J-Crew "Ad-Takeover" Spoof Billboard

Charlie Todd of the infamous Improve Everywhere sent me some photos over the weekend of planes flying over the beach, in formation, to advertise Citibank services. He explained that he decided to craft the message after the final straw was drawn in the form of a giant LED billboard on the back of a boat, patrolling the coastline. We both rallied behind a "is there no place sacred" argument and went about our routine until he sent me these images yesterday from 27th and 7th avenue.

Who the fuck knows what marketing genius cooked up this doozy but it had to be someone from NYC that understands a pedestrians uniquely close relationship with the giant street level billboards operated by Contest Promotions, or whatever damn company has swallowed Contest Promotions in an effort to keep what was once an illegal business alive and well. Using what I can only describe as a physical tactic that is highly reminiscent of a few NYSAT pieces, this J-Crew ad acknowledges its "artistic" inspiration while gleefully engaging in full on viral marketing hashtag nonsense. Commercial media, and consumerist culture are a leach on society and a thief of creativity from the products created to the ways in which they are advertised.

I Call It Progress

You might not think this is progress, but I do. Once the ads go away, what comes next is up to us.

Without Advertising, the Walls Are Ours Again.

I have always thought that advertising, with its interest in monopolizing public dialogue, and thus its tendency to monopolize public spaces, prevented our city from a proliferation of locally derived artworks. After Contest Promotions' (formerly NPA Outdoor) license to operate was revoked in NYC, hundreds of street level advertising signs were removed. The photo above is just one example of artwork filling the hole left after advertising disappears, and proof of what I think is advertisings role in the degradation of the shared common experience of our public spaces.

This is just one of many examples and I will try to remember to snap more photos on my travels about the city.

Technically...This Is Not Outdoor Advertising

NPA outdoor, now Contest Promotions, once operated hundreds of street level billboards like this all over NYC. It turned out the advertising was illegal and public pressure, in addition to the valiant efforts of a dedicated Sign Enforcement unit in NY, brought down a lions share of the illegal signage. The company did not go without a fight and imposed a ludicrous business model to side step long standing NYC signage laws. More info on this can be found buried in this site, searchable using the post labels, but suffice to say NYC wasn't having it. Large penalties were imposed and eventually the company withdrew from NY almost entirely. 

And yet a few remaining signs still exist. Why?

Outdoor advertising in NY, or 3rd party signage, must obtain the proper permit in order to be legally placed in public space. We do this to mitigate what would surely be an overwhelming glut of signage, turning our streets into a carnival of commercial messages. In many ways, these laws are a compromise between the public and commercial interests. Commerce demands access to our city streets in order to pedal its wares, and has the dollars on hand to be very persuasive. The public, understanding the detrimental effects of commercial messaging on our collective psyche, attempts to resist the pull of money by enacting laws which prohibit the placement and amount of signage that can exist. It is a delicate balance that is constantly being negotiated by both parties. 

This negotiation happens for one reason and one reason only and that is that the public has usurped private property owners right to do whatever they want with thier property, an entirely un-capitalist way to operate given how much we revere private property and its relationship to democracy. We have done this by collectively agreeing that the outer walls of a building, despite being owned by an individual, are not entirely private. These walls, facing into the public, have an effect on all of us and are therefore thier use can be controlled with the public's interest in mind. This is a lot like how our environmental protections prevent you from using your private property to dispose of toxic waste, knowing that this type of private property usage has a negative effect on us all. 

So why is this sign still up despite all the other illegal Contest Promotions signs being taken down? Outdoor advertising and the laws which we have enacted to police its presence, only apply to signage which is on the outside of a buildings property line. Technically this makes sense, prohibiting the public and Sign Enforcement Units in NY from interfering with a landlords right to do what he wants with the inside of his building or other things which have no effect on the public citizen as a whole. This sign, technically falls within the buildings property line and is therefore un policeable despite functioning like any other sign affixed outside of the buildings property line. The result is a tiny loophole which allows unscrupulous outdoor advertising companies and landlords to shirk the law and continue to operate illegal signage in our city. What a sham.

Illegal Wildposting on My Way To Lunch

video footage taken early September 2013.

