Establishing a NEW paradigm in street marketing
Marketing for the People
Welcome to the new improved BillboardLiberation.com .
This site was launched back in the late 90s, some 20 years after the BLF was founded. The first webmaster was Conrad Hoc, the second webmaster was ______ DeCoverly and the third was Milton Rand Kalman. The Billboard Liberation Front semi-officially retired in 2010 after our last billboard improvement, the Stella Artois board done at Eighth Avenue and 38th St. in Manhattan.
Since then, the website has languished. Around five years ago, I was contacted by agents of INDECLINE for a movie project they were involved with. Overtime I became friendly with the group and have collaborated with them on various projects. I was an interview subject for their wonderful short film The Art of Protest and I wrote an essay for their new coffee table book Control Alter Delete.
This group is, in my estimation, the greatest political pranks group working today. Needless to say, I was flattered at their interest in the BLF. They sort of kicked me in the butt, and I have reconnected with some of my old comrades and even considered getting back in the game. We decided to reboot the website and might even……oops, my attorney has counseled discretion….
We are currently in the process of digitizing thousands of documents and various video and other media, all of which will eventually be loaded up on this website. I would like to thank the fourth webmaster for the BLF, Miguel O’Hara and our professional archivist Diana Versailles.
And please remember, you do not need to go to the obsessive compulsive lengths that INDECLINE goes to and the BLF used to, in order to enter into the larger cultural dialogue. All you really need is a crayon, a warm balmy night and a bad attitude.
cheers, “Jack Napier” co-founder, chief bottle washer, BLF
Our Mission?
Headquartered in San Francisco, the BLF is a privately-held, worker-controlled shadow entity with no phone number and no permanent address. Our highly secure operating environment and extralegal status guarantee our clients the acme of service, while our internationally recognized creative team delivers unmatched “wow.”
Unlike traditional agencies, the BLF is not available for general hire, and offers its services only to an exclusive list of advertisers. Our clients are carefully selected on the basis of a complex formula known only to cabal insiders, and our improvement actions are undertaken on a pro-bono basis, unfettered by the petty demands of clueless executives and weak-kneed middle managers. This unique position of independence allows us unlimited creative freedom, and provides the key to “unlocking” messages that might otherwise have been lost in the bureaucratic natterings of some spineless “account team.” We pride ourselves on our total lack of customer service, and our laser-like focus on Message.
Founded in 1977, the BLF is fueled by a single passion: the timely improvement of outdoor advertising. From the humble kiosk insert to the mighty freeway mega-sign, our experienced operatives possess both the technical skills and the creative vision to execute world-class media campaigns.Our comprehensive suite of professional services caters to a diverse clientele, ranging from homeowners to commercial developers.
The BLF Manifesto
The BLF manifesto was written by Jack Napier and John Thomas in 1992. Originally intended as a parody of “manifestoes” it was taken seriously by so many journalist and academics that we simply couldn’t fight them anymore. So there you go the BLF manifesto.
The Art & Science of Billboard Improvement
Originally written by BLF “Education Officer” R. O. Thornhill for Chris Carlson & D.S. Black at Processed World Magazine in 1989. The essay was turned into a pamphlet, which is now in its fifth edition. The pamphlets were made with the intention of being handed out for free. The brand new edition, the fifth, was completely rebuilt and expanded quite a bit by INDECLINE with a little help from Jack at the BLF. The new edition is twice as big as the earlier 4 editions and has much more pertinent information and many more great stories. Produced by INDECLINE and the BLF, this edition is still free. So if you see someone selling it, please steal it from them.
Redressing the Imposition on Public Space
This is a question and answer sequence between me and Jessica Hall, an academic. As you’ll see when you read it, I was being flippant, juvenile, a little insulting, and generally snotty. I think it was something about answering questions from an academic that put me in such a petty mood.
At any rate, we do discuss some pertinent issues….
My apologies to Jessica Hall. And I hope that you got your doctorate!
Fauxvertising,
FSU-ism and other Semiotic Attacks on Consensual Reality
This is an essay by the esteemed D. S. Black.
D. S. was one of the editors of the great, intellectual workers periodical of the 80/90’s, Processed World. He was also a photographer, writer, journalist, archivist (and occasional street decoy for billboard operations.)
He was also one of the very first editors of the Cacophony Societies monthly newsletter, Rough Draft.
D. S. was an academic to start, but he recuperated from that dead end, easily transcending academia, while continuing to aim his trenchant wit at a variety of subjects over time. We were very happy to have him as a member of the BLF for many years.
Client Work
“It can’t be an accident that the Billboard Liberation Front, oldest of the culture-jamming crews, grew out of the San Francisco Suicide Club in 1977. The Suicide Club was a group in revolt against pseudo life. These were people who decided to live each day as though it were their last as they pursued experiences that took them outside mainstream society. They climbed buildings and infiltrated cults. They did “enter-the-unknown” events, where they would be blindfolded and led into some strange urban adventure.“
Judith Coburn
Wheat Pasting Against the Machine
Watch, Read, Listen
Want to do more?
Start your own group using our manual or,