jamming and studies of culture jamming have typically focused on
the ability of activists or artists to effectively redeploy the signs and symbols
of a dominant system in a manner that disrupts their meaning and critiques
the overall system from which the symbols originate. Activist/Organizer Mark
Dery (2001) states that culture jammers
From Dery’s perspective culture jamming can be seen as actions or
artifacts that are politically or subversively charged. Jamming can range
from parody to media gags, but always aims to make a statement against a
particular target of power or popularity within a culture. Culture jamming
also traditionally relies on playing with “semiotics,” or the study of how we
determine meanings from cultural symbols. Semiotic theory states that the
symbols we use to communicate (whether they are visual, verbal, or
otherwise non-verbal) have little to no meaning outside of contextual cues.
Thus, culture jammers re-use well-known cultural symbols, but in
unexpected contexts that “demarket” the dominantly held understanding of
symbols.
Culture jamming takes place in a variety of forums and formats, but can be
broadly categorized into the following four classifications. They are often
used in tandem with one another to create a cohesive “demarketing”
campaign.
Subvertising –Subvertising relies on the act of reclaiming a brand name
image and subsequently turning its meaning. The most prominent example
of subvertising is the work of The Adbusters Media Foundation, an
organization that describes itself as “a global network of artists, activists,
writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to
advance the new social activist movement of the information age. Our aim is
to topple existing power structures and forge a major shift in the way we will
live in the 21st century.”Adbusters publishes a print-magazine that is critical
of advertising practices, maintains an ad agency for advocacy groups, and
maintains a website. It also promotes several global events such as Buy
Nothing Day (consumers refrain from buying anything on the Friday after
Thanksgiving) and TV Turn Off Week (a voluntary commitment not to watch
television for one week). Of particular note is the vast array of
subvertisements Adbusters has published within the pages of its own
magazine. Take a look at the two ads from one of their campaigns below
and see if you can figure out what popular brand name’s ad styling and
product name have been lifted…
If you guessed Calvin Kline, you were right (and the phrase on the man’s
underwear is sort of a giveaway). We see from these examples how
subvertisements differ from the billboard artists in that they do not modify
an existing ad. Rather, subvertisers use the means of digital production to
copy the likeness of a brand name to subvert the ideas linked to it. In these
ads, the way body image is linked to fashionable clothes is criticized. We
see that Adbuster’s suggests that Calvin Kline’s typical use of idealized
models for their products leads to “obsession” with how we look as
Americans compete to meet impossible ideals. The problems of eating
disorders and obsession with sexual prowess are linked directly to the
brand name. Another example illustrates how digital graphic design tools
contribute to the realism of the ads.
Subvertising has moved beyond the realm of print advertisements. A quick
search of YouTube for the phrase “spoof ads” will turn up a variety of hits,
though these are not all necessarily posted by activists. Some are
produced by individual artists, but still meet the parameters of “culture
jamming” because they represent a new idea. How much social impact they
have, on the other hand, is debatable.
Media Hoaxing and media pranking are the acts of “taking the media for a
ride” to raise awareness about a social issue. Activists and artists may hold
their own mock media events or generate false media controversy.
Alternately, they may choose to pull pranks at high profile media events to
gain attention. One relevant group that exemplifies the strategy of media
hoaxing is the Biotic Baking Brigade or BBB. The BBB attends major press
conferences held by corporate executives, politicians and international
trade organizations and delivers a pie to the face of the speaker. The pie-
assassins usually flee while a clean, well organized and professional media
spokesman will typically capitalize on the media attention and provide
background and context for the action. The BBB also produces video news
releases and press releases that are disseminated to local and national
media outlets, providing for a quick and easy reporting opportunity for
journalists. The BBB, in essence, capitalize on media’s approach to
delivering prepackaged and organized content after first raising their
attention with an absurd yet amusing stunt.
Audio Agitprop (a conjunction of agitation and propaganda), while
somewhat more developed from Dery’s original writings on the topic, is the
art of sampling multiple audio sources and combining them to create a new
work. Initially the purposes of audio agitprop were to criticize copyright
standards held by major artists. Today, we can probably extend this
category more broadly to the notion of “audio mashing.” While sampling of
music and speech clips has long been practiced by those in the
entertainment and music industries (especially those artists working within
the genres of rap and hip-hop), digital technology has opened up the ability
to edit rudimentary audio projects on the average home computer. Some
examples of audio mashing include “mashups” wherein independent artists
take the components of two or more popular songs and create a new work.
