Aap! - Alternative Advertising Possibilities

Japan Office as Seen From Google Maps Street View…

Google’s hardworking wizard camera vans have finished traversing the labyrinth that is Tokyo; which means today you can tour some of the world’s most wonderful advertising and general real estate in Tokyo without leaving the comfort of your desk. No flight required….

While most foreigners will be happy to virtually tour the wonders of Meiji Shrine, see the shopping district of Ginza or visit the tourist spots of Tsukiji fish market,… we’ve put together a quick tour of some of our favorite outdoor media spots in Tokyo for the virtual world to enjoy.

Hachiko Square Shibuya Tokyo - one of Tokyo’s busiest railway stations, Shibuya is known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, particularly for young people, and as a major nightlife area. The central meeting points features some of the largest and most expensive media real estate in the world. With full building digital displays to street teams - this is a great place to start on your tour of Japanese outdoor media.

Shibuya 109 - The iconic building owned by the Tokyu group is the original of the 2 and displays some of the finest building wraps in the world.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hysteric Glamour - Tokyo’s glam rock brand du jour has an amazing collection of slef published photography books featuring international photography superstars Terry Richardson, Araki Nobuyoshi, and Wataya Osamu among others. Seriously amazing work and highly recommended for a dose of daily inspiration. From Tokyo to Suburban chaos to loss - the collections are just mind numbing examples of greatness.

Visit Bueno Books by Hysteric Glamour

A tour of Times Square from Keyframe on Vimeo.

John Woods visits Times Square and explores digital signage and outdoor media.

Most impressive is that One Times Square building is empty and tenant less. Millions are instead generated off digital signage on its exteriors. Great intro video and fun interview with owner of Landmark
Signs, Tony Calvano, whose company has been maintaining and installing
most ads in Times Square when they were painted!!

In building on our our thesis that Advertising and Graffiti continue to interplay on each other… the above video from back in the day documents the extremely creative and prolific transitional period of subverting bus stop and phone booth ads by KAWS. This work garnered a tremendous amount of press and speculation and resulted in the internationally lauded post-graffiti art star we know today.

See what KAWS has to say his Honeyee Blog in daily adventures in art, subversion and more…

GTA IV, “the new open-world, action-driving video game released today around the world will easily “top last year’s record-breaking $300 million first-week sales of Microsoft and Bungee Studios’ first-person shooter “Halo 3″ — and all without a similar marketing bonanza or budget. 

According to the AP report - ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Promo Campaign Kept Quiet’  Rockstar has been trying to keep their marketing message on the “downlow.”

We’ve been truly impressed in Rockstar’s ability to communicate and build hype directly with gamers through viral internet teasers and low cost non traditional out of home media including amazing phony wanted billboards, graffiti, and viral websites. (Even Bagel Bags, Coffee Cups…)

Some of the ficitional wanted adverts have included in them an e-mail address where residents of “liberty city” (the game’s fictional universe) can send in “tips” to LibertyCityPolice.com, a website which undoubtedly will be accessible inside the game’s internet function.

From a marketing perspective all this has been absolutely brilliant. From a CFO’s perspective the campaigns have demonstrated the value of low cost non traditional media and most importantly from a gamer’s perspective they have even been critical in building trust, interest and a direct relationship with players.   Seen in certain European and US cities, while we love the work we are just a little curious to see if these posters raised any objections.

Of course knowing Rockstar this was probably the intent…

GTA IV out today. Instead of enjoying the marketing - go play the game…

Review of GTA IV @ IGN 

Other Related Articles of Interest 

GTAIV ads pulled because of San Andreas flap Chicago - Transit Authority gave up a contract potentially worth more than $200,000 in revenue because people complained about another ad campaign more than three years ago.

We’re big fans of Graffiti Research Lab and some of the work they have done in theorizing and implementing new “open source” tools for communication.

A new documentary is due out soon on the work of these technology-hacker-graffiti urban artists.  BoingBoingTV features a preview of the film (embedded above) and will premiere in New York on May 4th. Hot!

[Update]

Anti-Advertising Agency cohorts, the Graffiti Research Lab are premiering their “Complete First Season” as part of PopRally at the Museum of Modern Art on May 4th @ 8PM + PARTY after with Javelin and special guests.

A panel after the film include Evan Roth, James Powderly, Steve Lambert, Bennett4$enate, and surprise guests.

GET TICKETS NOW

In great open source nature - if you know command line wizardry, how to concat and use parity files, the whole DVD can be downloaded from our server 50mb at a time. Otherwise it’s on Pirate Bay.)

At Send A Message , a collaboration between Dutch advertising professionals and creative Palestinian youth, web goers can purchase “real world tags” on the 620 Kilometer fence separating Palestinians from Israel.  For a mere 30 Euros, users can elect to have their personal messages spray painted on the fence. Purchasers are given 3 digital photos of the completed work for personal usage.

The revenue from the tagging goes to build new schools, soccer fields, youth centers and other humanitarian projects in the area.

Be it a proposal for a lost love, a web url, or a humorous message this is a great project that brings the world closer to this complex situation in a peaceful and non threatening way.

