Status: Probably photoshopped
These pictures doing the rounds supposedly show a
"guerilla marketing component from a campaign designed to gain public support in an effort to reduce the pollution released by particular powerplants in Chicago. The shape and text was created by power-washing filthy sidewalks using a large stencil form."
It would be a clever idea for an anti-pollution campaign, except that these photos look photoshopped. The border of the image seems a bit too well-defined, as do the lines of the text. Plus, if you're going to do this, where do you get the water and power source for the washer? (Unless you have a mobile washer hooked up to a van.) (via
ads of the world)
These pictures doing the rounds supposedly show a "guerilla marketing component from a campaign designed to gain public support in an effort to reduce the pollution released by particular powerplants in Chicago. The shape and text was created by power-washing filthy sidewalks using a large stencil form."
Comments
My guess is the photoshopper simply forgot what stencils actually look like.
Had they come up with a stencil for letters that small, the power washer would likely not have made readable words on most surfaces and would have had trouble with moving the letter stencil around becuse of the small size.
Then the letters could be stamped on, as EricK said, or a sticker with the text could be applied.
Or a light-colored (but translucent) sticker with text included could be prepared ahead, and then pasted down on the pavement in a matter of seconds.
You know, lots of times ad agencies mock up these "guerilla campaigns" in advance to show the client, or to pitch the idea in the first place. I know, I've done it myself. I have used photoshop to do things just like this to sell a client on a wacky idea like this.
So it makes it harder for hoax sites like this. Since what's in the photograph is possible physically and tactically, it seems real. However, it might not really BE real -- yet.