For an example, check out The Kleptones, a music group headed by the
satirically named “Eric Kleptone” that produces albums such as “A Night At
the Hip Hopera.” The album is a collection of major radio play hip-hop
vocals mixed over the classic rock band Queen’s “A Night at the Opera.” A
more clear example of audio agitprop is the “George W. Bush
Speechwriter,” a Flash website that allows users to put together a
combination of of phrases to create new speeches for President Bush. The
speeches are then played back from individual sound bites of Bush’s voice
to create a cohesive speech. Give it a try – it’s fun to see what you can
make!
Billboard Banditry – Similar to subvertising, Billboard banditry pertains to
the reclamation of public space by defacing billboards with messages that
turn their meanings or alter their ideas. For instance, the Billboard Bubble
Project was carried out by artists who sought to provide space for other
individuals to make a statement about public advertising. They added
cartoon word bubbles to a variety of billboards in major cities, inspiring
others to complete the artwork by adding their own phrases and quips.
While the implications of digital communication may not be implicitly clear
when we consider billboard bandits, it’s important to recognize that graphic
design software available to the general public allows artists to achieve
more complex modifications, including entire replacements of billboards.
Jimbo Maritato teaches and designs this kind of stuff (among other stuff) at
Marist College.
Send us your feedback!
(the Internet, digital means of production and communication, etc.) create
additional opportunities for viral communication as media consumers can
easily pass information between each other. Consider your own Internet
usage – how often do you IM or e-mail links to videos, images, music, ads
or articles that you find interesting to friends and family? Who do you send
these things to and why? Nearly all of us can say that we engage in this
process of passing along items we find important, humorous, worthwhile,
etc. When we do so, we’re participating in a viral communication process
because we “replicate” the idea to those we are communicating with. In
addition to using the means of the system it critiques, the BLF’s Camel ad is
also likely to serve as a conversation starter that allows the idea to be
passed word of mouth. Images on the BLF’s website can be easily linked,
allowing viral discourse to spread beyond the immediate locale of the BLF.
Culture jamming and studies of culture jamming have typically focused on
the ability of activists or artists to effectively redeploy the signs and symbols
of a dominant system in a manner that disrupts their meaning and critiques
the overall system from which the symbols originate. Activist/Organizer Mark
Dery (2001) states that culture jammers
- … introduce noise into the signal as it passes from transmitter to
receiver, encouraging idiosyncratic, unintended interpretations.
Intruding on the intruders, they invest ads, newscasts, and other
media artifacts with subversive meanings; simultaneously, they
decrypt them, rendering their seductions impotent (para. 36).
From Dery’s perspective culture jamming can be seen as actions or
artifacts that are politically or subversively charged. Jamming can range
from parody to media gags, but always aims to make a statement against a
particular target of power or popularity within a culture. Culture jamming
also traditionally relies on playing with “semiotics,” or the study of how we
determine meanings from cultural symbols. Semiotic theory states that the
symbols we use to communicate (whether they are visual, verbal, or
otherwise non-verbal) have little to no meaning outside of contextual cues.
Thus, culture jammers re-use well-known cultural symbols, but in
unexpected contexts that “demarket” the dominantly held understanding of
symbols.
Culture jamming takes place in a variety of forums and formats, but can be
broadly categorized into the following four classifications. They are often
used in tandem with one another to create a cohesive “demarketing”
campaign.
Subvertising –Subvertising relies on the act of reclaiming a brand name
image and subsequently turning its meaning. The most prominent example
of subvertising is the work of The Adbusters Media Foundation, an
organization that describes itself as “a global network of artists, activists,
writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to
advance the new social activist movement of the information age. Our aim is
to topple existing power structures and forge a major shift in the way we will
live in the 21st century.”Adbusters publishes a print-magazine that is critical
of advertising practices, maintains an ad agency for advocacy groups, and
maintains a website. It also promotes several global events such as Buy
Nothing Day (consumers refrain from buying anything on the Friday after
Thanksgiving) and TV Turn Off Week (a voluntary commitment not to watch
television for one week). Of particular note is the vast array of
subvertisements Adbusters has published within the pages of its own
magazine. Take a look at the two ads from one of their campaigns below
and see if you can figure out what popular brand name’s ad styling and
product name have been lifted…
If you guessed Calvin Kline, you were right (and the phrase on the man’s
underwear is sort of a giveaway). We see from these examples how
subvertisements differ from the billboard artists in that they do not modify
an existing ad. Rather, subvertisers use the means of digital production to
copy the likeness of a brand name to subvert the ideas linked to it. In these
ads, the way body image is linked to fashionable clothes is criticized. We
see that Adbuster’s suggests that Calvin Kline’s typical use of idealized
models for their products leads to “obsession” with how we look as
Americans compete to meet impossible ideals. The problems of eating
disorders and obsession with sexual prowess are linked directly to the
brand name. Another example illustrates how digital graphic design tools
contribute to the realism of the ads.
