Flyposting is the act of placing advertising
posters or
flyers in illegal places. In the
U.S., these posters are known as
bandit signs,
snipe signs, or
street spam, and the process of flyposting is called
wheatpasting.
In most areas, it is illegal to place such posters on
private property without the consent of the property owner, or to post on
public property without a
sign permit from the local government. Some areas, however, have public
bulletin boards where notices may be posted.
It is an advertising tactic mostly used by small businesses promoting concerts and
political activist groups, but there have been occasions where international companies
subcontracted local advertising agencies for flyposting jobs in order not to get caught in illegal behavior, as a form of
guerrilla marketing. In 2004
Sony Music and
BMG were threatened with
anti-social behaviour orders by
Camden Borough Council for illegal flyposting.
Flyposting is commonly seen as a nuisance due to issues with
property rights, visual appearance and
littering and is a
misdemeanor in many countries. In India, the Election Commission has banned this practice, but it continues unabated.
A particularly noteworthy incident of this type occurred in Boston, Massachusetts. In the case of the
2007 Boston Mooninite Scare, advertisers had placed electronic signboards without notifying local authorities, prompting a costly reaction by the Boston Police Bomb Squad when the signs were mistaken for bombs.
See also
