The reaction by the blogosphere to the article in yesterday’s Wired Online demonstrates a huge weakness in blogging - an eagerness to spread gossip rather than apply judgement. Various Sony PSP graffiti ads in San Francisco have been daubed and graffitied over and the blogosphere has been fast to highlight this and denounce the campaign.
Sony just didn’t go out with a spray can one night and daub the walls. Sony PSP paid for all the space.
For a long time street artists have been courting ad agencies for work -
and then when one agency makes a noticeable campaign - then suddenly there’s a witch hunt against PSP by the blogs
We should be very careful about how to read the situation. San Francisco is a wonderful city with a thirst for culture unlike many American cities - and at the same time it harbors a counter culture rarely seen in any city too. To find that the art kids in San Fran didn’t like the commercialization of street art isn’t that surprising. Let them have their say - but recognize that it’s the kids of San Fran saying it, not the US. As far as I know, until now, this attack on the PSP ads hasn’t appeared elsewhere - but reading the blogs you’d think the whole nation is rising in revolt (and maybe they will now).
To criticize Sony for taking a graffiti inspired creative route is naive. Criticize the creative or even the media planning but bloggers please don’t suddenly make news bigger than it really is.
Wired Online Article
Related IF Article
Brandalism
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San Francisco is an unusual place. One interesting thing about it is the noted lack of graffiti in what I’ll dare say is most of the city. I spend a lot of time out there among art and architecture community. As a group they are fairly against graffiti anyway. I know this because I have defended it as a valid art medium and or movement a few times. San Francisco supports it’s art community like few places anywhere. Including Paris, another of my favorite haunts. If this wasn’t sanctioned the city leaders would have more then certainly taken it to task and Sony would be in serious legal trouble. Of course this is merely my opinion and I’m jsut guessing anyway.
December 6th, 2005 at 12:23 pm
Protein OS has a nice bit on this. Unfortunately the graffiti community hasn’t taken it to well and has plain old vandalized the Sony ads. Pretty lame really. Not sure why people don’t get a clue and figure out how to take positive steps to make their point.
http://feed.proteinos.com/item/3922
December 9th, 2005 at 6:40 pm