Adbusters C2

Question 1

Who founded Adbusters?

Answer 1

Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz

Question 2

When was Adbusters founded?

Answer 2

1982

Question 3

What is Adbusters and its aims?

Answer 3

The Adbusters Media Foundation is a not-for-profit, pro-environment organisation. They describe themselves as “a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age.” They are ‘devoted to challenging consumerism’. It opposes capitalism and publishes activist articles that challenge consumerism. It creates ‘subvertisements’ that spoof popular adverts.

Question 4

When is Adbusters published?

Answer 4

A bi-monthly publication

Question 5

Where is Adbusters based?

Answer 5

In Vancouver Canada but the magazine has US, Canadian, Australian, UK & international editions.

Question 6

What is the Blackspot shoe campaign

Answer 6

In 2004, the foundation began selling vegan, indie shoes. Attached to each pair was a “Rethink the Cool” leaflet, inviting wearers to join a movement, and two spots – one for drawing their own logos and another on the toe for “kicking corporate ass.”

Question 7

What is culture jamming?

Answer 7

Culture jamming is the primary means through which Adbusters challenges consumerism. For instance, Buy Nothing Day is an international day of protest against consumerism. Buy Nothing Day is held the day after U.S. Thanksgiving. It was founded in Vancouver by artist Ted Dave and subsequently promoted by Adbusters.

Question 8

When was the set text published?

Answer 8

May/June 2016

Question 9

What are the set pages?

Answer 9

• Front cover
• Spoof advert for Christian Louboutin
  -Extracts from the feature on the impact of climate change. Four pages in total:
  o The page featuring a quote from Normal Gall together with the Zuchetti ‘HIM’ advert on the opposite page.
  o The following double page spread that features a quote from Justin Gillis alongside an image of a woman on the street and a fashion model.
• Save the Planet, Kill Yourself. Three-page feature article by David Joez Villaverde
• Chapter 2: ‘All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone’. First four pages including illustration and quotes from Sherry Turkle and Bruce Schneier.
• Letters page including letter and photo sent in by Sarah Flint and letter sent in by Jennifer Jamieson.

Question 10

What issue number is the set text?

Answer 10

Vol 24 No 3

Question 11

What are the titles of the issue?

Answer 11

‘Post - West’ and “The Year of Living Dangerously PT2’

Question 12

What is on the front cover?

Answer 12

• The masthead is plain, white, sans- serif font with grainy effect connoting war. Each issue has a different masthead connoting subversive nature and rejection of consumerism.
• The title is ‘Post-West’ which links to Gilroy’s theory and highlights corruption of the decadent West
• The other Title ‘The year of living dangerously pt 2’ also connotes a subversive nature and that their audience are reformers
• The image is not fully anchored which assumes a level of education from the audience
• The main image is of a stereotypical Eastern male in camouflage with an angry expression and clenched fist - subverts codes of a consumer lifestyle and stereotypes of Eastern European men as villains

lacks conventions of a magazine such as coverlines, price and barcode

Question 13

Who is the target audience?

Answer 13

• 25- 60-year-olds
• ABC1 socio-economic class due to cost and level of education needed
• Reformer
• left wing
• unisex
• Western

Question 14

Where is the letters page and what does it feature?

Answer 14

p88
- Sarah Flint, Bristol, UK and Jennifer Jamieson, Perth, Australia

• Represents typical reader- adult, socio-economic group ABC1, left wing, intelligent, reformer
• The layout follows the rest of the magazine - unconventional with a lot of blank space, the copy is laid out crooked which may be off-putting for the reader, the font is sans serif and bold to stand out
• Flint - highbrow language “in an area renowned for its intolerance for commercialism”, “in 2011 Tesco attempted to open a grocery store, resulting in riots”- educated and involved in the world - the image used is well taken in black and white with blank space and the words “the joys of being advertised nothing” on a billboard
• Jamieson- sensationalised high brow language “capitalised algorism” capitalised and repetition of words to reinforce “STOP” and “no”, the binary opposition of us and them, use of novel Where the Wild Things Are is a cultural reference indicating middle age

Question 15

What page is the spoof Louboutin advert on and what does it feature?