On my way to lunch today I came across an old familiar face wildposting in broad daylight. I have come across this particular person several times in the past, the first time being when he helped implicate my friends for the "crime" of protesting his companies illegal use of public space. As you can see by the blue painted posters, the construction company is doing all it can to keep the construction shed blue so they don't incur fines for the "work" he is doing. To him it must seem as if I am wandering the streets looking for illegal posting perpetrators 24 hrs a day. That couldn't be further from the truth, and should be an indication of the frequency and impunity with which wildposting happens. As you can see, I keep my distance in these situations due to past circumstances, but this man and I always exchange a few tense words. He asked if "I ever get tired of this" and I responded "No. Seems like you don't either." To which he responded "That's because they pay me." I asked him "If he was working for Contest Promotions or NPA still?" A question he smartly avoided before getting into his car.

I don't particularly like the fact that I end up F*%#ing with this guys life by continually catching him breaking the law, but I do know that the proliferation of consumer messages in our daily lives and especially on our streets where we have no option but to ingest them, is a detriment to our collective health that he continues to help perpetuate. Maybe one day we can have a beer and laugh this whole thing off, but until then I feel a duty to question the proliferation of commercial media in our shared public spaces, be it illegal or not.

NPA/Contest Promotions on the Brink of Collapse 4 Years After NYSAT

video footage taken early August 2013.

PublicAdCampaign readers will know that we squared off with a company called National Promotions of America, or more recently, Contest Promotions in the past. While we take issue with all forms of advertising in public space for numerous reasons discussed on this blog at length, NPA found itself a target for a large scale action due to their bold illegal advertising business model in NYC. After 4 years of legal gymnastics costing the citizens of NYC what I can only imagine to be millions of dollars in legal fees and precious DOB sign enforcement unit time and effort, it looks like karma is finally rearing its head and dishing out what is due.

A little bird that keeps me informed of important updates on NPA's trials and tribulations sent me an email recently to inform me that things were headed south...and fast. While the text below is not a quote, it does reflect the general sentiment of the troubles NPA finds itself in after acting against public interest. While I cant post the breakdown of monetary troubles NPA finds itself in, I can tell you their troubles are in the millions and the company will likely go under due to their reckless behavior and lack of respect for NYC and its residents.

John, we have a few problems that we desperately need to discuss. The NYC Department of Buildings is coming down on us hard with new violations that are classified as aggravated 1 and carry a $25,000.00 fine instead of the usual $10,000.00 if there is a previous violation that has not been corrected. Sadly they are able to attach this new violation to 61 of the 76 BA sites that we have. In fact they have attached 8 aggravated 1’s to a property that will likely have to go to court with the expectation of $200,000.00 in fines along with the $10,000.00 that already exists. I must tell you that the Landlords are getting more upset by the day and that Mary is advising us to take the signs down because she can’t control things at this point. I am afraid that if we don’t pay close attention to this, things will erupt. 

That said, the ECB and the Administrative Law Judges are becoming exhausted with our antics and seem to be siding with the Department of Buildings. I believe the claimants are undermining my testimony in an attempt to discredit my previous statements in court. We have court appearances through December of 2013 with approximately 4-7 cases every week. Unsurprisingly we have not been able to hear more than 3-4 cases each week, which means this issue will not end until well into 2014 as it stands now. Because the new violations are being written at the new aggravated level, we will go even further into 2014. These fines will add up fast and the additional penalties will make it harder for us to settle with the city. I think we should discuss this new situation immediately. . .

More Proof that the Public Can Handle Curation of its Public Environment

Never has filed in the blank where Contest Promotions has relinquished control. Its a stark contrast and a favorable one for the public if you ask me. 

When the Ads Cease to Exist, the Community Fills in the Blanks

PublicAdCampaign readers will know that one of my issues with outdoor advertising is that it monopolizes public space as it engulfs ever more territory in an effort to become the predominant message in our public environment. This quest for more and more real estate not only overwhelms our visual environment but places a high value on the walls of our city by monetizing each surface with a potential for ad revenue. The result is a lack of public usage of public space in what becomes a thoroughly commercial environment. 

The series of three images presented in this post serve as a nice example of what we might come to expect if we remove the ever present billboard image and think of how we might like to collectively curate the spaces that we share. (While I am obviously a fan of public murals, I would also like to say that it is my hope that we think of public curation in much broader terms than the mural and use our shared public walls to adress all forms of community needs, including the artistic.)