More @

Al-Jazeera’s Video Report “Painting peace on Israel’s concrete canvas“ 

Send a Message Project Website

With 1000’s of members around the world participating, Windowzoo is one of the world’s most popular community art projects.  

Using non permanent markings, participants release animals into mostly urban environments with the placement of vinyl adhesive “animals.”

From eagles to giraffes to sharks, the collection of critters is outstanding and brings new meaning to the term “urban jungle.”

Stuck on making your own WindowZoo Critter > Learn how with this WindowZoo 9 step guide 

More on WindowZoo Art Project

* Flickr Photo by BAYT from the Windowzoo Flickr Group 

Based in Paris, Zevs the anonymous Parisian street artist has been active since the early 90s.

Aside from his “shadow” work that consists of painting the outlines of the cast shadows thrown by permanent city fixtures - Zevs does wonderful work that “attacks” billboards and other city advertisements to create new interesting art.

His best known work is when he cut out shapes from a a gigantic Lavazza-poster in Berlin and stenciled above the poster the message: “VISUAL KIDNAPPING - PAY NOW!.” He is also known for attacking billboards and other city advertisements, spraying a dot of red between the eyes of models, letting it drip down like blood. He has taken this drip technique to corporate logos as well, and in his first solo show in London at the Lazarides Gallery, titled Liquidated Logos, he presented them on canvas for the first time.

Other links on Zevs:
- Zevs’ Commercial Work
- Zevs takes on McDonalds with “liquidated logos”

Aap!Global is a big fan of street art. Spencer Eakin takes great pictures of graffiti, street art and other items around the world.

Today we spoke to Spencer on Art, Street Art, Advertising, Global Differences and More… Read the interview below:

Aap: Tell us who you are
Spencer: I am married, vegetarian, a skateboarder, straight edge & part time traveler. I take photos as a hobby and do not leave home without my camera.

Aap: You stated in your email to me : “As a graffiti artist I always tried to get spots that were never done before, but get seen everyday.”
Why were you interested in being seen?
Most (but not all) youth experiment with alchohol, drugs and/or smoking. I had three vices: Skateboarding, Music & Graffiti.

Do you still tag?
No

Why did you switch to shooting pictures of tags?
Just to clearify. A tag is just quickly writing ones name. I take photos of graffiti. If somebody writes their name on a mailbox, that is a tag. If another person fills a packpack full of cans and sneaks out to the local freight train lay up, they are going to do a piece.

Where was the motivation as an artist/graffiti tagger coming from?
As a young teen I watch the film Style Wars on PBS and was hooked.

What do you think the similarities between graffiti around the world is?
Kids just want to create & express themselves thru vandalism. The street is thier canvas. There is also the thrill of not getting caught.

Is the motivation for tagging the same in the States as in Europe as in Japan as in elsewhere?
I believe it is. There is different styles, but is the same.

What made you want to track all the Space Invaders? Just for fun?
I first noticed Space Invaders in Tokyo in mid 2001 and started taking photos of them. The first one I saw and took a photo of was gone a week later. That is what hooked me on capturing them before they were gone. Then I came back to Los Angeles and started noticing them here. About two years ago, somebody started going around Los Angeles destroying them. Once I realized that was happening, I went out of my have to find as many as I could before they were gone. Since then I have been back to Japan many times to visit family and spot more of the Tokyo Space Invaders. I have also been to Paris where Space Invader is based.

Who are you favorite street artists?
How long do you have? TWIST, QP, Phil Frost, Kami, Sasu, Space Invader, Revs, Esow, JR, Banksy, Duece Seven, Daim, Colossus of Roads, Revok, The London Police, Mers, Matokie Slaughter, Delta, TheMac, Fafi, Pars Kid, Bigfoot, Zedz, Nylon, Plantrees, D*Face, Os Gemeos, Kress, Revok, Eine, Espo, Giant One, ZYS, Mode2, Jace, Broke and many others.

Do you think Street Art has evolved with the Internet?
It has in the sense that brought street art to people aren’t living in the midst of it.

With the ability for the internet and pictures to serve as a medium for critique?
This is good and bad. I find that if a person has beef with a certian artist, they will go around sites like FLICKR bashing the artist in the comment sections. The good thing, artists are able to trade info and hook each other up when traveling. It is also a safe place for people to look at street art.

What do you think about the intersection between art, graffiti and commercialism?
With art and commercialism I do not have a problem with any of it. With graffiti and other forms for street art, I do. It is because it is ours.

You told me you’re working on a book - do you have a preview to share?
Unfortunately I do not. It is too early in the process. The book will be about street art.

What do you think of the branding of taggers - like Banksy, Colossus of Roads, etc?
Do you mean calling these artists taggers? I think calling Banksy and Colossus of Roads taggers is wrong. This is there life. Banksy is thought provoking and political. Colossus of Roads is a retired railroad employee (I believe he is in his 60’s) with at least 10,000 freight trains to his credit. Each of which has different statement underneath his classic moniker.

Thanks Spencer.

I am off to see an old friend and go benching. Benching is a term used for going and watch freight trains go by while sitting on a bench and looking at the graffiti. Hard to do here is So Cal. We actually walk the line of parked freights.

See more of Spencer’s Photos