Flyposting
Encyclopedia
Flyposting is a guerilla marketing tactic through the act of placing advertising poster
s or flyer
s in legal or illegal places. In the United States
, these posters are known as bandit signs, snipe signs, or street spam. Posters are adhered to construction site barricades, building facades, in alleyways. Although cost is relatively low when compared to other out of home advertising forms, wild posting is largely infective because the ad size is small and placement is only available on temporary construction site. Sites are not demographic specific and message is very hard to view unless the consumer is only feet away from poster. As well many companies have faced fines and law suits from this out of date practice.
In most areas, it is illegal to place such posters on private property
without the consent of the property owner, or to post on public property
without a sign permit from the local government. Some areas, however, have public bulletin board
s where notices may be posted.
It is an advertising tactic mostly used by small businesses promoting concerts and political activist groups, but there have been occasions where international companies subcontracted local advertising agencies for flyposting jobs in order not to get caught in illegal behavior, as a form of guerrilla marketing
. In 2004, Sony Music and BMG
were threatened with anti-social behaviour order
s by Camden Borough Council for illegal flyposting.
Flyposting is commonly seen as a nuisance due to issues with property rights, visual appearance and littering and is a misdemeanor
in many countries. In India
, the Election Commission has banned this practice, but it continues unabated.
A particularly noteworthy incident of this type occurred in Boston, Massachusetts. In the case of the 2007 Boston Mooninite Scare, advertisers had placed electronic signboards without notifying local authorities, prompting a costly reaction by the Boston Police Bomb Squad when the signs were mistaken for bombs.
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s or flyer
Flyer (pamphlet)
__notoc__A flyer or flier, also called a circular, handbill or leaflet, is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution and typically posted or distributed in public place....
s in legal or illegal places. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, these posters are known as bandit signs, snipe signs, or street spam. Posters are adhered to construction site barricades, building facades, in alleyways. Although cost is relatively low when compared to other out of home advertising forms, wild posting is largely infective because the ad size is small and placement is only available on temporary construction site. Sites are not demographic specific and message is very hard to view unless the consumer is only feet away from poster. As well many companies have faced fines and law suits from this out of date practice.
In most areas, it is illegal to place such posters on private property
Private property
Private property is the right of persons and firms to obtain, own, control, employ, dispose of, and bequeath land, capital, and other forms of property. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which refers to assets owned by a state, community or government rather than by...
without the consent of the property owner, or to post on public property
Public property
Public property is property, which is dedicated to the use of the public. It is a subset of state property. The term may be used either to describe the use to which the property is put, or to describe the character of its ownership...
without a sign permit from the local government. Some areas, however, have public bulletin board
Bulletin board
A bulletin board is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce events, or provide information...
s where notices may be posted.
It is an advertising tactic mostly used by small businesses promoting concerts and political activist groups, but there have been occasions where international companies subcontracted local advertising agencies for flyposting jobs in order not to get caught in illegal behavior, as a form of guerrilla marketing
Guerrilla marketing
Guerrilla warfare is about waging small intermittent attacks on different territories of the opponent with the aim of harassing and demoralising the opponent and eventually securing permanent footholds....
. In 2004, Sony Music and BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
were threatened with anti-social behaviour order
Anti-Social Behaviour Order
An Anti-Social Behaviour Order or ASBO is a civil order made against a person who has been shown, on the balance of evidence, to have engaged in anti-social behaviour. The orders, introduced in the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998, were designed to correct minor incidents that...
s by Camden Borough Council for illegal flyposting.
Flyposting is commonly seen as a nuisance due to issues with property rights, visual appearance and littering and is a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
in many countries. In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the Election Commission has banned this practice, but it continues unabated.
A particularly noteworthy incident of this type occurred in Boston, Massachusetts. In the case of the 2007 Boston Mooninite Scare, advertisers had placed electronic signboards without notifying local authorities, prompting a costly reaction by the Boston Police Bomb Squad when the signs were mistaken for bombs.