Illegal NPA street level billboard 2009

 Illegal billboard removal 01-12

Current image as of 05-17-13

Most of Los Angeles's Digital Billboards Have Now Gone Dark

LA has been waging a war against Clear Channel Outdoor for nearly 6 years now, a battle which has cost the city unimaginable amounts of money. Finally today those offending digital signs which are at the center of this debacle have gone dark by court order. While I am happy to see the city of LA take back control its streets from a company who essentially thought it was above the law, I am disheartened that this battle has been waged due to the illegality of the signage and not more ideological issues about advertisings place on our city streets. One battle at a time I guess as I look forward to NPA, and CPI, finally packing their bags from NY and heading back to a city which supports its illegal flyposting business. 

VIA: LA Curbed

Notice a lack of blinky flashiness on the roads yesterday? That's because billboard companies Clear Channel Outdoors and CBS Outdoors actually turned off their digital billboards yesterday, per court order. The move is just the latest in the long-running and surprisingly kind of dramatic battle between billboard companies, other billboard companies, and the city. CBS and Clear Channel put up about 100 signs...More [HERE]

NPA/Contest Promotions on the Verge of Collapse? Or Just the Best Birthday Present Ever?

DISCLAIMER: This post is based on completely unauthenticated conjecture and potentially inaccurate information. That said, PublicAdCampaign has for 10 years made outdoor advertising in public space a core issue in its campaign to understand how public space can be used in more authentic and productive ways. On that journey we have made friends and enemies. Those friends sometimes tell us things. 

The short story: PublicAdCampaign noticed NPA outdoor was running hundreds of illegal bilboards totaling hundreds of thousands of square feet of illegal signage in NY. We ran an illegal civil disobedience project called NYSAT that reclaimed nearly 20,000 square feet of that signage for public projects. Documentation [HERE] Over 100 people participated in two events, 9 were arrested, 360 hours of jail time logged, 10k in legal fees and one emboldened public later, things started to change. 

First the illegal ads went white, but not with our makeshift buckets of low grade housepaint, with the paper posters of the company itself. For whatever reasons, the city had come out in force and I was ecstatic thinking that direct action projects like NYSAT could have near immediate affects on public space. More projects were planned for other cities and PublicAdCampaign forged on to new destinations ripe for civil disobedience with a social consciousness. In fact, some of those illegal billboards that were painted white eventually came down completely. There was fire in our bellies.

 

But then it began, the illegal signage became active again, topped with a message about prizes and raffles. It seemed that NPA had dodged a bullet (no doubt with serious legal prowess) by dissolving as a company and re-emerging as Contest Promotions. The new bussiness model walked a tightrope directly over the heads of the city itself demanding that the advertising they once illegally posted, was not advertising at all but now, representations of products that one could find inside the building. By this definition the advertising images (movie posters, albums and fashion) were no different than a deli awning. If you could win a taylor swift poster inside this parking garage, they could cover the facade with taylor swift signage and call it legit. It was legal gymnastics of olympic proportions.

On my birthday, I received a wonderful email from a little bird telling me of things to come. There were sordid details that I am unable to communicate but the long story short was...

"NPA/Contest Promotions is over as of Tues there will no longer be a single panel left with AD copy on them. The City is issuing restraining orders against everyone and finally they have cracked the case against the partners and left them w/bankruptcy as the only option. All the panels will be white washed and removed by the city - white washed first - by Tuesday 4:30 pm."

Again, this information comes from an unknown and potentially untrustworthy source. That said, I anxiously await tomorrow and hope to see the streets go white as we bid farewell to a devious company now called Contest Promotions. I am obviously skeptical. The company has done a great job of reaping huge profits at the expense of the public good, by making the city spends massive amounts of money to police laws which its citizens have demanded. They act in self interest while using the space which we so desperately need to serve the many. It is not only a crime what they have done, but a disservice to society brought upon us by greedy individuals. For over three years we have awaited this day.

I look forward to their departure.

