Rant: That "hidden message" mural downtown turned out to be just an ad for a mattress store

I passed that big colorful wall on Main every day for months. Thought it was some deep commentary about consumerism or whatever. Looked up the artist tag online and found out it was commissioned by Sleepy Heaven Mattress. $12,000 for a billboard masquerading as art. Anyone else feel tricked when you find out something's just marketing?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix57327d ago

Used to be one of those people who'd roll their eyes at anyone calling ads "manipulative." Figured if you knew it was an ad you could just ignore it. Then one of those "art installations" popped up in my neighborhood with the perfect instagram lighting and this vague message about community. Looked great on my feed for weeks before I noticed the tiny logo in the corner for a cell phone company. Felt like I'd been played. That mural thing really changes how you see everything around you once you realize it's all just selling something.

smith.nancy27d ago

That mural thing got me too. I used to think people were just being dramatic about ads being sneaky. Then that "community garden" popup in my city turned out to be a perfume company thing. Felt like a total mark. Now I look at everything with side eye, even the "free" benches in the park.

nguyen.blake26d ago

You ever notice how these ads hide in "community" stuff now? There was a time I thought those free city bus benches were just a nice gesture from local businesses. Then I found out some of them literally pay the city for the privilege of having their name on them. It's the same with those little "free libraries" you see popping up in nicer neighborhoods. I saw one that was clearly sponsored by a real estate company trying to look friendly and local. Makes you wonder if anything is actually organic anymore, or if we're all just walking around in a giant catalog.