The two sides of the present: a trillion $ communication network, consumer culture, freedom and opportunities. The other side: from unbreathable air to a choiceless democracy, from war and inequity to disfunctional communities and mood disorder.
An overriding idea that filters up in just everything Adubsters does: the idea of meme.
Potent memes can catalyze collective shifts and transform cultures - which is why meme warfare has become the battle of our information age.
Adbusters works really hard to create counter memes or competing memes. We can compete on just every front there is. And still the question is not just who has better memes, but also who can get the memes out there.
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A trip to Tokyo and an epiphany. |
The two sides of the present: a trillion $ communication network, consumer culture, freedom and opportunities. The other side: from unbreathable air to a choiceless democracy, from war and inequity to disfunctional communities and mood disorder. |
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The 3 divisions inside Adbusters: the magazine; the on line culture jammers headquarters; and Powershift, a social marketing agency. An example of tv spot: "Economists must learn to subtract". Communicating ideas in very accessible formats and concentrating a complex issue in 30 seconds: we want to show people ideas that are in the back of their minds. |
Meme warfare vs. the American dream. The "Unbrandamerica" campaign. "Think of America as a brand, based on three pillars spread from the constitution to marketing campaigns: opportunity, democracy, freedom"... The "Hope and Memory" web feature exposing American interventions in foreign countries since the 19th century. |
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Meme warfare vs. corporate cool (continues). "We've challenged people to become antipreneurs." The blackspot anticorporation. "It's not that we pioneered or that it is new, but we certainly put some marketing spin on it". |