Iselin in Fours - New Billboard Work

Despite spending a large amount of my time these days organizing and curating underground art projects, pushing Augmented Reality visions of our cities, and other such curatorial endeavors in public space, I continue to make work both in the studio and on the street. When I work on the street I have two main objectives, produce something which viewers will understand is not an advertisement, and keep the imagery changing so that I do not become an ad for myself. 

This new billboard takeover breaks my first rule a little more than I'd like referencing a fashion ad despite not having any branding or text. That said, the image is one that is dear to my heart as well as one I have been wanting to use for some time. Several years ago I was on a fashion shoot and took a single polaroid which I carried in my wallet for nearly four years. When I found the image, it had aged in a way that I fell in love with, leaving only the right eye unscathed by time. Not sure if this image will find its way into other work but I thought it worthwhile for a test. 

Wildposting Continues Despite DOB Crackdown

A few years ago, we targeted a company call NPA outdoor with the NYSAT project because they were illegally operating hundreds of street level billboards in NYC alongside a massive illegal Flyposting campaign. The result of the NYSAT action was a massive crackdown on NPA by the NYC DOB which resulted in the near eradication of illegal Flyposting in the city as well an indictment of NPA's illegal billboard activities. Through legal gymnastics, NPA went out of business only to reappear as Contest Promotions, the same company operating at the same locations under what they argued were different legal circumstances. Long story short is Contest Promotions claimed they were not in the advertising business at all but rather working directly with mom and pop businesses to run a raffle program which allowed them to call their advertising product and their business operations first party, not third.

Surprisingly Contest Promotions was able to argue their case affectively and now those once illegal billboards are legal first party signage. Sad to see the illegal advertising company dodge responsibility and continue operating, we never expected our civil disobedience project to spur the city into action, but took heart in the fact that it did. It was a moment of staggering excitement when I noticed Flyposting had almost entirely stopped in NY and that the city was cracking down on the illegal business practices of NPA Outdoor.

You can imagine my reaction some two years later as Flyposting has begun full force in the city once more. I cannot say for sure who is behind these illegal activities but given my resources I will make sure to get to the bottom of this problem and bring whoever is responsible to light. Please send us pictures of any illegal Flyposting campaigns you see and if you can catch someone in the act, please take their picture so we can confirm the identity of the company in charge.

Also, if you are interested in the backstory, look back into our archives under NPA Outdoor, NYSAT, or Contest Promotions and you can read more from about this companies sordid past.

In SF, billboards proliferate, despite voter-approved ban

As many PublicAdCampaign readers know, litigation against offending outdoor advertising companies can be a long and arduous affair for the lawyers tasked with upholding the law. This article from the Bay Citizen proves this fact once again, citing the work of two of the most difficult outdoor advertising firms, Fuel and Contest promotions. These companies actions are not isolated to San Francisco but are similarly represented in NY, LA, Chicago and other major metropolitan cities around the US.

VIA: The Bay Citizen

When Milo Hanke moved from Boston to San Francisco in 1982, he found a city in need of improvement.

“This was the most charmed and enchanted city,” Hanke recalled, “but there were certain urbanscapes I really enjoyed at night that were blocked by signs. I dreamed one day there would be no billboards.” More [HERE]

A Case And Point at Kenmare and Bowery SWC

Earlier today I happened to pass by a NYC location I have become quite familiar with. Not long ago it held a large NPA advertisement that has been the target of a few of the public actions I've organized. This billboard came down recently and the wall sat empty for some time. Today I found out that it now holds a mural by an artist unknown to me. The progression of this wall speaks to a point I have made over and over again and that is central to my belief that outdoor advertising has no place in the public environment. I have long argued that not only does outdoor advertising have a negative psychological affect on the public, but it also has the undesired affect of reducing public use of public space by monetizing our cities surfaces and thus silencing those voices which cannot afford to pay for that space. Landlords would be foolish to not capitalize on their properties value and therefor the elimination of outdoor advertising must come with the elimination of any monetary incentives. Regardless, this wall is a microcosm of this idea, which would on a larger scale transform the city from a largely commercially based visual environment, to a public whose walls reflected the creativity and culture of the cities individuals.

