Ethical Advertising - Ad Creep and the Invasion of Public Space
Mike Catherall
May 16, 2006
There is a big debate going on right now about corporate advertising in schools. In the States there is Channel One, which is 12 to 13 minutes of news sponsored by two to three minutes of ads. It is fed to a captive audience of 10-18 year olds and has raised some ire. In Canada there is an estimated $185 million pumped into our school system through corporate sponsorship.
On the plus side, these schools are getting gym equipment, renovations, and supplies that they could not have otherwise had, with no strain on the taxpayer.
On the downside it is further evidence of what advertisers call 'marketing creep' where advertisers find more and more creative and invasive ways of getting into our daily lives and turning every available space into a billboard.
Here is the latest example from Europe: Breadvertising.
Other examples are advertising on shopping carts, on bikes, on the hubcaps of taxicabs and on airlines. It has even gone as far as tattooing brands directly on people's bodies and foreheads.
There are ethical considerations to be made as advertising slowly takes over what was previously thought to be public space. Parks, churches, schools and libraries were once considered places for the public to own without private involvement, however as budgets become increasingly tightened, governments are turning to corporations for corporate sponsorship more than ever.
The severity of disruption depends on the scale. If done effectively, guerilla campaigns can be a fun addition to the cityscape and culture. Look no further than Bansky in London, or the pressure wash graffiti project, or ice cream truck advertising to see how street art and ´vandalism´ can actually increase property values and bolster small business.
Of course a dominating banner covering the Palace of Culture is not exactly the direction anyone would like to see this going.
Advertising´s job is to stay one step ahead of you: To pleasantly surprise you. And hopefully, bring a smile to your face - courtesy of sponsor X.
I'll leave the discussion to you, in the meantime, here is a great quote.
"The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists... Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little."
Bansky
On the plus side, these schools are getting gym equipment, renovations, and supplies that they could not have otherwise had, with no strain on the taxpayer.
On the downside it is further evidence of what advertisers call 'marketing creep' where advertisers find more and more creative and invasive ways of getting into our daily lives and turning every available space into a billboard.
Here is the latest example from Europe: Breadvertising.
Other examples are advertising on shopping carts, on bikes, on the hubcaps of taxicabs and on airlines. It has even gone as far as tattooing brands directly on people's bodies and foreheads.
There are ethical considerations to be made as advertising slowly takes over what was previously thought to be public space. Parks, churches, schools and libraries were once considered places for the public to own without private involvement, however as budgets become increasingly tightened, governments are turning to corporations for corporate sponsorship more than ever.
The severity of disruption depends on the scale. If done effectively, guerilla campaigns can be a fun addition to the cityscape and culture. Look no further than Bansky in London, or the pressure wash graffiti project, or ice cream truck advertising to see how street art and ´vandalism´ can actually increase property values and bolster small business.
Of course a dominating banner covering the Palace of Culture is not exactly the direction anyone would like to see this going.
Advertising´s job is to stay one step ahead of you: To pleasantly surprise you. And hopefully, bring a smile to your face - courtesy of sponsor X.
I'll leave the discussion to you, in the meantime, here is a great quote.
"The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists... Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little."
Bansky
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