by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
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Instructions Short Version: Get some paint (see Graffiti, pg. 258 j or posters and wheatpaste (see Wheatpasting, pg. 598 j and alter advertisements in public places to be more honest or at least humorous. This is not all that complicated; don't be intimidated by the more comprehensive instructions that follow. They are for those wishing to take this strategy to new heights of precision and visibility.
Selecting a Billboard
* From "'Do you know where you're
going?' -God" to "Do you know where
you're going? Co, "for example.
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In choosing a sign, keep in mind that the most effective alterations are often the simplest. If you can totally change the meaning of an advertisement by changing one or two letters, you'll save a lot of time and trouble." Some ads lend themselves to parody by the inclusion of a small image or symbol in the appropriate place?a skull, radiation symbol, happy face, swastika, vibrator. On other boards, the addition of a cartoon thought bubble or speech balloon for one of the characters might be all that is needed.
Once you have identified a billboard message you wish to improve, you may want to see if there are multiple locations displaying the same advertisement. You should determine which ones give your message optimum visibility. A board on a central freeway will obviously give you more exposure than one on an obscure side street. You must
then weigh the visibility factor against other crucial variables such as physical accessibility, potential escape routes, and volume of foot and vehicular traffic during optimum alteration hours. Of course, if you can improve more than one board in the same campaign, so much the better. In a really coordinated effort, the materials and skills for a given alteration could be distributed to affinity groups, and all the billboards displaying a certain advertisement could be revised one night.
There are several standard sign types in the outdoor advertising industry. Knowing which type of sign you are about to alter may prove useful in planning the operation:
Bulletins are large outdoor sign structures, typically situated alongside federal highways and major urban freeways. They measure 14' x 48' and are usually leased in multi-month contracts, meaning that an advertisement will stay in place for at least 60 days. 30-Sheet Poster Panels measure 12' x 25', are situated along primary and secondary roadways, and are usually updated every 30 days.
8-Sheet Poster Panels measure 6' x 12' and are usually found in high-density urban neighborhoods and suburban shopping areas. They are designed to reach both pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and are leased in 30-day increments.
Out-of-Home Media is the industry term for advertising targeted at people on the go, including bus shelters, the sides of buses and tops of taxis, subway stations, street fiir-niture (newsstands, benches, kiosks), painted walls, and "indoor out of home" locations like airports and malls.
There are of course many non-standard formats as well, and these frequently make the most intriguing targets. Oversized bulletins, animated signs, painted buildings, and boards with neon all offer unique challenges for advanced operations. Signs featuring large, illuminated text can often be improved simply by turning off a few letters.
In choosing a target, consider how long the advertisement has been up, so you don't end up modifying a billboard the day before it is scheduled to be replaced anyway. ^,fs Improvement
Planning the Improvement
Billboard lmproi>ement n6
A) Accessibility. How do you get up on the board? Will you need your own ladder to reach the bottom of the board's ladder? Can you climb the support structure? Is the board on a building rooftop, and if so, can it be reached from within the building, from a fire escape, or perhaps from an adjoining building? If you need ladders to work the board, they may occasionally be found on platforms on or behind the board, or on adjacent boards or rooftops.
B) Practicality. How big are the letters and/or images you would like to change? How close to the platform at the bottom of the board is your work area? On larger boards you can rig from above and hang over the face to reach points that are too high to reach from below. We don't recommend this method unless you have some climbing and rigging experience. When hanging in one position your work area is very limited laterally. Your ability to leave the scene quicHy diminishes in proportion to how convoluted your position has become. Placing huge words or images is much more difficult.
C) Security. After choosing your board, be sure to inspect it, both during the day and