Location progression over the last few years:

NPA operated 

  Enjoy Banking unauthorized reappropriation for NYSAT

Mr. Dimaggio unauthorized reappropriation

Empty location after first removal

Current state as of 4-25-12

Oddly enough this is the location where I really became aware that the company that operates these street level billboards was doing so illegally. Late one night I had been drinking in the LES. Heading towards the J train, I saw two workers posting advertisements at this location. I decided to see what they were up to and if they would talk to me. When I approached them they were very nonchalantly going about their job while smoking a joint, their pickup truck awkwardly parked half on, and half off the sidewalk. Around this time I was already under the assumption that not only the flyposting by NPA (now Contest Promotions) but the billboard postings like this one, were illegal. I began by asking about their job, how well they were paid, what the hours were like? etc. They were very forthcoming with me  and answered my questions while going about their bussiness. Feeling loose from the drinks I had had earlier, I decided to see if they would tell me a bit more as we seemed to be getting along quite well. Under the assumption that I was looking to apply for a job, I asked about why they worked at night and whether or not what they were doing was illegal. They seemed to take the question in stride, definitely not surprised by my inquiry. They said that every once in a while they were "hassled" by the cops and that they were taken downtown for illegal posting of signs. They were also quick to tell me that NPA lawyers were always jimmy on the spot with bail and that they received 500 dollars extra for the ordeal. 

Shortly after this conversation we launched NYSAT, several of my friends were arrested, but NPA's illegal use of public space was being rigorously inspected by the Department of Buildings. Not too long after that this sign came down, only to be up again for a short time, and then removed once more. It seemed the city had been able to enforce its laws and that NPA would be forced to shut down its bussiness. Alas this was not the case and NPA has become the fraudulently titled Contest Promotions. The company now operates under a new business model which has converted their inventory of 3rd party signage (commercial offsite advertising) to 1st party signage (onsite advertising for the business or operator at said location) in the eyes of the law. Contest Promotions purports to support local mom and pop businesses but are most often seen on the sides of parking lots and bars. As part of this new legal gymnastics, the company must operate a "contest" at the locations at which they have signage. Some of their old spots, including the one in this post simply do not comply with this new model and have therefore been permanently removed. While I wish the company would have not continued to bombard our streets with images of conspicuous consumption, I am happy that this location has proved a long held belief of mine. The elimination of outdoor advertising from our shared public environment would have a strong positive affect on the psychological environment we share as co-inhabitors of this great city. 

Random NPA Subvertisement

I was walking around tonight for no apparent reason looking at ads. Trying to find a few things off the beaten path when I fell into these pieces. I'm not sure if these are sanctioned by Contest Promotions or if these are random illegal pieces, but I imagine the later. Either way they reminded me of Ramon for the first NYSAT project, the site representing it I have realized is down. I will repair it in the next few days and apologize for the inconvenience.

Contest Promotions Court Proceedings Pulled and Uploaded Here

It seems Contest Promotions has pulled the document describing their case against the City Of New York from the internet following our recent post. Luckily we downloaded it and have subsequently uploaded it to our server. Enjoy the full briefing [HERE] Thanks for tipping us off to this inauspicious move Mr. Eppink.

Contest Promotions - Perpetuating Lies In The Court Of Law

To all of those who read this blog regularly, I am sorry for the lack of posts this summer. I promise you it is not because I've been on vacation but rather I have been busy busy busy creating content and producing projects I will soon be at liberty to talk about.

Until then, I absolutely have to write this post on Contest Promotions and the bold faced lies which helped them win their recent case against the city of New York. After first hearing about this cases resolution and I am assuming appeal, I made a quick post. I was, to say the least, outraged by what can only be described as extreme truth bending and or in my opinion outright lies.

Long story short, National Promotions of America was operating an illegal street level advertising business. The city of New York demanded that they remove the illegal signage or face the full penalty of the law, potentially millions of dollars in fines. NPA then morphed into Contest Promotions and began operating on a legally suspect new business model. NYC did not accept this new business model and again demanded the signs removal. Contest Promotions, operating without regard for law or public opinion sued the city, demanding that they recognize this new and outrageously contentious business model. This new business model purported that Contest Promotions signage was in fact not advertising at all but a new form of accessory business signage that was integral to the operation of small business' all over the five boroughs. Their preliminary statement opens with…

