brandalism

brandalism

English

Etymology

Blend of brand +‎ vandalism.

Noun

brandalism (uncountable)

1. The encroachment of ads, logos, and other types of corporate branding into public and traditionally non-commercial spaces, or the dissemination of corporate messages through methods or mediums not typically used for marketing purposes.
   • 2003, Mark Townsend, "Big Brother's logo 'defiles' White Horse ", The Observer, 4 May 2003:

     But in what archaeologists describe as one of the most shameful instances of 'brandalism' seen in Britain, Channel 4 executives stand accused of defiling the oldest hill-chalk carving in Britain.

2. The deliberate defacement of corporate iconography, generally for purposes of protest, parody, or social commentary.
   • 2005, Steve Hemsley, "How to sabotage an ad campaign", MediaWeek, 1 February 2005:

     It is, effectively, the opposite of so-called "brandalism" which is where advertisers have no control over how, where and when their branded communication is sabotaged.

     For example, billboards in New York for Apple's iPod music player were defaced by one disgruntled customer with the words "iPod's unreplaceable battery lasts only 18 months" after he discovered it would cost more to buy a new battery than to purchase a new iPod.

Synonyms

• (deliberate defacement of corporate iconography): adbusting, culture jamming, subvertising