REBELLEN TEGEN RECLAME
My utopia is inspired by the documentary Rebellen tegen Reclame (click to watch!) where the makers visit the French city of Grenoble that has put a ban on all advertising in public space. The city should be a free space where your thoughts can flow, not hampered by capitalist consumer culture.
ADVERTISING SHITS IN YOUR HEAD
It's the most powerful system of propaganda in human history
- Public space becomes a more neutral and transparent space less intervened and controlled by capitalism
- Consumers/people will only buy products that they actually want - not because they are mislead by persuasive advertising
- Unnecessary products will be 'played' out of the market by market forces
- Easier to enjoy surroundings - less headaches from annoying big bill boards
What would this mean for a city (like Rotterdam)?
Further implications: also no advertisements in the digital space?
- Targeted branding messages become part of the living and working environment where it is placed
- We take it for granted: provoking consumerism as a natural feature of the urban environment
- Connect everyday ways of thinking to commercial imperatives > become part of public social space
(click for source)
What to do with all this space?
the future of ad-free cities
“Man is at his vilest when he erects a billboard”
- David Ogilvy, father of modern advertising
- art >>>
- public expression
- free thought
- showing non-commercials way of living
What can we learn from this visionary future?
- Become conscious of the impact of advertising today
- Become aware of the full immersion of capitalism in public space
- Emphasize critical thinking without disturbance of advertising
"When technology means that ads can exist anywhere, billboards represent the tiny tip of a corporate iceberg. How we move beyond superficial advertising bans to deal with this deeper challenge" - The Guardian, 2015
Mylena Maitimu - 464911mm