"This is an Article 78 petition challenging the New York City Department of Buildings’ arbitrary, irrational and illegal determination that Petitioner Contest Promotions’ business model violates the City’s Zoning Resolution. Specifically, the Department has concluded that Contest Promotions does not employ “accessory signs,” as defined by the City’s Zoning Resolution, but instead relies on impermissible “advertising signs.” In so doing—and in attempting to shield its determination from judicial review—the Department has engaged in a campaign to shut down Contest Promotions’ business without legal justification. More troubling still, the Department’s untenable position directly harms small businesses across the City, which rely on such accessory signs to attract customers and compete against large chain retailers, and it undermines the Bloomberg Administration’s stated policies aimed at helping small businesses “in all five boroughs weather these tough times and avoid having to lay off employees or shut down altogether.” Ex. A (EDC Press Release). Indeed, the Department’s crackdown on these small businesses for using accessory signs to generate more customers and revenue is particularly misguided coming as it does when the stores need support more than ever because they are struggling to survive."

So according to Contest Promotions, their signs are used to attract customers into businesses in order to make purchases, build customer loyalty, and generally promote the establishment to which the sign refers. The examples they present as evidence are laughable as I will go on to show later in this post, but suffice to say they chose a very helpful incidence where their advertising signage happened to be somewhat associated with the business to which it was affixed. This singular case was the only evidence I know of that was presented and to me represents an attempt to misinform the court. Below one can see an orange juice advertisement which is affixed to a grocery store, a pairing which happens rarely if ever.

So lets take a look at what is really going on in the streets and not what Contest Promotions has chosen to present as evidence of its operations. Remember that line about Mom & Pop bodegas? The first example I'm giving is a Porno shop called The Exotica. The sign that is supposedly accessory to this business is located around the corner nearly 200 feet from The Erotica's entrance with a camera shop in between. Signage here usually consists of the band posters, music ads and movie posters that have little if not nothing to do with the establishment to which they refer.

The next example is also typical of CP signage which often is placed in parking lots. While no advertising signage could possibly refer back to this type of business, I would like to point out how far from a Mom & Pop establishment a huge parking conglomerate is. As well I would like to take this moment to ask how a movie poster for the upcoming Smurfs movie draws business to this establishment.

As a third example we actually have a local deli but again the proximity of the CP signage to the actual store makes accessory business a laughable term when applied in this instance, not to mention that the signage is for movies and music which have nothing to do with sandwiches and beer. Take note of the CP sign on the far right hand of the frame behind the green awning. Two stores fall between the sign and the business to which it is associated, located directly behind the lamp post.

Last is signage for Red Bull which is affixed to the most local and possibly longest operating bar in Williamsburg. This local haunt which is not friendly to the newly imported hipsters does not serve Red Bull let me tell you and surely has nothing to do with the typical advertising for music and movies which is Contest Promotions bread and butter. These examples represent a random selection taken as I go about my average day.

While I have not been adamant about shooting CP signs for this post, I did manage to snap these few images as I wander the city. What these random photos show is that the entire case that Contest Promotions built is a total sham. A blinding of the law through highly edited content that shows not only disrespect for our city but reveals the true nature of a company which purports to look out for Mom & Pops in light of the big box retail onslaught. What might prove Contest Promotions' dedication to local establishments it says it is keeping in business is a monthly rent check for more than $50.00, which is what building owners are paid for the large billboards to be erected on the sides of their properties.

Read the full CP document [Here]

Contest Promotions Wins Supreme Court Battle and Permits Are Being Issued

old Contest Promotions Signage attached to garage and showing movie posters.

It really is the wild west out there. Contest Promotions, operating under a bogus business model which purports that their illegal 1st party signage is actually legal 3rd party signage, recently sued the city of New York after being fined and asked to remove their illegal signs. They claimed that "the Department of Buildings' determination that Contest Promotions' sign model fails to qualify as permissible 'accessory use' is arbitrary, capricious and affected by errors of law."

