Archive for the ‘Improvements’ Category

Liberation of San Diego Freeway Sign Celebrates Sea World.

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014

*This enhancement was submitted by an anonymous source.*

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The California Highway Patrol says it’s the work of three vandals. Calls were made just before 3 p.m. on Sunday reporting three men park a car on the shoulder, run across the southbound lanes with a ladder before one of them climbed on the sign to make it read “Sea World SUCKS.”

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And as you know, ‘sucks’ is aquarium slang for ‘keeps tank clean and treats captive animals with respect and dignity’, so we applaud these Signage Liberators bring to the attention of the public what great stewards of the ocean, Sea World is. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Stella Artois, A Thing of Beauty

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

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We at the BLF have been assisting fatigued advertising copywriters to strengthen their corporate messages for over thirty years. Advertising is the language of our Culture, as BLF CEO Jack Napier noted almost as many years ago. And the primary use of language is to to communicate ideas. The most efficient and direct communication of an idea comes through the most elegant use of the least amount of words to communicate that idea. It’s quite clear from the image in this Stella Artois billboard ad what the message IS. The BLF merely wishes to assist this campaign by paring down the words in order to match that message most perfectly. – BLF Education Officer, R.O. Thornhill.

The improvement can be seen at 38th St and 8th Ave in midtown New York.

The BLF (www.billboardliberation.com) has been improving outdoor advertising since 1977. Prior campaigns have included work for Exxon, R.J. Reynolds, and Apple Computers.

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Before

McDonald’s: I’m Sick of It

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 6, 2010
San Francisco

The Billboard Liberation Front (BLF) and the McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) have launched a new advertising improvement campaign. The initiative features a bold new slogan, “I’m Sick of It,” and is designed to counter the brand-negatives that have gnawed at MCD since the release of irresponsible attack-films like “Supersize Me” and “Food, Inc.” By embracing the traditional American values of conformity, convenience, and mediocrity, it is intended to reverse the damage done by the nay-saying health-Nazis and cow-hugging America-haters who have taken a bite out of MCD’s market share and hounded its beloved corporate mascot Ronald McDonald into exile.

“In an uncertain world, customers want comfort and sameness in their eating habits,” the spokesclown observed, speaking from the cramped office he shares with fellow expatriate Joe Camel. “It’s not just about portion size, though that’s still important. In these troubled times it’s more about familiarity, about conformity, and most of all about not taking any risks. MCD has responded to that shift in consumer attitudes, and has reengineered its product line to reflect a culinary landscape that prides itself on mediocrity.” Mr. Camel, speaking through a throat-tube, added: “McDonald’s is the cardiologist of America’s destiny.”

To accomplish this historic turnaround, McDonald’s turned to the re-branding experts at BLF, America’s premier Advertising Improvement Agency. “It’s time for McDonald’s to retake the cultural High Ground,” explained BLF Recreative Director ______ deCoverly. “They’ve been on the defensive for years, using generic ‘lifestyle’ ads that deny their core values. Now they’re fighting back, and reclaiming their cultural legacy.”

Unashamed to take a bold stance on America’s milquetoast taste, McDonald’s and the Billboard Liberation Front proudly unveil their new campaign: “I’m Sick of It.” The initial improvement can be seen at the corner of California and Hyde in San Francisco.

The BLF has Money to Burn

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

Money to Burn

The Billboard Liberation Front has teamed up the Wachovia Bank and the Treasury Department to bring you a new stimulus package for the long cold recession ahead, Money to Burn

Australian Billboard Liberation Sleeper Cell Strikes

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Australia before

Australia after

A small group of people from the outskirts of Sydney Australia, lead by an newly inspired billboard liberator, has recently formed with the intention to help the public question the use of advertising in public spaces.

The group’s leader, Robert Brown told us of the motivation of the group, free street art. “It is our belief that public art should not be illegal and forced to stay behind gallery doors, but it should be displayed in public spaces and used as a method to encourage people to question the society they reside and it’s morals.”

Discussing recent activity Brown stated that “After several successful postings on a local church billboard questioning their message of heaven or hell. A decision was made that a bigger audience with a larger target was required.”

When asked about the latest billboard Brown commented, “After seeing a billboard with such an open and inviting message, it was only a matter of time before we improved it.”

Why use the Prime Minister as the victim?
“The selection of the victim was a grueling process, as it was difficult to choose a person who will annoy a lot of people, while also bring great satisfaction to many others. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was used as he was currently receiving a lot of media attention for going to New York, to discuss the financial crisis. We also wanted to make it clear that our organisation will not withhold from questioning any form of society no matter how they are perceived in society.” Robert Brown.

What Moral is your work questioning?
“This particular work is of more interpretive nature, and is aimed at helping the public see the lighter side of politics, and to remove themselves from a stance of love or hate towards their country’s political leader, but a feeling of respect, which will help us to become a more tolerable country.” Brown.

Is there any future activities planned for the group?

