Author Topic: 'London Tube network covered with anti-advertising messages' - news story  (Read 2021 times)

shelivesthedream

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http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/tube-network-covered-with-antiadvertising-messages-by-brandalism-group-a3395291.html

Do click through to the article if you can for pictures of the adverts.

A 'brandalism' group has targeted the London Underground by covering hundreds of advertisements with posters claiming "advertising s***s in your head".

The Special Patrol Group (SPG) says adverts are a form of “visual pollution that is harmful for the public” and claims to have dispatched 40 agents to take on the Tube network.

Transport for London has declared the move an act of "vandalism" but has not confirmed the extent of the damage.

The SPG says 400 ads have been altered with a series of four ‘subverts’ which look to explain the logic behind the group’s actions.

The group has released a four-point manifesto online, as well as a petition, and says its aim is to get outdoor advertising banned in London.

The petition says: "We're calling on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to follow his fellow Mayors in Sao Paulo and Grenoble and take action to ban outdoor advertising - or, at very least, place restrictions on it (in the same way that there are restrictions on other things that have harmful effects).

"We welcome his intervention on sexist advertising, but we're asking him to go further; Sadiq has pledged to take action against air-pollution in the Capital: will he take action to protect Londoners from harmful visual-pollution too?"

Earlier this year Mr Khan said adverts which put Londoners under pressure over body image will be banned from the Tube and bus network.

A TfL spokeswoman said: “This is not an authorised advert. It is fly posting and therefore an act of vandalism which we take extremely seriously.

"We have instructed our contractor to remove any found on our network.”

cerat0n1a

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Re: 'London Tube network covered with anti-advertising messages' - news story
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2016, 02:12:25 AM »
I think Britain actually has a lot less advertising in publics spaces than many countries. I don't actually see any advertisements at all in a typical day - short rural commute, adblocker on the web browser and rarely watch tv.

Did a riverboat cruise along the Thames last week and one of the things pointed out was the OXO building, which has 3 windows which spell out OXO. Quite controversial at the time - there was a court case, as it was and still is illegal to advertise on the highway (which the Thames is.) Some local councils do a pretty good job of enforcing that, too. Of course, billboards on private land are big business, but councils already have the powers to remove anything which can distract drivers.

Butterfingers

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Re: 'London Tube network covered with anti-advertising messages' - news story
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2016, 02:21:08 AM »
Quote
it was and still is illegal to advertise on the highway
The bloody M5 through Brum has a load of billboards on the elevated section now. I always thought (as cerat0n1a said) that it was verboten, so what's the deal? It is distracting.

I feel a sneaking admiration for the anti-advertising vigilantes. Advertising does shit in your head, even if you are a sophisticated mustachian.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!