I was surfing the Web trying to explore new possibilities for advertising, something not so mainstream, something a bit underground. I came across an interesting UK based street advertising services provider called SAS (yes, like the special forces) which stands for Street Advertising Services. They use pressure cleaners to produce images and text on surfaces like concrete and asphalt by cleaning a pattern on the surface. The result is like a negative on a wall or street floor. It looks pretty good actually, and it’s definitely a different approach. I’ve done some more searching to see if there are others doing this sort of thing, and came up with a couple of references towards artists and the technique, for example this one.

The best thing is that, although a guerilla tactic, it’s not illegal since there is nothing applied to the host surface that damages it in any way. Only pressurized water and steam are used. In fact, left long enough, the “negative graffiti” will blend back into the “dirty” tone of the surrounding surface. The actual work is mostly done during the night, as there are far fewer pedestrians that may get in the way of work. A great way to pass on a simple branded message. Even though this is quite a new thing, there are already brands who have begun to use this newly opened advertising channel.

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