“Yes. The group is constantly working on smaller projects, but future large scale activities will be focused on the use of billboards for alcohol advertisement, which we find quite contradictory with governmental interventions for this country’s aboriginal populations in central Australia.”

BLF, Monchrom Erect Great Firewall of China at Google

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

For Immediate Release

The Billboard Liberation Front partners with monochrom to erect the Great Firewall of China on Google’s Mountain View campus.

As shareholders at Google’s annual convention were counting their well earned dividends, America’s premier billboard improvement corporation, Billboard Liberation Front, assisted the Austrian arts collective monochrom in a monumental advertising coup designed to celebrate Google’s online partnership with the Peoples Republic of China.

China’s heroic effort to protect their enormous internet market (162 million!) from an overload of useless information includes a moratorium on abrasive, ugly, and thoroughly misleading concepts such as truth. China’s Internet “Cultural Revolution” is made possible through support from America’s most leviathanesque behemoth, Google Inc. ‘Don’t be evil’ says Google’s PR department!

During Dr. Eric Schmidt’s keynote address on China, BLF and monochrom agents worked feverishly to improve signs on Google’s campus.

Monchrom and BLF suit up

Fence being moved into position




Photo credit: Jake Appelbaum



BoingBoingTV coverage
and
KGO coverage {ABC affiliate}
Pictures from monochrom

monochrom came to the USA to promote a singular concept called Sculpture Mobs.

“No one is safe from public sculptures, those endless atrocities!” explained Johannes Grenzfurthner, “All of them labeled ‘art in public space’. Unchallenging hunks of aesthetic metal in business parks, roundabouts, in shopping malls! It is time to create DIY public art! Get your hammers! Get your welding equipment!”

At the Maker Faire in San Mateo earlier this month, Johannes and accomplice Daniel Fabry trained attendees to erect public sculptures in a simulated Wal-Mart parking lot in just 5 minutes before “security” was called. Google and the PRC proved to be the ideal test case clients for this new advertising improvement technique.

Said Grenzfurthner, “We needed to maintain a low standard of political metaphor to give American citizens a chance to understand it. From an aesthetic perspective, The Great Firewall is radically mediocre. In the end, China’s stoic indifference to Western art insanity is quite impressive.”

As BLF CIO (Blank) DeCoverly pointed out in his power point presentation, “My god they are so lucky, the Chinese masses not having to grapple with the incessant flood of information. The veritable ‘Tower of Babble’ we Americans and to a lesser extent our European cousins have to digest from our

  • iPods
  • Computers
  • Televisions
  • PDFs
  • Each and every day”

    “The truth is a bummer,” agreed BLF CEO Jack Napier, “it’s confusing, and they’re damn lucky Google has such a lovingly orchestrated filter to shelter them from it.”

    The BLF (http://billboardliberation.com) has been improving outdoor advertising since 1977. Prior campaigns have included work for Exxon, R.J. Reynolds, General Motors, Revlon and Apple Computers. monochrom (http://monochrom.at/english) is an Austrian based worldwide collective dealing with technology, art, context hacking and philosophy since 1993. Some of them are afraid of skin cancer.

    Video of the AT&T/NSA Improvement

    Thursday, February 28th, 2008

    courtesy of Iov de Beholther

    The BLF Strike!

    Thursday, February 28th, 2008

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    The Billboard Liberation Front today announced a major new advertising improvement campaign executed on behalf of clients AT&T and the National Security Agency. Focusing on billboards in the San Francisco area, this improvement action is designed to promote and celebrate the innovative collaboration of these two global communications giants.

    Press Release

    Ronald McEnglish & the BLF

    Thursday, September 22nd, 2005

    There were about seven ops on the ground:Milton & C.J. briefing them, radio checks, walk thrus of the subject location a block away, etc. Perhaps 20 clowns showed up, most were Ronalds though there were two or three Hamburglars; five or six folks with cameras or note pads were hanging out as well, notably the retired BLF web-master, Conrad Hoc, Phoenix & Jonny A up from LA. The lovely miss Katy B, clown/perv extraordinaire was the clown wrangler. We massed along the shaded edge of the field just to the left after passing through the stalactite tunnel (oldest concrete bridge in America, by the way) just beyond the end of Haight St. at Stanyan. The van was parked two blocks up on Frederick St. On top, under canvases were two bigger than life-sized metal frame & plaster figures. One was a sinister six-five Ronald McDonald holding a plump hamburger in his left hand. The other was a kneeling, freckle-faced corpulent child. The figures were made by three fabulous local artists in a singular collaboration with BLF and NY artist Ron English. Violet Crumble (costumer for The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence) designed and stitched the beautiful costumes, mad impresario DPX (with a little help from me) made the skeletal metal frames for both figures & he perfected the animatronic motion of Ronalds arm & last but not least the lovely, talented Mizz Emma Bonny Peel fabricated the figures & their faces & hands, did the finish work and fitted Violets costumes. The singular genius of Mr. English provided us with a remarkable 24 x 10 foot paper image for the back board.

