I guess I have a few more thoughts to share given the evolution of this conversation…
Totally love this post. Thank you for sharing. Advertising itself is not the problem IMO. We need ads – we need to know when things are available to help us meet our needs. I have been noticing recently how often an ad has helped me to find a useful product when my social connections have not been sufficient. And I think advertising your products and services, as long as it’s done ethically, is not only necessary but admirable.
My response to that question is that the kind of advertising that leads me to think I need something when I don’t need it just to sell a product, or advertising that promotes an unhealthy image of myself just so I will assume it is the solution to my newfound (and fabricated) problem like @kim said, is actually deeply upsetting and I am ethically opposed to it. I see this all over in food, fashion, banking… most major industries that deceive the public. It’s these advertisers that I personally demonize.
Banksy wrote something about advertising in 2004 that is somewhat relevant here – we didn’t ask for ads and billboards (and as the linked article points out, I didn’t ask for Banksy either). As a resident of New York City I have some say in whether or not the new super-bright LED TVs in the subway are upsetting, but the revenue they generate for the MTA far outweighs my opinion. I didn’t ask for them (or for a light-up logo on my computer, either).
I appreciate it when advertising space is reclaimed as a voice for someone else. I particularly remember a moment here in NYC when an artist got a list of all the illegal billboards and invited an artist to reclaim each one. The companies couldn’t do anything about it because their ad space was illegal, and the visual landscape of the city was more true to its occupants for a time. Perhaps covering a logo is an effort to reclaim that space (with varying degrees of effectiveness). (How this is executed is also an art – I’d personally rather see a new piece of art take the place of a billboard or logo than simply see someone spraypaint ugly lines on it…)
All that said, I’m not really that serious about it in this case (no pun intended), though I do think the ethics of advertising is a huge deal. It’s a grey area, and it’s important to think about intent and take action appropriately, and however we think we can be effective.