Demanding that the city recognize their signage as 3rd party, or accessory use, they argue that the advertisements which adorn the sides of many buildings in NYC are a vital component of the mom and pop business model. Without such "promotional" material they have determined these mom and pop businesses, many of which are delis, would fall victim to the big box stores and be forced to close. In their arguments, the signage reminds passersby that specific products are available inside the establishment as is the expectation of all 3rd party signage. As evidence of this fact, they submitted a photo of an advertisement on the side of Roberto's Grocery which is for Tropicana orange juice. While Roberto's Grocery most likely sells OJ, the fact of the matter is that the advertisements often placed at these locations are for movies, concerts and music, all of which are not sold at deli's or the other myriad types of business to which these signs are affixed. Basically I am saying this argument is bullshit and tantamount to Contest Promotions lying to the city of NY outright.

It seems that A Supreme Court decision, rendered by Justice Rakower, requires DOB to approve permits for signs applied for in conformance with a “model” put forth by Contest Promotions. This decision is obviously under appeal, but in the meantime expect Contest Promotions to be out in droves, updating their signage and making things as "official" as possible while they have the green light. Obviously this is very upsetting to me as it proves once again that the city, and by extension its citizenry, is often held hostage by the whims of advertising companies hellbent on making huge profits off of the use of our public environment. It shows how difficult it is to fight this industry and a culture of commercialism, not to mention how our tax dollars are used to hold back the oncoming flood. I am truly dumbfounded by the system in this situation, expecting a city to be able to locate an illegal advertisement and or advertising company and simply have them removed. Instead, the city locates clearly illegal ads and in this case an entire company operating illegally, and then must jump through hoops for years in order to fight against the onslaught of lawyers put forth by these ill tempered business'.

Remember that this is the same company that once called themselves National Promotions of America, plastered our city and our construction sheds with illegal signage and generally created mayhem on the streets. When they were caught red handed, they dissolved NPA and re-opened as Contest Promotions on a new business model claiming that they were not advertising at all. For them to seriously claim that they are here to help the city makes me loose faith in reason and wonder if the world isn't spinning backwards. If helping Mom & Pops is so important, why do they pay only 50 dollars to rent the sides of these buildings, most likely paying landlords and not business owners in the end anyways. The whole thing reeks of abuse at the expense of our neighborhoods and collective psyche.

Read the entire legal document [HERE]

Mr. Dimaggio and PublicAdCampaign Collaboration

A few days ago Mr. Dimaggio was in town. He contacted me about taking back some of the many illegal Contest Promotions signs around NYC. Like myself, he knew that the signs were slowly disappearing, but only at a snails pace for signage which so obviously flouts the law and is costing the taxpayer a hefty bill in legal fees. With a rainy forecast for the week ahead, we decided to brave the weather and put up a few quick billboards early last week.

We started at 19th street and 9th avenue, which is on a side street and less risky than many billboards in the neighborhood. What can I say but it's been a long winter. The whole thing took about 15 minutes and came out just alright. The text read Nobody's Perfect and it was by far the less eventful of our two postings. The second location was on 22nd street and 7th avenue. This location faced 7th avenue and was what I would consider a high risk billboard. On a side note, this second location once held two illegal billboards, one on the 22nd street side of the same corner, which has since been removed. The remaining billboard continues to exist under the dubious claims that the Pirates of the Caribbean posters currently being displayed constitute goods available at a small deli 3 doors down.

22nd street and 7th avenue (Since Removed)

7th avenue and 22nd street (Currently Displaying Pirates of the Caribbean Posters)

As we approached 22nd street, cars packed the avenue and pedestrians ran a steady stream. With nothing better to do than get started Mr. Dimmaggio and I began this reclamation by pasting both of our layers at the same time instead of the weave first and then faces on top. This allowed for the faces and weaving to layer more organically, greatly improving the collaboration in my mind. Somewhere towards the end, a passerby stopped and began to chat us up for the remaining installation, snapping photos with his iPhone and generally being excited about the work. His are the only photos of this piece that were taken as the work would not survive its installation.

Literally as we were packing up our bucket and rollers the telltale sound of car doors slamming and a husky voice beckoning our attention rang through the air. We were asked very forcefully if we had a permit for posting signs at this location, which we obviously didn't. Oddly enough the OAC Contest Promotions that runs this location doesn't either, which I would go on to explain to the officer to little effect. I told him about the illegality of this sign and the history of NYC's battle with the company responsible for the billboard. He then asked why we were doing this. I explained as briefly as possible, my concern for illegal signage and the proliferation of advertising in general, the lack of public access to the street, and my concern for my neighborhood. No matter, our ID's were taken and we were told to remove our "posters".

