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Subvertising
What is Subvertising?
Subvertising is the practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements. Crews like Special Patrol Facebook Group and Brandalism are currently very active and providing inspiration to Extinction Rebellion through their witty and cutting satire of companies who aggravate racial and climate injustice. Check out Brandalism’s amazing Subvertising Manuel for an in depth guide to all things Bus Stop related.
Note: Brandalism and Special Patrol Group are separate organisations to XR and any reproduction of their work must be credited.
How do I get into a bus top?
There are videos, guides and websites with plenty of info but the main piece of kit people use is a T30 key, high visibility jackets and non-descript worker clothes; it’s best to hide in plain sight and look like they belong when they are putting up the posters.
What can I print?
It is popular with some groups to have a message that they hand paint on to the back of adverts that they have removed enabling them to keep costs down. People are able to edit existing posters as well, picking posters to remove and edit focusing specifically on companies complicit in the climate crisis. You can find designs from past campaigns and other posters to print on the Paint the Streets google drive.
Where can I get bus stop ads printed?
To print bus stops sized sheets use DigitalPrinting and select 6 sheet measuring 1,200mm x 1,800mm.
What are the legal implications?
There is generally a view that this kind of action is a lower level in arrestability.
“some legal advice from Green and Black Cross: The basic rule of thumb is ‘No Comment’. In the worst case scenario, a charge is likely to be that ‘criminal damage’, which holds minor penalties.” Other legal advice that has been provided warns that if caught with a removed advert there could be a charge of theft. However, at present we are unaware of anyone facing prosecution for subvertising.
