Outrage Over Adidas Ads

Adidas is under fire for a new promotional tactic gone awry in New York City. The popular footwear company hired seven graffiti artists to paint over a New York City subway train to promote the company's latest sneakers. This new brand is based in and around the world of Hip-Hop, and the graffiti promotion was seen as an effective way to reach the core demographic.

But New York City officials see it in an entirely light. Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (Democrat, Astoria) says the graffiti project is "like posting a billboard calling on teens to break the law." A major focus of New York City officials for years has been curbing the rampant rates of graffiti sprayed over every surface imaginable in New York. The efforts by Adidas to bring their new shoes to the street through graffiti is seen as an effort not to solely promote a new product, but as a gateway for young people to walk through and begin vandalizing property because Adidas did the same.

Adidas is not the only graffiti project that has recently faced the ire of local government. Recently, a light up talking work of graffiti was mistakenly believed to be a bomb in the city of Boston, when in fact it was an act of magnetic and electronic graffiti used to promote the forthcoming Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Movie Film for Theaters set to be released in April. The artist in question was arrested by local authorities and is currently facing charges for his paid actions by Cartoon Network, the station that airs the popular Aqua Teen Hunger Force Program.

However, there are groups currently trying to change to way the world sees graffiti. The Graffiti Research Lab, a New York City based graffiti think tank, is attempting to popularize non-permanent, electronic graffiti to compete with the barrage of light up advertisements and promotions in the city. Their weapon of choice: L.E.D. lights. The graffiti projects can be attached to any magnetic surface and are easily removed.

Adidas may be facing flack for arguing that their graffiti is merely an advertisement like any billboard, but the campaign is more than likely seeing more success than ever imagined in the wake of political and media controversy. Now more people than expected will learn about their new line of sneakers, all thanks to the anti-graffiti efforts of New York City.

Source:
Bennett, Chuck. "Lawmaker Outraged by Graffiti Promotion." amNewYork. 10 April 2007.