Target is getting all old-timey out on Hick Street near the BQE. A local artist, for the last couple days, has been constructed a hand-painted sign for the corporate giant. The billboard will stand about eight feet tall, and cover a good section of a brick wall on Hicks near the corner of Union Street. It's the same wall shared, on the inside, by the Coffee Den, a local indy java joint. (The owner of the building has been after some advertising for some time now.)
Inside the Coffee Den, people are already bitching at the ad. "It's great a local artist gets work, but Target?" said one. That's generally how I feel. I pass by that wall pretty often, and I don't relish having to look upon some vague representation of the kind of lifestyle I might lead if I only shopped at huge, enervating, big-box stores more often.
On the bright side, not all vandalism-ready ads are thoughtful enough to include an actual bullseye.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Target ads go, that one looks fairly unoffensive. Of course, it's not finished yet.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm mildly skeptical about comments overheard against Target. Are we really sure those same people don't end up there once in a while in search of...whatever they might be in search of?
If I lived closer to Target, I'm sure I'd be there once or twice month. I went when I had to defend a ticket in January. It was an un-deadening experience. But it was also at 9 AM. Never go on a weekend or afternoon, I suppose.
I'm sure they do go to Target from time to time, BVIB. Everyone does. Like all chains, it becomes an irresistible force, sitting there, patient, behemoth-like, waiting for you to break down and visit out of convenience's sake. They're like fast food joints. And back to back repeats of "Two and a Half Men" in late night TV. They wear you down and limit your options, and you end up patronizing them. It's part of the strategy.
ReplyDeleteCurbed linked to this post, and the eighth comment was pretty good. Stuff like this is just a confirmation that NYC has turned into a heartland city. The only difference is better public transportation, and I'm not sure how long that will last given the MTA's budget problems.
ReplyDeleteI think this mild outrage is rather ironic since we adore those faded "ghost signs" (I know I do.) And they were often HUGE! Ads painted on the sides of buildings? We hate them! We love them! (And yes, many were for local businesses, but not all--see Flectchers Castoria, Coca Cola, etc.)
ReplyDeleteCarol, I'm going to totally love that painted Target add when its 40 years old and fading, and Target the business is just a distant memory.
ReplyDeleteI'd bet Target is more like Coca Cola than Fletcher's Castoria...we'll see in 40 years!
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right, Carol. But these days, there's no telling what businesses will go belly up.
ReplyDeleteI wish they had extended the ad along the wall to the left to cover up the ugly brown paint which is itself covering up some crappy graffiti. Granted, it would look a little strange, but then Target would actually be performing a service.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Andrea. They should have thought of that.
ReplyDeleteThere's much more of a move towards resurrecting the once popular form of hand painted advertising in USA. I guess you've come across Colossal Media?
ReplyDeleteHere in the UK we don't have so many new forms but I'm working on a project to photograph and catalogue the fading remnants of the advertising of old. See some examples.