By Sarah Rotman
The Adbusters website, like its culture jamming ads and campaigns,
is very smart. It has the visual allure, the pithy catch phrases,
and the seething underlying messages that are by now familiar to educated
consumers. In terms of site design, there is little to criticize on
Adbusters.com-it's clear, well organized, and visually interesting.
The problem with the site is that, like their ads and campaigns, it
preaches to the choir. The only people who I would imagine would visit
this site and enjoy reading the articles, browsing through satirical
"subvertisements" and watching TV "uncommercials"
are people who are familiar with Adbusters and support the same causes.
True, education and exposure, even aimed at your supporters, is never
a bad thing. The most important parts of the site, however, become
the parts that are not necessarily the archived content produced by
Adbusters, but the educational content they provide on how to become
a culture jammer yourself and carry the Adbusters message off the
site. This aspect doesn't play a huge role, but it does exist-on the
page of spoofed magazine ads, there is a link on the bottom to instructions
on how to design your own ad, from formulating the concept to design
and distribution. This aspect is also realized in the "Campaigns"
category of the site, which takes advantage of the grassroots, international
distribution of the web to raise awareness and organize collective
social activism. They can promote a specific campaign (International
Buy Nothing Day), with a specified date and instructions for how to
publicize your own efforts. You can also download an Adbusters banner
ad, which of course doesn't sell anything but the concept of resistance
to consumer culture.
I'm not sure what I would recommend to more fully realize the potential
of this site. Culture jamming is tricky business-your message is pretty
depressing, and most people are not willing to sacrifice immediate
creature comforts for the long-term global benefit. In terms of how
to adapt this message to the web…I think the key is getting the
non-converted to this site, and making them stay when they are here.
This is a big question, and one I don't necessarily have the answer
to.