It was a small boy who sent my eye in its direction. With a large smile on his face, he was pulling his mum’s sleeve and pointing to a spot over my shoulder. I turned round to see what he was looking at, and saw what -to me – is a new breed of advertising, entirely based on the codes of street art.

Without wanting to give this rather banal message artistic qualities it doesn’t merit, it had clearly succeeded in one respect – it had drawn the attention of a child and made him smile. The message of the ad itself is exactly what we would find in any media or on any support, but it is the technique adopted here which interests me.

Looked at from the side, it is possible to see how this campaign has been created. The ad is in cardboard, and although attached to an existing billboard, it also completely covers and hides it.

Seen from the front again, it is clear that the desired effect is to make it look like a casually pasted creation on a blank wall. Looked at quickly, it could be just another wheatpasted poster on the city walls, but the second glance draws your eye towards the message.

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