In a rare instance of illegal marketers getting caught and being photographed in the process, Austin P.D. arrest a posterer for Microsoft Zune at SXSW this week and we get to enjoy it a bit. Marketers, desperate to stand out among advertising saturation, continue to use illegal methods. However, (as mentioned here before) advertisers are often not as susceptible to police action as artists and non-profit activists. They are also more likely protected from fines by very deep pockets.
While reluctant to support arrests for public posting, if punishment leads further up the chain to fines and some balance in the enforcement of illegal corporate advertising vs individual acts of artists and activists… it may be well-worth celebrating. However we’re not holding our breath. Either way Austin P.D. sticking it to Microsoft seems right to me.
Thanks losanjealous for the coverage.
- from guest writer Doris Cacoilo
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[...] The Anti-Advertising Agency blog has a wonderful story, complete with photos, of fly-posters being arrested for placing Microsoft adverts illegally around Los Angeles. It’s good to see they also mention the Pixelator and David Lynch’s opinion of product-placement in films. [...]