Recent Blog Posts

Escaping the rat race

How one man left the consumer obsessed urban rat race to become self-sufficient in the desert.

Lauren
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02 Jun 2008
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4 comments

Photo: Orbitgal (from Flickr)

Many of us feel stuck in the city living an endless rat race. We may have dreams of moving into the wilderness and becoming completely self-sufficient, but very few actually take the plunge. Today the San Francisco Chronicle reports on how one man did it, and how a growing trend may be following:

Carl is taking part in a long-standing American tradition of giving up on the endless drive to earn more money and abandoning a society based on consumption of goods. In the 1840s, there were the transcendentalists and writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne, who escaped the rat race in Boston to the quiet quarters of Brook Farm. Henry David Thoreau went to live in the woods by Walden Pond. In the 1970s, over 1 million hippies left cities for rural areas in order to grow their own food and live off the land.

These days — with the price of oil topping $130 a barrel, an ever-weakening dollar and food shortages worldwide, moving toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle suddenly seems like a good idea again.

Although there aren't any hard numbers on people like Carl, anecdotal evidence indicates that there may be a consumer backlash in the making.

Link

Billboards that secretly film you

A brave new world of marketing uses image-recognition technology and minicams to tailor public ads to the viewer.

Paul
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02 Jun 2008
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2 comments

Reported two days ago on CNET:

[Entrepreneurs] are equipping billboards with tiny cameras that gather details about passers-by--their gender, approximate age, and how long they looked at the billboard. These details are transmitted to a central database [... ] The goal, these companies say, is to tailor a digital display to the person standing in front of it--to show one advertisement to a middle-aged white woman, for example, and a different one to a teenage Asian boy.

Paolo Prandoni, the founder of the company offering this technology, is assuring the public that the imaging is all done anonymously. But concern about the secret use of cameras continues to grow.

Advertising Age sees big dollars in charity work

“…Corporations technically don’t have souls and hence aren’t eligible for heaven.”

Paul
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30 May 2008
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2 comments

The flagship publication of the advertising industry, Adage, recently ran this article about ROI (return on investment) in what it calls cause marketing. The article speaks for itself.

“While the cynical outlook, repeated endlessly across the blogosphere, is that cause marketing is all about making money, perhaps the more mature, post-cynical outlook is, yes, of course it is, and, well, it should be.”

So the author, and Adage, believe that a “mature, post-cynical outlook” is one in which corporate charities like Ronald McDonald House are and should be “all about making money”? I got a chuckle out of that. This attitude is post-cynical in the same way that donuts are good for your prostate.

Time for a Vacation?

Is working fewer hours and longer vacations a good place to start rethinking capitalism?

Lauren
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28 May 2008
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5 comments

In the first blackspot blog post we had a comment suggesting a place to start rethinking capitalism: why not take Wednesdays off? It's an interesting proposal and one I don't think we should dismiss simply because we have been programmed for years to accept the standard work week. Look at France, for example. They work fewer hours than North Americans and are more productive. Sounds great, but there are two sides to the issue. Some critics say their system is doomed to collapse. CBS news reports on France's less work, more time off strategy:

"The French are so passionate about their vacations, they put pleasure before profit. As tourists throng the streets and summer temperatures hit their peak, Paris’ most popular ice-cream parlor is closed for a whole six weeks. It’s the kind of business bonanza that would be seized upon by Americans, but the French don’t seem to care. "The big difference is money, the place of money in your life," says Marchand. Marchand says money isn’t the top priority there. Maybe that’s because in France things like health care and education are virtually free. But if you think the French have unlocked the door to paradise, don’t start packing yet.”

Read here to find out more about the debate. Are shorter hours and more vacation time the first step towards the change we need? And even if longer vacations are not the key to overthrowing capitalism , how can we take a lesson from the French and radically shift our priorities away from the bottom line and towards pleasure, people, and the planet?

Sadness makes you spend more

Examination of consumer behavior reveals an unconscious link between happiness and frugality. The lesson? A miserable customer is a profitable customer.

Paul
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28 May 2008
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7 comments

Those suffering from the blues might want to steer clear of the mall. Medical News Today reports on a study published this past winter:

"If you are sad you are more likely to spend more money to acquire the same commodities as a person whose emotional state is neutral, according to an article to be published in Psychological Science. Researchers from Carnegie Melon University, Stanford University, University of Pittsburg and Harvard University say people spend more if they are feeling sad and self-focused, even those whose sad feelings are temporary."

Link

The Adbusters Redesign

Welcome to Adbusters’ new website! You’re looking at the product of more than six months of behind-the-scenes hard work. In addition to the fresh look, Adbusters.org now has several added features.

Paul
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21 May 2008
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6 comments

The new Adbusters homepage.

Blogs: For stories and links all about a truly revolutionary approach to capitalism check out the Blackspot blog hosted by Lauren Bercovitch. And in this space we’ll be posting various updates as well as blogging events attended by Adbusters staff. We'll begin with the upcoming National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis (June 6-8).
Culture Shop Upgrade. You will now have the ability to login to your own account on our new ultra-secure server.
More Frequent Updates. Check back regularly for new content, web exclusives, and more video. All coming soon…

Let us know what you think!

Cheers,
The Adbusters Team

Action Update

An activist's story.

