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Subvertising Subvertising is a portmanteau of subversion and advertising. It is a relatively modern term, but can be defined as any type of action that is taken to subvert advertising. This may range from improvised graffiti-style interventions, to the more co-ordinated campaigns of the modern era. Generally speaking, subverts either target the original adverts or the sites of outdoor advertising (or both). Though it is difficult to say when exactly subvertising emerged as a form,64 the history of organised outdoor advertising subversion dates back to at least the 1970s. In Australia, the B.U.G.A U.P. (Billboard-Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions) collective started taking direct action against tobacco advertising in 1973 (because, in their words, “someone had to do something about it!”65) and claim their work is one of the earliest forms of subvertising the world has seen.66 Not long after, in 1977, the Billboard Liberation Front (BLF)67 was formed in San Francisco, and began setting about making what they termed “improvements” to outdoor advertising, as well as encouraging others to do the same.68 Both of these organisations still have websites that reflect on their history and give advice to potential practitioners.
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