    When I’m planning a major advertising campaign, one fraught with peril, the chance of apprehension & possible injury, I become obsessive about absorbing the sense of space surrounding the target location. I am compelled to commune with the genius loci of the billboard. I’m naturally paranoid & more than a bit neurotic about such things. I visited the location dozens of times, day & night in the fortnight prior to the scheduled Memorial Day hit. I developed a feel for foot & motor traffic patterns, shopping schedules – peak hours & slack times (the hit was to be on a board in the Cala-Foods parking lot.) I observed the activities and patterns of the local constabulary (Park Police Station is 1-1/2 block away!) and kept an eye out for any passing Viacom trucks (they “own” the board we had chosen.) Everything was cool. I thought that with the freaky Haight St. crowd of rockers/bums/hippies/shoppers/tourists, no one would notice our work of papering over the old ad until the final seconds when we lifted the 3D figures up and clamped them onto the board. Even so, I gave us a 40-60 chance of pulling the hit off in broad daylight without being popped. Caution? Paranoia? Reason? three things to brush aside if you are stupid enough to try & do what were planning.

    So, everything was great. The hit was on for Monday the 30th, Memorial Day at 1PM. The Thursday before around 8AM, I strolled up Haight from a swell breakfast at The Pork Store and had just lit a Swisher Sweet cigar (notice the product & vendor placement?) when I came in view of our intended target. There were two Viacom cranes and a pickup truck at the site. The top board was swinging from the end of one of the cranes & the bottom board (the one WE had chosen!) had a pick on it from the second crane & a signman was oxy-acetyline torching through its I-beam supports!!!! I choked on my cigar – they were removing the board we had planned for months to improve with our own ad celebrating McDonalds 50th. Ron English was in from NYC. Clowns & spy guys were in training. We had made these damn beautiful, expensive figures. We had associates from out of town to film. We were completely geared up for the most ambitious hit since our neon Joe Camel board in 1996! And Viacom was de-installing our billboard! I had an alternate board in mind on Upper Market in the Castro. It wasn’t nearly as good and there wasn’t a high volume McDonalds store directly across the street like there was at the Cala-Haight location. I really wanted the Haight St. board. Really. We were doomed. I wondered: were they permanently removing the board(s)? They were, after all literally removing the entire structure, not merely the plywood backboards. No, no they couldn’t be. It was so, so difficult for a company, even one as omnipotent as Viacom to get a new permit for outdoor ads in the commie anti-commerce bureaucracy of the SF Planning Dept. that they would NEVER voluntarily abandon a high profile neighborhood board like this one. I guessed – I hoped they were merely replacing the old rusted, funky super-structure with a new one. If that were the case, could they finish in 3-4 days prior to Memorial Day? I kept my fears to myself, my fingers crossed & came back several times over the next few days observing the progress of their work. As it turns out they finished the job by Saturday. Two days to spare. A brand spanking new, shiny, clean, sharp VIRGIN billboard was now in place. Our ad would be the first. There would be no others before us. Oh frabjous Day! Calous, Calais! No lost revenue for our corporate sponsors. No crappy dirty substrate to apply to. No future argument that we were somehow impeding commerce by “borrowing” the board! Bwahahahahaha!!!!

    Even so, I figured our chances of pulling it off in broad daylight with a crew of dozens, a block from the cop shop & across the street from the highest volume Mc-E-dees in Frisco were less than 50/50.

    Walking from the Park to the van was one of THOSE moments. My life has always been informed and inspired by adventure film, pulp and weird fiction and B-horror movies. There were four of us. Ron English. One of my heroes. He & Mark Pauline (on the ground crew) of SRL fame (an early billboard improver) are the two hardest working, most talented, obsessive, brilliant and child-like artists I have ever had the great good fortune to know and work with. Ron is, among many other art talents a ONE MAN BILLBOARD CYCLONE. His work has NO parallels. These guys are the real deal. Real art heroes in a world of mewling. puking, sucking, boot-licking gallery commerce. They take serious chances and (have) paid the consequences for real. Jail time, injury, censure. THATS what art should be about. Beauty, fear, all that – forged in the crucible of TRUE RISK

    Also on board was old friend Louis Cyphier. A man to be trusted in all circumstances. One hell of a co-conspiritor. Always has your back. Good high man. The ladies love him too.

    Rounding off our install team was Freeman T. – Rock solid tradesman. Unparalleled Art installer. Calm, capable, a true white gloves tradesman of the highest order.
    What a team.

    Walking to the van on our way to the hit I had a moment of genuine cinematic synesthesia. We smelled of the sweat of fear. Our resolve in the face of near certain detection, defeat, capture and imprisonment was total. Like Pike Bishop, Lyle & Tector Gorch & Dutch Engstrom, we strode steadily to a near certain fate…more later.

    And don’t forget to come see Popaganda, the Life & Crimes of Ron English at the Red Vic Movie House this Friday or Saturday night. The finale of this hilarious, thought provoking film biography of Ron Englisht is the 50th McDonalds billboard described in this post. It is a must see.