Shoes for Social Conscience

Paper Summary:

This essay explores the culture of culture jamming via Blackspot sneakers and how this sales campaign reveals that the self-identified socially conscious are possibly competitive consumers rather than social care-takers. This discussion focuses on the media coverage; promotion and marketing materials of the Blackspot sneakers recently deemed "one of the 12 hottest urban brands" as an example of a consumer product that represents the counterculture in the sum of its parts.

From the Paper:

"In an early publishing of an article in Forbes magazine, Adbusters' Blackspot sneakers were discussed in terms of their unrealistic ability to take on mega-brands such as Nike. Still, and as noted in the article, Adbusters has managed to sell 20,000 pairs since 2003 (Whelan, n.p.). Even with the cost of manufacturing, this sales figure can easily be worth up to a half million dollars in profit over three years; not bad for a small alternative magazine outfit in B.C. Interestingly, to even entering in this conversation, one must acknowledge that Adbusters has become part of the mainstream culture, where concerns of sales and marketing are central topics."

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