Tag Archives: illegal advertising

NYT vs. SF Examiner on illegal storefront billboards

By Steve Lambert | Published: May 21, 2009

Why is the San Francisco Examiner doing a better job of reporting on illegal advertising than the New York Times? Less than 10 days ago the Times published a story on billboards appearing on vacant storefronts. It almost reads like an ad itself: Taking advantage of all the abandoned retail spaces in urban areas, marketers […]

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The NY Street Art Takeover Map

By Steve Lambert | Published: May 18, 2009

via publicadcampaign.com: View NYSAT Project Map 04-25-2009 in a larger map This map shows illegal/unpermitted NPA City Outdoor locations located in Lower Manhattan. All the ads together cover approximately 29,450 square feet of our public environment. On April 25th approximately 30 participants whitewashed nearly 120 street level billboards in broad daylight between the hours of […]

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Virgin America goes “street” – why?

By Steve Lambert | Published: May 17, 2009

Dear Virgin America, This really doesn’t make any sense at all to me. These stencil ads are spray-painted around my neighborhood in Brooklyn. They’re for a Virgin America campaign. I know this because I fly Virgin America. Of course I’m very reluctant to remotely endorse any commerical product on this site, I gotta tell the […]

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NYT: Reporting a Crime as a Business Opportunity

By Steve Lambert | Published: May 12, 2009

Just sent the following letter to the New York Times: Re: As Storefronts Become Vacant, Ads Arrive Peter Sherman of advertising firm BBDO was quoted in your story, “All you have to do is walk out the door for lunch and notice the number of vacant storefronts — and they tend to be in prime […]

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Report From The Billboard Jungle in Los Angeles (illegalbillboards.ca)

By Steve Lambert | Published: May 9, 2009

Protesters picket a billboard executive’s house in this KCET documentary on Los Angeles’ new signs by-law; but the funny part is when Mayor Villaraigosa, in what is not his best moment, asks volunteers for help in investigating illegal billboards and is laughed at by a town hall crowd. via illegalbillboards.ca and they have more coverage […]

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Interview with Jordan Seiler of PublicAdCampaign.com

By Steve Lambert | Published: May 4, 2009

Jordan Seiler of Illegalsigns.ca’s American comrade, PublicAdCampaign.com pulled together what many could argue as one of the largest organized guerilla art campaigns in regards to illegal billboards in recent memory (perhaps ever). Doing all North American cities proud, Seiler, along with over 40 participants, white-washed illegal billboards across the city followed quickly by artwork, messages, […]

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Plus Art Minus Ad

By Steve Lambert | Published: April 28, 2009

This video was sent on by someone who I’m not yet sure wants to remain anonymous. A simple and colorful change. Part of the massive coordinated art takeover of illegal advertising space this past weekend – which you will hear more about on this site soon…

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Public Ad Campaign’s Recent Five

By jordan | Published: March 13, 2009

Tough economic times call for inventive new ways to use the city, and outdoor advertising is never one to shy away from trying new things, even if they are illegal. Here’s one new form of visual intrusion trying to make its illegal mark on our city. How do you figure out how many illegal billboards […]

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Sign Industry: “The Law is interfering with my illegal income!!”

By Steve Lambert | Published: March 8, 2009

This is like the mafia complaining that law enforcement hurts their business… Sign companies claim billboard fines are crippling the ad industry BY Adam Lisberg DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF New York’s crackdown on oversized billboards is hurting the ad industry, as sign companies say inspectors are hitting them with huge fines for minor infractions. […]

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Poster Boy; NYPD You’ve Got The Wrong Man!

By Steve Lambert | Published: February 4, 2009

According to the New York Times, “Poster Boy” was arrested on Saturday night. While most other street or graffiti artists concentrate on adding their own imagery, illegally, to parts of the subway system, Poster Boy, a kind of anti-consumerist Zorro with a razor blade, a sense of humor and a talent for collage, has made […]

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Billboard industry gums up anti-blight enforcement in S.F.

By Paul S. | Published: December 2, 2008

The city of San Francisco has been slowly working to enforce a 2002 city proposition which banned new billboards on private property. Of course, we all know city governments are notoriously cash-strapped. So it comes as no surprise that it was only in 2007 that the city had completed a survey of the existent billboards […]

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Dinosaurs Hate Illegal Advertising

By Steve Lambert | Published: October 23, 2008

from Dinosaur Comics

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NYT: City Room Blog – Ad or Art? Chanel’s 2.55 vs. Zoning’s C5-3

By Steve Lambert | Published: October 20, 2008

Vinyl billboard blankets have been draped over all kinds of buildings, but they’re not usually found obscuring the glittering luxury outlets along East 57th Street. Chanel, however, has done that very thing: hanging a big piece of vinyl over its building at No. 15, promoting Mobile Art, an exhibition by the architect Zaha Hadid that […]

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gorilla making guerilla advertising

By Michael Mandiberg | Published: September 30, 2008

So this is what the Guerilla Girls have come to? Derivative advertisements for advertisements. Pay SVA 30K+ a year to learn how to be an illegal marketer. Great.

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“Bomb It” Documentary

By Steve Lambert | Published: September 9, 2008

Within the first minute of this interview with Jon Reiss about his new documentary “Bomb It” Reiss cuts to the heart, talking about the battle for public space between graffiti writers and advertising. If you don’t “get” graffiti or what the big deal about public space is, this might be the movie for you. You […]

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