Saturday, September 13, 2008

Peanut Butter and [Culture] Jam

The best example of Culture Jamming has got to be ADBUSTERS.
Their website, is home to the Culture Jammers Network :

"We are a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students,
educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist
movement of the information age. Our aim is to topple existing power
structures and forge a major shift in the way we will live in the 21st century. "

Adbusters Media Foundation was founded in 1989 in Vancouver, BC Canada and a product of that formation is the Adbusters Magazine, which has been published all over North America, featuring counter ads such as these:


The image “http://www.funny-adverts.com/spoof-ads/fashion-spoofs/obsession-for-men-spoof.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
Spoof of an advertisement for Calvil Klien underwear & cologne "Obsession for Men."
The original ad features the middle section of a male model in CK underwear. The name of the cologne, "Obsession," is placed onto the ads as a label, without explanation. Adbusters has interpreted the ad as meaning men must be obsessed with their their male anatomical parts. Who can argue with that? The original add doesn't show any other part of the model! If CK wont spell it out, Adbusters surely will.
URL for Original CK Ad: http://z.about.com/d/mensfashion/1/5/b/9/CK365brief.jpg

And to be fair;

Again, another obvious spoof of the Calvin Klein "Obsession" perfume. The original ad features a super slender and nude Kate Moss with only the name of the perfume as explanation. Adbusters re-interpreted the ad to mean eating disorder, thus featuring a toilet into the perspective of the re-enactment photo. Honestly, how else does an adult woman manage to weigh 90 pounds?
URL for Original Photo (Before it was Turned into An Ad): http://www.channel4.com/news/media/2006/11/week_2/09_moss_by_sorrenti_gl.jpg

By creating spoof-ads like this, Adbusters drags out the hidden messages behind the ads we see. This promotes awareness and makes us question what we are being exposed to in advertisement media. In effect, they are 'jamming' the flow of information from corporations to civilians, just as their mission statement said they would. They don't just use Calvin Klein either, here is the URL to the Spoof Ads section of their website (Enjoy!):
http://www.adbusters.org/gallery/spoofads

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