A guide to using graffiti/ street-art in marketing campaigns

Many a marketers have used iconic graffiti or street-art as dominant visuals in their campaigns in an attempt to make their brand look more “urban” or to associate their brand with an “edgy” and still quite mysterious subculture. It is still often regarded as fair game for companies to use these iconic artists’ visuals in their campaigns, without the artist’s permission, as a method of boosting their brand appeal (often to young hypebeasts*) , as they are often done illegally and in a “public domain”. However as many of these iconic artist have their own huge cult-following of their own, many see brands’ appropriation of such imagery as a way of the company saying “this artist tacitly endorses our brand” or that this brand shares a common form of expression with the this artist. When a brand purposely uses the iconic art of a known underground artist it is making a conscious effort to associate themselves with the urban, “nomadic” and often “outlaw-ish” lifestyle associated with these artists. When their target market is made up of young people who hold these artists up in high-regard, the pay-off for the brands is clear. <a href="https://theguerrillagorilla.medium.com/a-guide-to-using-graffiti-street-art-in-marketing-campaigns-f1738b324562">Read More</a>