Sterling Downey , founder of Under Pressure —an international graffiti convention and magazine based in Montreal, noticed that Chevrolet ‘s Sonic commercial entitled “Mixed & Mastered” featured some recognizable urban art. The artwork came from Under Pressure ‘s mural behind Foufounes Électriques and it was used not only in the the national tv spot, but a print and billboard campaign as well. No permission asked, no money offered and now, the automotive company is paying with its brand.
“This is literally one of the biggest ad campaigns ever seen using graffiti as a tool,” says Downey . “The proper thing would have been to contact the festival owners and ask our permission. It would have cost them nothing. People would have been compensated and everyone would have been happy. But instead, [the agencies were] like, ‘Who’s going to fuck with us?’”
Downey and Under Pressure are pursuing the issue with legal action and they’ve launched an assault against the company throughout Montreal. This month, they used to the Grafika Awards Afterparty to bring their cause to over 600 designers from some of Quebec’s largest advertising agencies.
“Chevrolet doesn’t want it to go to court, but I do. I want to create a legal precedent,” says Downey. Learn more at underpressure.ca .
