Increasingly, businesses are seeing graffiti and urban art at large as a means to present their products and services in an innovative way to potential customers. Banking on this trend, companies such as up-and-coming Alt Terrain and relatively more established Zoom Media, among others, are crafting graffiti-based advertising campaigns painted on legally-leased wall space.
While some companies are hitting the mark, some graffiti-centered campaigns have actually backfired, as Sony, Nissan and a few others can attest. These campaigns tried to either defeat a negative perception in the mind of the consumers (SONY’s case) or to artificially craft an “underground” image for their products among casual passersby, resulting in the ire of those who found out the real purpose of the pieces they were seeing on their way to and from work or school.
On the flip side, numerous campaigns and products designed by urban artists and graffiti are succeeding at connecting with the ever-elusive 18-34 demographic, turning some of them into cult icons. Examples of this are D*Face and Mysterious Al, both of whom have designed backpacks for Eastpak; and also Bansky, who’s worked with Puma.
August 20, 2007 at 5:39 am
I grew up in Los Angeles under constant fire because of what I wanted to do in life…. Become an artist. Though I no longer live in the city, my artwork reflects the influence. I’ve always stopped and stared at graffiti and admired it for its true words. I’ve been sketching/ drawing/ painting since I can remember. Now, I’m looking for a way to show my work big like. How can I get involved? If someone reads this…. please, let me know. Peace, Bobby th INKs.