Subvertising has moved beyond the realm of print advertisements. A quick
search of YouTube for the phrase “spoof ads” will turn up a variety of hits,
though these are not all necessarily posted by activists. Some are
produced by individual artists, but still meet the parameters of “culture
jamming” because they represent a new idea. How much social impact they
have, on the other hand, is debatable.
Media Hoaxing and media pranking are the acts of “taking the media for a
ride” to raise awareness about a social issue. Activists and artists may hold
their own mock media events or generate false media controversy.
Alternately, they may choose to pull pranks at high profile media events to
gain attention. One relevant group that exemplifies the strategy of media
hoaxing is the Biotic Baking Brigade or BBB. The BBB attends major press
conferences held by corporate executives, politicians and international
trade organizations and delivers a pie to the face of the speaker. The pie-
assassins usually flee while a clean, well organized and professional media
spokesman will typically capitalize on the media attention and provide
background and context for the action. The BBB also produces video news
releases and press releases that are disseminated to local and national
media outlets, providing for a quick and easy reporting opportunity for
journalists. The BBB, in essence, capitalize on media’s approach to
delivering prepackaged and organized content after first raising their
attention with an absurd yet amusing stunt.
Audio Agitprop (a conjunction of agitation and propaganda), while
somewhat more developed from Dery’s original writings on the topic, is the
art of sampling multiple audio sources and combining them to create a new
work. Initially the purposes of audio agitprop were to criticize copyright
standards held by major artists. Today, we can probably extend this
category more broadly to the notion of “audio mashing.” While sampling of
music and speech clips has long been practiced by those in the
entertainment and music industries (especially those artists working within
the genres of rap and hip-hop), digital technology has opened up the ability
to edit rudimentary audio projects on the average home computer. Some
examples of audio mashing include “mashups” wherein independent artists
take the components of two or more popular songs and create a new work.
For an example, check out The Kleptones, a music group headed by the
satirically named “Eric Kleptone” that produces albums such as “A Night At
the Hip Hopera.” The album is a collection of major radio play hip-hop
vocals mixed over the classic rock band Queen’s “A Night at the Opera.” A
more clear example of audio agitprop is the “George W. Bush
Speechwriter,” a Flash website that allows users to put together a
combination of of phrases to create new speeches for President Bush. The
speeches are then played back from individual sound bites of Bush’s voice
to create a cohesive speech. Give it a try – it’s fun to see what you can
make!
Billboard Banditry – Similar to subvertising, Billboard banditry pertains to
the reclamation of public space by defacing billboards with messages that
turn their meanings or alter their ideas. For instance, the Billboard Bubble
Project was carried out by artists who sought to provide space for other
individuals to make a statement about public advertising. They added
cartoon word bubbles to a variety of billboards in major cities, inspiring
others to complete the artwork by adding their own phrases and quips.
While the implications of digital communication may not be implicitly clear
when we consider billboard bandits, it’s important to recognize that graphic
design software available to the general public allows artists to achieve
more complex modifications, including entire replacements of billboards.
Jimbo Maritato teaches and designs this kind of stuff (among other stuff) at
Marist College.
Send us your feedback!
The Yes Men’s New
York Times, 11-12-08
York Times, 11-12-08
The ad is fairly simple- it relies on
Absolut Vodka’s trademark ads of a
solitary bottle standing against a dark
background while lit by a spotlight. The
font selected for the ad copy matches
that used in the Absolut ads directly. Of
course the bottle is drawn as a chalk
outline to link the product and Absolut’s
branding with death. We might also infer
drunk driving as a cause of death from
depiction of death in a roadway.
| SHARED SACRIFICE THE JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT 1 JANUARY 2009 |
 | |  | |  |