Answer 15

p19
- Louboutin logo is in juxtaposition to the image of a black person’s feet in shoes made of plastic water bottles and scraps of material to connote anti-consumerism, binary opposition of west and developing countries is also created

• “red soles” in copy connotes bvothLouboutin brand and the bloody soles of the man’s feet
• The representation of the man is stereotypical of a person in a 3rd world country - the post-colonial idea of otherness but also to connote anti-capitalism

Question 16

What pages are the quote from Normal Gall together with the Zuchetti ‘HIM’ advert and what does it feature?

Answer 16

p29+30
- Image of woman in the bath not objectified instead showing vulnerability due to lack of clean water - through the sign of the hands out asking for more, the editing and fading of the image connotes damage and disease

• Quote by Norman Gall factual about the lives of people in Sao Paulo - anchorage for image
• The advert for the Zuchetti ‘Him’ tap is in juxtaposition and turns water from a physiological need to an esteem need through the highbrow imagery connoting water as a commodity
• The title ‘Him’ sexualise the tap along with the image of gushing water - again criticises the West’s need to sell through sex

Question 17

What pages are the quote from Justin Gills together with the fashion model and what does it feature?

Answer 17

p31 + 32
- Quote from Justin Gills on climate change supported by the image of a homeless lady showing the reality of the world - “starvation”, she stares directly into the camera asking the audience for a change, she perhaps represents what could happen if climate change continues

• The image is distorted showing a changing world
• image of the model is a binary opposition - beauty and young whilst the homeless lady represents the ‘ugly’ truth
• The audience is positioned to distrust the model and capitalism whilst wanting to help the lady and stop climate change

Question 18

What pages are ‘Chapter 1, Save the Planet Kill Yourself’ and what does it feature?

Answer 18

Pages 35, 36, 37
- Quote from David Joez Villaverde’s book

• Against typical magazine format as it has chapters which are conventional of a book which fits with pages being all copy and no images
• “Save the Planet Kill yourself” - creates shock value through sensationalised language although a metaphor - often not shown in the media - edited to have the same diseased effect which connotes CO2 emissions
• The copy and pages are solely black and white - want the reader to just sit and read - foreshadows article in Chapter 2
• Uses pop culture references (‘Katy Perry’ and ‘Kardashians’) which juxtaposed highbrow lexis (“carcinogens” and “phthalates”)
• Sensationalised language (“slow-motion horror” and “catastrophe”) and direct address (“you are waiting”) positions reader to want to help and to see the world as it actually is

Question 19

Who wrote ‘Save the Planet Kill Yourself: A Guide to Living in the End Time’?

Answer 19

David Joez Villaverde

Question 20

Who’s quote is positioned next to a homeless woman?

Answer 20

Justin Gills

Question 21

Who’s quote is next to a woman in a bathtub?

Answer 21

Norman Gall

Question 22

What are the names of the two women whose letters are featured?

Answer 22

Sarah Flint and Jennifer Jamieson

Question 23

What pages are ‘Chapter 2’ and what does it feature?

Answer 23

Pages 47, 48 ,49 ,50
- All pages laid out with lots of blank space - reflecting the topic of an empty room and drawing the reader’s focus

• The 1st page features a quote from Sherry Turkle - “Have you heard about the study where people were asked to sit in a chair and think?” direct address positions the audience to want to be independent, and illustration of people at a train station being sucked into their phones suggests a lack of community and addiction- dystopian
• The 2nd page features the statement “All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”- capitalisation suggests the importance and the quote is meant to be challenged by the consumer
• The 3rd page features another illustration of a man being sucked into his phone in bed which again is dystopian and unsettlingly through the contrast of light and the man on his own
• The last page features a quote from Bruce Schneier which is laid out off centre which suggests a poster like effect - repetition of “yet” creates opposition between our outrage and the reality as well as an opposition between safety and technology positioning the audience to have a distrust of technology

Question 24

“All of …”

Answer 24

“All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Question 25

Who's quote is about an experiment about sitting in a room alone?

Answer 25

Sherry Turkle

Question 26

Who's quote is about technology and security?

Answer 26

Bruce Schneier