It’s adblocking for the real world. A ‘subvertising’ group has called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to ban ‘visually and psychologically polluting’ outdoor ads – and has even replaced tube ads with its own anti-advertising message (which is still advertising, but nevermind).
Special Patrol Group, which describes itself as a ‘shadowy subvertising organisation’, this week placed over 400 unsanctioned subverts on the London Underground in an effort to draw attention to ‘harmful’ advertising.
One claims that advertising ‘shits in your head’, while another says ‘removing, replacing and defacing advertising is not vandalism’.
SPG, which has being accused of ‘brandalism’, said while some people may find their messages rude, “they are surely less offensive than sexism, environmental destruction and sweat shop labour”.
“Commercial advertising works by playing on our desires, and that makes us unhappy because you can’t desire without first feeling you lack something,” SPG told Newsline.
“There is no such imperative to purchase in our subverts, quite the opposite. It’s about more than advertising, it’s about the system advertising both promotes and fuels.”
Sadiq Khan has already banned sexist and ‘body-shaming’ ads from appearing on the TfL network.
While the policy does not include all images of people in their underwear or swimwear, it means that controversial ads such as Protein World’s ‘beach body ready’ campaign, which garnered almost 400 official complaints and 70,000 signatures in an online petition, are no longer allowed to run.
Transport for London runs around 12,000 ads a year and is aiming to generate £3.4 billion in commercial revenue by 2023. The money generated is invested back into the transport network and helps to keep fares down.
SPG said it will continue to push the ‘#AdHackManifesto’. An online petition had 142 signatures at the time of writing.
