Thursday 2 June 2016

"Trampvertising" (1973-1979)

 
 In 1973 the council ratified a bylaw which legalised the exploitation of all homeless people as advertising spaces. It became known as 'Trampvertising'. At first, only small, local businesses took advantage of the new law but large corporations soon started bulk buying advertising space, which drove up prices.

These big companies also insisted on the option of permanent tattoo advertising because their homeless human billboards frequently lost, ate or soiled the paper-based marketing materials.


By 1975 Scarfolk Council could no longer meet the demands of national and multinational businesses and began losing clients to neighbouring towns. To stay competitive, the council had no choice but to generate new advertising space.

It did this by targeting poor families and individuals at risk, ensuring that they lost their homes and livelihoods through a series of punitive taxes and fines. These included the exorbitant Gormless Tax and the Unemployment Tax, which charged jobless citizens 37% of the wage they would have earned had they become a barrister and not been barred from attending a good school.

9 comments:

  1. It must be a tory council.

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    1. And you JUST KNOW some Tory wanker has thought of this idea already. Probably getting the inspiration whilst fucking a dead pig.

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  2. I'd love to see you do a 'Ladybird book of Trump'[as in the Donald]or something similar.

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  3. Is there a word for something that even if it's obscenely outlandish & horrific, it has a degree of truth on a deep, visceral level? You must be constantly asked that very question.

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  4. Now thinking of all the people who tattooed their favourite brand on their skin :-D

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  5. I'd love to see you do a 'Ladybird book of Trump'[as in the Donald]or something similar.

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  6. The local fish and chip shop smeared the homeless in disposed chip wrappers and sent them into the streets to permeate the smell. This drove up sales of lightly battered fish by 14% year on year.Older homeless were filleted and fried as mock smoked cod.

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  7. All the fish oil marinated vagrants were a real nutrition boost for the local alley cats!

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