Ransom Riggs
Viva la Rambolution: ‘Rambo’ Ad Comes Full-Circle
by Ransom Riggs - January 14, 2008 - 11:06 AM

rambo_ver2.jpgSome of you might be aware that there’s a new Rambo flick coming out this month (in the new tradition of Sylvester Stallone reviving his old franchises, a la Rocky Balboa). Those of you who live in big cities and other places where movie posters are a prominent part of the billboard-scape may have seen the awesome new street-art-inspired poster for Rambo, pictured at right. (Speaking of street art, we had a lively debate about Shepard Fairey and plagiarism last week — check it out.) While the poster is probably cool enough to merit a blog post in and of itself, eagle eyes around the city of Los Angeles may have noticed something really interesting: an unauthorized version of the poster, appropriated and modified by street artists and stenciled on popular tag spots around the city. For instance:rambo2.jpg

Is that meta enough for you? An advertising company appropriates the style for its ad from street art, and street artists turn around and appropriate it right back. (That said, I’m not sure what this “Rambolution” they’re referring to is — should I be stockpiling handguns and bottled water, or did I not get the memo?) Anyway, more pics after the jump!


rambo1.jpg
rambo4.jpgrambo3.jpgrambo6.jpg

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Comments (8)

  1. Or it could just be more advertising from guerrilla marketers.

    posted by Ando on 1-14-2008 at 12:08 pm

  2. I’m with Ando. I think they’re deliberate plants.

    posted by Lisa on 1-14-2008 at 1:17 pm

  3. I don’t think its deliberate marketing. There are two different handwriting and the word “Rambolution” is spelled differently in a few of those images. I say this has street art written all over it.

    posted by caroline on 1-14-2008 at 1:24 pm

  4. because of the different handwriting, I’d say this almost positivly a plant. grafiti artists pride themselves on originality – definitly NOT on copying a movie’s ads, almost exactly.

    posted by liz on 1-14-2008 at 1:41 pm

  5. 1. The handwriting seems to me to be the same, with forced differences. Look at the Rs and the Us throughout all of them.

    2. If they are by the same person, what true writer changes tags (see #2 & #4) or fakes differences in handwriting?

    Furthermore, what artist would spend her energy on such pablum? Show me a graffiti artist who would burn the time and risk to make no discernable statement, and I’ll show you a marketing agency peon in wolf’s clothing.

    posted by Matt on 1-14-2008 at 4:21 pm

  6. looks stenciled to me

    posted by Taylor on 1-14-2008 at 4:37 pm

  7. Has to be the marketers.

    posted by dw on 1-15-2008 at 1:56 pm

  8. oh please! so obviously planted by marketers it’s barely worth commenting on.

    posted by yopeace on 1-17-2008 at 3:40 am

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