A disused building on Bell Street in 1976 almost opposite Bell Street Motors - geograph

Flyposting (also known as wild posting or bill posting) is a guerrilla marketing tactic where advertising

poster A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both typography, textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or w ...

s are put up. In the United States, these posters are also commonly referred to as wheatpaste posters because wheatpaste is often used to adhere the posters. Posters are adhered to construction site

barricades Barricade (from the French ''barrique'' - 'barrel') is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. Adopted as a military term, a barricade deno ...

, building façades and in alleyways.

Advertisement posters

The posters used are typically made of a lightweight paper and printed using

flexography Flexography (often abbreviated to flexo) is a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate. It is essentially a modern version of letterpress, evolved with high speed rotary functionality, which can be used for printing on a ...

, digital printing and

screen printing Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mes ...

. Modern printing techniques enable the posters to feature full-colour designs, halftones, and photographs, making them popular for advertising concerts, political messages, commercial advertisements and special events. An increasing number of posters do not advertise anything at all and instead feature artwork, inspirational or positive messages, and religious messages. 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 BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

were threatened with anti-social behaviour orders by Camden Borough Council for illegal flyposting.

Legislation

In many countries, it is illegal to place such posters on

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property and personal property, which is owned by a state entity, and from collective or ...

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 A bulletin board (pinboard, pin board, noticeboard, or notice board in British English) is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise items wanted or for sale, announce events, or provide information. B ...

s where notices may be posted. In an effort to discourage illegal flyposting, surfaces at risk of it are sometimes permanently signed Post No Bills (US), No Flyposting (UK), or in France Défense d'afficher - loi du 29 juillet 1881, referring to a law. While flyposting is commonplace, it is often viewed as a nuisance by landlords and they can take civil action to protect their property rights. A particularly noteworthy incident of this type occurred in Boston, Massachusetts. In the case of the

2007 Boston Mooninite Scare On the morning of January 31, 2007, the Boston Police Department and the Boston Fire Department mistakenly identified battery-powered LED placards depicting the Mooninites, characters from the Adult Swim animated television series ''Aqua Teen H ...

, 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.

Web banner

With the rise of the World Wide Web, much of advertising has been shifted online. Some advertising agencies have drawn similarities between flyposting and certain types of adware, which are more invasive to consumers.

References

{{Spamming Graffiti and unauthorised signage Spamming Marketing techniques

Advertisement posters

Legislation

Web banner

See also

References