What was Truth in Advertising?

I just got an email from the TIA and I have to be honest, I wasnt aware of thier work. This adds to the list of early billboard alteration teams like the Billboard Liberation Front, B.U.G.A.U.P, Ron English (whose work has gone off the deep end by wrapping around and eating it's own tail), and The CDC. Take a look and brush up on history.

You are invited to visit an exhibit of some of the finest billboard alterations you have ever seen. Here's one:

These billboards appeared on the streets of Santa Cruz, California, from 1980 to 1985. The billboards were made over by a clandestine network of midnight billboard editors operating under the name of Truth In Advertising, or TIA for short.

This exhibit of their historic work was first presented in 2007 at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. Now for the first time the exhibit is available on the web. It's made up of 12 billboards presented in the order in which they appeared on the streets of Santa Cruz. The sequence also tells the story of Truth in Advertising, and documents publicity and commentary. More [HERE]

Billboard Liberation Front Hits Mobile Sign in L.A.

VIA Ban Billboard Blight

Stella Artois, A Thing of Beauty

BLF is at it again. While I love a good ad bust, I prefer an ad takeover, in particular when the advertisement is in public space. This in no way diminishes my love for the BLF and their continued pressures on the outdoor advertising and billboard industry. Although my thoughts on the matter are that as a culture we are well aware of the manipulative aspects of the commercial advertising world. While we may question the motivations, tactics, we rarely question the mediums right to be in our shared public spaces. By critiquing public advertisements, the ad remains up, although criticized, it is still affective in delivering a brand recognition. As they say, "any press is good press", even when it is negative, and I think this notion applies to outdoor advertising as well. Any impression is a good impression, regardless of whether it is gained through an unaltered billboard or one which subtly critiques the desire machine. Anyways, just my thoughts. Whether you alter ads, take them down, or replace them, interacting with a media that has overwhelmed your public space without your permission is a good deed and one that should not go unnoticed.

VIA Billboard Liberation Front

We at the BLF have been assisting fatigued advertising copywriters to strengthen their corporate messages for over thirty years. Advertising is the language of our Culture, as BLF CEO Jack Napier noted almost as many years ago. And the primary use of language is to to communicate ideas. The most efficient and direct communication of an idea comes through the most elegant use of the least amount of words to communicate that idea. It’s quite clear from the image in this Stella Artois billboard ad what the message IS. The BLF merely wishes to assist this campaign by paring down the words in order to match that message most perfectly. - BLF Education Officer, R.O. Thornhill. [More Here]

My Life, My Death, My Billboard

BLF is at it again.

VIA Billboard Liberation Front

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 27, 2010
San Francisco

The Billboard Liberation Front (BLF) is honored to announce a new marketing partnership with Philip Morris (PM) that finally brings together the rugged sense of American independence with your most important choice as a consumer: your death. The message of “My Life. My Death. My Choice.” informs and empowers the consumer to choose, as their god given right, how they want to die. Philip Morris brings this message to the consumer to remind them that some rights are inalienable in life as they are in death.

Billboard Liberation Front "I'm Sick Of It"

The BLF announces a new project.

Kill Them All. Hyde and California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 6, 2010
San Francisco

The Billboard Liberation Front (BLF) and the McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) have launched a new advertising improvement campaign. The initiative features a bold new slogan, “I’m Sick of It,” and is designed to counter the brand-negatives that have gnawed at MCD since the release of irresponsible attack-films like “Supersize Me” and “Food, Inc.” By embracing the traditional American values of conformity, convenience, and mediocrity, it is intended to reverse the damage done by the nay-saying health-Nazis and cow-hugging America-haters who have taken a bite out of MCD’s market share and hounded its beloved corporate mascot Ronald McDonald into exile.

“In an uncertain world, customers want comfort and sameness in their eating habits,” the spokesclown observed, speaking from the cramped office he shares with fellow expatriate Joe Camel. “It’s not just about portion size, though that’s still important. In these troubled times it’s more about familiarity, about conformity, and most of all about not taking any risks. MCD has responded to that shift in consumer attitudes, and has reengineered its product line to reflect a culinary landscape that prides itself on mediocrity.” Mr. Camel, speaking through a throat-tube, added: “McDonald’s is the cardiologist of America’s destiny.”

To accomplish this historic turnaround, McDonald’s turned to the re-branding experts at BLF, America’s premier Advertising Improvement Agency. “It’s time for McDonald’s to retake the cultural High Ground,” explained BLF Recreative Director ______ deCoverly. “They’ve been on the defensive for years, using generic ‘lifestyle’ ads that deny their core values. Now they’re fighting back, and reclaiming their cultural legacy.”

Unashamed to take a bold stance on America’s milquetoast taste, McDonald’s and the Billboard Liberation Front proudly unveil their new campaign: “I’m Sick of It.” The initial improvement can be seen at the corner of California and Hyde in San Francisco.