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Subvertising Ads-hell

IMC Birmingham | 13.05.2006 20:27 | Free Spaces | Birmingham

A group of activists in Birmingham have managed to open Adshel bus shelters, where they put commercial adverts, using Allen keys, and have been using the space to advertise grassroots actions, such as the No Borders demonstration at Harmondsworth detention centre on 8 April, 2006.

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Noborders poster installed behind glass screen
Noborders poster installed behind glass screen


One of the main characteristics of urban life in the capitalist West is the ever-increasing commercialisation of public space, creating an ever-expanding unethical consumerist culture. The same advertising techniques used to promote commercial goods and services, however, can be used as an effective tool of social and political emancipation. Subvertisement is only one such technique.

Ads-hell

Adshel is a brand of Clear Channel Worldwide, a giant out-of-home advertising company, which also owns Clear Channel Billboards and Taxi Media. Originally founded in the UK over 30 years ago, Clear Channel Adshel has grown to become an "award-winning provider of street furniture solutions" worldwide. Active in 65 countries, they operate over 6,000 municipal contracts around the world. Their 'services' range from automatic public toilets to public benches, and from i-plus information points, bus shelters to countless billboards all over the place. [see, for example, their Birmingham billboards].

Clear Channel Adshel works in partnership with municipalities to provide advertisers, aka big corporations, with all sort of advertising methods. Needless to say, they do that by hijacking public spaces, such as bus stops.

In the UK, Adshel has 9 "regional campaigns", which cover all the country, making sure advertisers "reach the right audience in the right place at the right time." In Birmingham alone, they have 106 such campaigns. Some of the most memorable ones in 2005 were Tesco, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Toyota Yaris.

Clear Channel also operates approximately 1,225 radio and 39 television stations in the United States and has equity interests in over 240 radio stations internationally [see their Source Watch's profile]. The network is well known for self-censorship. For example, just days after the 9/11 attacks, slates of blacklisted songs, including Cat Stevens' "Peace Train" and John Lennon's "Imagine," were leaked to the public. It is also known for being pro-war and pro-Bush. In March 2003, facing the massive public outcry and protests against the war on Iraq, the network began sponsoring pro-war rallies called Rally for America. Using its 1,200 stations, it pummeled listeners with a mind-numbing stream of uncritical patriotism. [Read also: Clear Channel Sucks | Clear Channel Fogs the Airwaves | Clear Channel Gags an Antiwar Conservative | Primetime Payola for Clear Channel].

How to do it

According to their website, Adshel manufacture 7 different types of bus shelters: Agoris, City 2000, Enthoven, Eole, Garouste and Bonetti, Giugiaro and Metropolis. Virtually all of them can be opened using Allen keys, which are widely available at any tool shop. Yes, it's that simple! Just make sure you've got the right size, with a longer arm than usual, and off you go.

Funnily enough, one of the shelters' features listed on their website is "graffiti-resistant materials". Well, now you've got a way to overcome that.

IMC Birmingham

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Useful report

23.05.2006 12:27

That's a very useful report - thanks. So you just need an Allen key, eh? I've got a whole bunch of those in my toolbox at home, so this could be very tempting. What size keys are needed to open these "street furniture solutions" (aargh!), does anyone know? To save us carrying around a whole wodge of the things.

I suppose Adshel will eventually get wind of any 'guerrilla advertising' and start using locks, but if they do it'll cost them hundreds of thousands to retrofit all their bus shelters which will put a small dent in their shareholder's dividends.

Gerry

Gerry Gerbil
mail e-mail: gerry.gerbil@gmail.com


She's size 5

24.05.2006 18:11


The ones in the pic need size 5, with an extended arm. As for the rest, you might need to carry around your bundle of allen keys :)

Mr Allen Key


great idea

06.06.2006 17:45

fantastic idea. round my way there are a number of "Enthoven Shelter" ( http://www.adshel.com/deploy/adshelinternet/home.html) style busstops. i have thrown an admiring glance over the locking mechanism but i cant seem to locate it. is it situated directly under the poster flap, ie hidden from street view? i have also noticed 2 triangular protruding bolts below the poster area, facing street level. these appear to require hex sockets to open. does anyone know what gauge the requisite allan keys/hex sockets are? and what is the quickest/easiest way to open & close these things?

Lefty type


Useful Stuff

04.05.2007 22:04

Has anyone managed to open the Enthoven Shelter yet, I cant see to find where you open it?

Batman


opening

09.12.2012 02:00

just some info about opening the different types of panels in the uk, especially clr chnl ones.
basically you will find some type of hole on the side of the panels, you can often use a number 5 allen key. this is when the hole is on the side of the panel.
other times, there is a really tiny hole on the middle/bottom of the panel facing upwards into the panel. you can't see this hole unless your face is on the ground looking upwards or you have a mirror. anyway in there, you can use some kind of hook, basically there's a small(just under 1cm) screw shaped thing you have to grab hold of and pull downwards(and a bit leftish) and that releases the panel.

friend