Jaguar Takes Advantage of Shepard Fairey Craze at Houston and Bowery
Shepard Fairey has recently provided New York with a slew of murals over the past two weeks. Whether people like or dislike the Obey craze seems to have a lot to do with how they feel about the recent meteoric rise of street artists like Shepard and Banksy to international notoriety. Many people seem to hate the alleged commercialization of urban art and its loss of authenticity in the process. My opinions on this matter are often decided on a case by case basis as the nuances associated with working in both the public and private are many.
What I do not appreciate is the obvious branding synergy allowed between Shepard's Houston Street Art Mural and the giant automaker Jaguar. Being unsure of who is responsible for the enormous ad projection, I am not sure where to lay blame. Maybe the building owner at 294 Bowery (the property directly behind the Shepard Mural) realized he was sitting on a gold mine. Maybe Jeffrey Dietch realized he could use the energy around Shepard's recent exhibition to capitalize on a brand synergy opportunity. Or maybe the outdoor advertising world realized that what is normally a highly trafficked intersection was now one of the most visited locations in the city for young and hip culture hunters. Either way I hope that Shepard, if he was unaware of how his work was being co-opted, sees this and denounces it as a shameful abuse of his creative process.
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What I do not appreciate is the obvious branding synergy allowed between Shepard's Houston Street Art Mural and the giant automaker Jaguar. Being unsure of who is responsible for the enormous ad projection, I am not sure where to lay blame. Maybe the building owner at 294 Bowery (the property directly behind the Shepard Mural) realized he was sitting on a gold mine. Maybe Jeffrey Dietch realized he could use the energy around Shepard's recent exhibition to capitalize on a brand synergy opportunity. Or maybe the outdoor advertising world realized that what is normally a highly trafficked intersection was now one of the most visited locations in the city for young and hip culture hunters. Either way I hope that Shepard, if he was unaware of how his work was being co-opted, sees this and denounces it as a shameful abuse of his creative process.
Labels: ad creep, New York, public advertising, public murals, public/private, shepard fairey, street art, video
3 Comments:
I wouldn't read too much into this. I've seen this type of guerilla marketing video projection in other parts of the city over the years. Recently I've seen ads for H&M and other brands projected onto the side of MSG near the post office. It's disgusting and it has appeared to be unpermitted (based on my snooping.) Typically an SUV is parked on the side of the street with a projector poking out of the window and a generator powering it. The driver will be 10 yards away acting like he's not to blame.
Actually based on the recent Times Square incident, one would hope they'd drop the suspicious SUV part of the crime.
It's not Shepard or Dietch's fault some lame marketing company is doing this near the mural.
i agree, although not knowing who is actually responsible for this projection, i don't ever discount media synergy these days between art and commerce. That said i would imagine it is the work of a rogue OAC, but either way I think Shepard should be upset by the obvious promotional use of his artwork.
Hey Jordan, I've seen two dif companies do this on this wall.
I spoke to one guy doing them and he gave me his card. The outfit was from Boston and he claimed they traveled up and down the east coast doing this.
he also admitted they did them without securing the proper permits but that "9 out of 10 times" it was not a problem because the police never bothered them and if they did the police didn't know the law anyways. Further, on the rare occasion they were asked to pack it up, they would either go to a different spot or call it a day depending on their agreements with the client.
Here is a photo from 08 http://www.flickr.com/photos/paolomastrangelo/2938872526/ not done by the company noted above.
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