Two billboards with the same original content, the billboard on the right is an example of subvertizing because it has been creatively vandalized.
Subvertising is a portmanteau of subvert and advertising. It refers to the practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements.[1] Subvertisements may take the form of a new image or an alteration to an existing image or icon, often in a satirical manner. A subvertisement can also be referred to as a meme hack and can be a part of social hacking or culture jamming.[2] According to AdBusters, a Canadian magazine and a proponent of counter-culture and subvertising, "A well produced 'subvert' mimics the look and feel of the targeted ad, promoting the classic 'double-take' as viewers suddenly realize they have been duped. Subverts create cognitive dissonance. It cuts through the hype and glitz of our mediated reality and, momentarily, reveals a deeper truth within."
History [edit]
In 1972, the logo of Richard Nixon's reelection campaign posters were subvertised with two x's in Nixon's name (as in the Exxon logo) to suggest the corporate ownership of the Republican party,[3][4] the spoof T-shirt; but it is also the mass act of defiance of a street party. The key process involves redefining or even reclaiming one's environment from a perceived corporate beast. Subvertising is sometimes also used by political campaigners in order to slander their opponents or reach the minds of the public to gain support.[citation needed]
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an example of subvertising, featuring a character from the game Pac-Man |
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Alexander Barley (May 21, 2001). "Battle of the image". New Statesman. Retrieved 2010-12-09. "Subvertising is an attempt to turn the iconography of the advertisers into a noose around their neck. If images can create a brand, they can also destroy one. A subvert is a satirical version or the defacing of an existing advert, a detournement, an inversion designed to make us forget consumerism and consider instead social or political issues."
- ^ "Clearing the Mindscape". AdBusters. March 4, 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-09. "So I think that, for me, “subvertising,” or “culture jamming,” as I call it, is the art of creating a new kind of cool."
- ^ "Exxon Victorious". Time. March 5, 1973. "One sure sign that Exxon has arrived as a brand name is that it has become the buthalted the process."
- ^ Sore-Loserman: From political parody to charity's windfall. CNN. 4 Dec. 2000.
External links [edit]
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