Lauren
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21 May 2008
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1 comment

Here at Blackspot we would like to applaud those that are out there taking action to make a difference and spreading the Blackspot philosophy. Check out this incredible story of a pair of blackspots, a man, and a 200 foot crane:

Hi Adbusters!
Just wanted to let you know that my second pair of Blackspots (I wore the 1st pair until they literally fell off my feet!) proved mighty powerful climbing shoes in dropping 2 major banners on some of the nastiest corporate ecocidal maniacs around. On October 9th, in support of the amazing work done by Rainforest Action Network, a few friends and I scaled the Chicago Board of Trade and dropped a 50 foot banner on big-agra monsters ADM, Bunge, and Cargill to put those assholes on notice for their roles in rainforest decimation. A photo in the Chicago Sun-Times clearly shows the hand-painted blackspot logo representin' right before the fire department pulled me through a 19th story window and beat the shit out of me. Real professional, Chicago FD!

Then, 3 days ago, on the 23rd we dropped another 50 footer from a crane 200 feet above downtown Charlotte, NC. The target: Bank of America. The issue: their financing of Mountain Top Removal and rape of the Appalachian coal fields. You can't really see the sneakers from the photos, but they lived up to their name by helping us sneak onto the construction site undetected and provided flawless sure-footed traction while we were preparing to deploy over the edge.

I just wanted to say while your work may be controversial even among the most agreeable of activists, I can't thank you enough for all you do, how it has inspired me for years, and want to remind everyone how integral all of our work is to facilitate the common goal of a living future. I love your (our!) sneakers and will continue to raise hell with everyone who stands in solidarity against the oncoming corporate-fueled ecopocalypse. If anyone would like to check out RAN's wonderful work, check out http://www.ran.org/ or http://ran.org/what_we_do/rainforest_agribusiness/spotlight/launch/

Peace, Love, Solidarity,
John Watterberg

If you have any stories of activism and/or inspiration for change please feel free to send them to Lauren@adbusters.org. We’ll try to share as many as possible.

Ethical Soles

Why Greenwashing is a threat to positive change.

Lauren
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14 May 2008
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7 comments

The marketing calculus is simple. You label a product ‘green’ or ‘ethical’ and sales go up, as conscientious consumers make what they believe to be the responsible choice, even if it happens to cost a little bit more. Marketers know very well that you don’t have the time or the resources to check their claims against the facts. The temptation to deceive is strong, the chances of getting caught not very high.

Take No Sweat shoes, for example. The name captures the essence of the brand: No Sweat shoes are, ostensibly, sweatshop free. Almost all shoes are made in sweatshops these days, and if you have a problem with that, there are very few alternatives. Blackspot is one. Then there are brands like No Sweat, Ethletic Sneakers, Green Shoes, and Worn Again. No Sweat founder, Adam Neiman, vigorously promoted his shoes as an ethical alternative, and they have been profiled in various green-living publications, trade-shows, and websites.

Few bother to check the claims being made by companies like No Sweat, but let’s say for the sake of argument that you are an extraordinarily conscientious consumer. You go to their website, and read up on them. You’re comforted by what you see. There’s a lot of copy about empowering the workers and changing the world. You dig a little deeper, and read that No Sweat has sent independent auditors to their production facility, and has even published a big fat report online. What more could you ask?

But then you do what almost no one would do. You actually read that long, dull auditors’ report. It’s all about No Sweat’s shoe factory in Indonesia. What you uncover is astonishing. There, buried in the back, are the results of a survey given to the workers of the factory. Here’s the fine print, reproduced verbatim:

Question 2: Have you ever had a bad experience at work, like forced labor or underpayment of wages?

[The numbers indicate number of employees responding, and not percentages]
Yes: 39
No: 11

Question 4: If yes, did you ask for help from the union, SPSI?
Yes: 28
No: 20
No answer: 2

Question 6: If you add up your wages, wage supplements (food, Lebaran bonus), and your level of satisfaction at work, do you think you are paid fairly?
Yes: 8
No: 42

Question 9: Is the union an effective advocate for a better work environment, better wages and wage supplements, and improved working conditions?
Very helpful: 2
Helpful: 6
Useless: 30
No comment: 12

Question 10: What is the most accurate description of your experience at work?
Positive and friendly: 6
Fair – no complaints: 7
Unpleasant (pressured to work faster or disrespectful treatment from supervisors): 37

No Sweat appears to be guilty of a kind of greenwashing. In another section of the report under the rubric of “Recommendations for No Sweat” the independent auditors concluded: “PT Bata is no worse, and is probably better, than many other factories in the footwear industry in Indonesia.” Not quite what you would expect from a company that has based its entire brand and marketing strategy on its claim that it does not use the same sweatshops that big corporate shoe companies use.

Greenwashing is rampant these days across many industries. Big companies like Shell Oil, Exxon Mobil, Dow Chemical, and General Electric have engaged in multi-million-dollar greenwashing marketing campaigns. Countless smaller businesses have also given in to the temptation to boost profits with false or misleading claims. Garbled messages hamper our ability to communicate. Only the vigilance of individual consumers can prevent the “green” and “ethical” labels from becoming so debased as to be completely useless in helping us make intelligent choices.

The First Step in Rethinking Capitalism

How Blackspot intends to change the system.

Lauren
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07 May 2008
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7 comments

From modest, regional beginnings, capitalism has evolved into a mighty global system dominated by a handful of huge corporations. The goal of Blackspot is to start reversing this trend, to use our wealth to support local and small business, and to replace commercial fashion with a genuine, grassroots sense of cool.

It’s a big undertaking. With Blackspot Shoes we’ve demonstrated that it can be done, but it’s about much more than shoes. One of our primary goals from the beginning has been to engage in a meaningful dialogue with readers and Blackspot customers about the philosophy and strategy behind this unusual brand. Adbusters’ new website has provided us with the tools to do a better job of that. This new blog is a first step in that direction.

It’s time to rethink capitalism, so let’s get to it. Please join in the discussion.