Slowly we complied with this request, bemoaning our misfortune. If only we had packed up seconds sooner we might have been able to come back to this piece in the morning and watch peoples reactions, ask questions, and generally gauge the public's thoughts on how we should be curating our shared spaces. Instead we waited for our backgrounds to be checked.

A few moments later, with the billboard turned completely back into its old self, Geoofry Rush, Johnny Depp, and Penelope Cruz stood 6 feet tall at street level. We were handed our Summons' and explained our violation, illegally posting signs. I then took a moment to ask the officer if he found it ironic that the very signs we were posting over were illegal in the first place and that our actions drew attention to this fact. His response was to tell me that if that was the case, then my actions were vigilante justice. A complicated truth and yet somehow I wish he could have agreed, cited our action as vigilante, and allowed this to coexist with his duties as a law officer. Sometimes actions can be outside of current legal framework and yet possess an inherent rightness that can be weighed out easily if they are thought about for a brief moment.

I then pushed my luck and turned to the "good" cop, who incidentally had not spoken since they arrived on the scene, and asked him what he thought of the piece. His response was... I kid you not, "It was dope". I then turned to the other officer and asked what he thought, to which he replied, "It was weird." Amazing! A strange byproduct of doing work on the street is your interaction with people and police officers. It is odd how violations and summons' are handed out, people discouraged from different forms of behavior in public through a network of public policies that predict our actions in our shared environments. It makes you think about our expectations of the general public, our fear of others expected behaviors, and our lack of confidence in the our fellow citizens. It also makes me wonder why it is so hard to tell an illegal advertising company to remove its illegal signage and so easy to send a concerned citizen to see the judge for having the gall to question it. Oh well, I guess those are the breaks.

thank you David for taking pictures!!!!

While Contest Promotions Is On The Decline, Mediacy Spreads Like Cancer

NPA outdoor once ran rampant in New York, plastering construction sheds with illegal flyposting and erecting hundreds of illegal street level billboards in all 5 boroughs. Coming under the attack of local citizens and the NYC Department of Buildings, NPA was forced to cease its flyposting activities and face up to the fact that while its inventory of street level billboards looked legitimate, they were in fact highly illegal. The result was NPA dissolving in NYC and re-branding itself as Contest Promotions. This name change was not just for PR but was part of a larger business model shift which attempted to re-define what constitutes outdoor advertising by contending that their illegal signage was in fact 1st party signage. The idea is that because you can win posters and prizes which are similar to the advertisements outside, the Contest Promotions ads are not ads at all, but actually visualizations of products offered on site. New York is in a lawsuit with Contest Promotions over this business model alteration, and while I am unaware of the details, it looks like we might be winning. Which is good because if they win get ready for a wave of outdoor advertising to fill every nook and cranny of our public lives.

Before

After

Contest Promotions signage is coming down all over the city slowly but steadily. The above and below are examples of locations once held by the company which have recently been abandoned, presumably because they do not stand up to this new business model. While I am excited to see Contest Promotions go, I am even more excited to see what might potentially become of these spaces. The goal of removing signage in the city is not to create a stark environment but rather an environment prepared to accept the imagery and ideas of a local citizenry.

Before
After

While Contest Promotions seems to be on the decline in New York, another street level nuisance seems to be gaining some footing. Michael Gitter's Mediacy and his Gatescape program has riddled the city in Lady Gaga advertisements, plastering rolldown gates all over the city with decrepit plastic sheeting and two 60 watt lightbulbs. Sadly Michael has gone through the process of obtaining permits for many of his Gatescape locations, making them technically legal. This in no way makes them acceptable in my opinion and as the city is slowly overcrowded with street level signage like this I think we will have to take a long look at how the permitting process in New York allows for the dissemination of commercial messages without concern for the residents of our neighborhoods. Speaking to passersby who had noticed the garish Gaga posters, most people found the ads ugly, uncharacteristic of their neighborhoods, and an intrusion on their psyche which was entirely unwanted. At some point permits will not matter in the wake of aggressive public opinion.
Mediacy Gatescape Advertising