There’s a little uproar in Philly over malt liquor advertisements. But in thinking about it, it has to be the style, because it can’t be the substance. Not with all the malt liquor ads I see when I go up there. So then it’s not that they’re advertising Colt 45, it’s that they’re advertising Colt 45 in mural form, without the proper certification from the city.
Now me, I came up listening to songs like 1 Million Bottlebags, in which Chuck D decries the placement of malt liquor in the Black community and the accompanying advertisement. Bearing that in mind, I’m perfectly sympathetic with the community activists who want the advertisements pulled. But Chuck kicked the science perfectly, balancing the responsibility between the alcohol companies and the consumers.
Who’s sellin’ us pain
In the hood another up to no good
Plan that’s designed by the other man
But who drink it like water
One and on till the stores reorder it
Brothers cry broke but they still affordin’ it
Thing is, though, the biggest complainant is SCRUB, Society Created to Reduce Urban Blight. They’re not interested in the message, they’re interested in the style. A few years ago, they fought to have graffiti-style advertisements for PlayStation removed too. I suppose they could be said to be concerned about the community, but only insofar as it relates to their vision of what is proper for a mural. That, I do not agree with. If a private property owner is comfortable with a particular style of advertisement being posted on his property, then the discussion should be between that property owner, the potential advertiser, and maybe - maybe the city. To the extent that regulations are placed on advertising, that’s an area of the city’s oversight. However, for a 3rd party to come in and try to get the advertisement taken down because of the style of the ad, that’s out of bounds.
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In the early 80s, Anheuser-Busch sampled a malt liquor called King Cobra. Put it in a black can with red and green trim. A cigarette company did exactly the same thing with the packaging of a cigarette for the black man called, if memory serves, Player. Their media buys were lifesblood for black weekly newspapers.
i don’t know if they still advertise, but i know that king cobra is still out there.