Postering

What is it?

Postering means simply putting posters up in public spaces. They can convey a message, be provocative and question-setting, or advertise an upcoming campaign event. 

Sometimes campaigners display a suite of images to tell a story. 

Have a look at the posters of the artist Guerrilla Spam: https://www.guerrillaspam.it/35venezialand.html

https://www.guerrillaspam.it/listposter.html

A good poster campaign should create intrigue and trigger people’s curiosity to find out more. So make sure you add a # or a QR code to your poster. 

How do you do it?

You need three things to create a great poster campaign:

1. An artist who will design something exciting and eye-catching 
2. Money for printing 
3. Volunteers who will put the posters up

 Then you will need to make sure you aren’t inadvertently breaking the law:

• Respect public and private property – make sure you use glue which is easy to remove and that does not spoil the wall. Do not use paint, especially if you are postering over an historical or public building.
• Check the local regulations to make sure you are not infringing any law or that you can be sued or called by the police.
• Consider asking permission to the owners of the walls where you would like to put your posters.

Why and when should you use it?

Postering is a great tactic when you want to draw people’s attention to an issue that perhaps they see or walk past every day, but don’t recognise as it’s so familiar and normalised. 

For example: if next to a garbage bin or a polluted area, you put a drawing of trash with the word “Education” or a drawing of a three eyed fish next to the polluted area, you will provoke a mild-shock, and people may suddenly recognise that that it is not okay to have this horrible pollution next to their homes. You can then capitalise on that shock and awareness to plan your next move in terms of visibility.

Works best in combination with:

If your poster campaign has managed to attract the attention of the press or of people on social media, you will have a multiplier effect. 

It could be a good chance to ask a local journalist to cover the story as it is salient and creates dialogue. Media engagement will then reach an even bigger audience and give you a platform from where you can speak at length about your issue.