Subvertising refers to the practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement. This
can take the form of a new image, or an alteration to an existing image.
According to AdBusters, a Canadian
magazine and a leading 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 realise 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."
The word subvertising comes from a portmanteau of the words
"subvert" and "advertising". Thus, the primary goal of subvertisements, more
commonly referred to as subverts, is often to sabotage political candidates and campaigns,
corporations, and other targets.
Liberal and radical viewpoints
tend to dominate subvertising, as one of the ideas behind the concept is to incite change by presenting easily recognisable and understandable images that can be shocking and even disturbing in their
frankness. However, some people believe that subverts that are mockingly reminiscent of corporate or political symbols are simply giving those symbols undue publicity. People in this school of thought often
argue that subverts serve no real purpose, and that, by bringing those icons forward in the public consciousness, subvertising in
fact ends up supporting that which it was trying to destroy.
The following text comes from Subvertise.org (http://www.subvertise.org):
- Subvertising is the Art of Cultural resistance. It is the 'writing on the wall', the sticker on the lamppost, the corrected
rewording of Billboards, 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 our environment from the 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.
See also Billboard liberation, Cesky Sen.
External links
|
