There is currently an outbreak of sabotage targeting outdoor ads and billboards as a form of artistic entertainment . The "artists" transform the messages of the ads by painting on them and modifying their content. At times the messages are silly and absurd, but sometimes they can carry a deeper meaning.
The latest such incident is a rework of a New York City poster promoting the Lifetime series 'Army Wives', which turned it into 'Iraq Wives'. The faces of the women in the TV series are covered in a niqÄb (face veil).
I will leave the interpretation of the new "art direction" to you.
Remixing Billboards
'Army Wives' Turned into 'Iraq Wives'
Trend Themes
1. Outdoor Ad Sabotage - A trend of using outdoor ads as a form of artistic entertainment, with opportunities for disruptive innovation in creating more interactive and immersive outdoor advertising experiences.
2. Modified Content Ads - A trend of modifying the content of outdoor ads to carry deeper meanings, with opportunities for disruptive innovation in creating more flexible and dynamic advertising content.
3. Social Commentary Ads - A trend of using outdoor ads for social commentary, with opportunities for disruptive innovation in creating more impactful and thought-provoking advertising campaigns.
Industry Implications
1. Outdoor Advertising - The outdoor advertising industry can innovate by exploring new ways to make their ads more interactive, flexible, and thought-provoking to increase engagement and impact.
2. Art and Design - The art and design industry can innovate by collaborating with outdoor advertising companies to create more effective and provocative socially-engaged public art projects.
3. Entertainment and Media - The entertainment and media industry can innovate by exploring new ways to use outdoor advertising as an interactive and immersive medium to promote their content and engage audiences.