European Advertising Agency

The Imitation of an EU institution (2002-2009)
Short film & Performance, together with Joe Lucero
www.euaa.net

The central point of the EUAA project are events surrounding a fictitious EU agency - authorised to execute a liberalisation policy with the aim to introduce new marketing strategies following the deregulation of public areas for the purpose of advertising. The most provocative reform is the „revaluation“ of banknotes as advertising areas. The marketing of this policy has been delegated to a supranational institution, the European Advertising Agency. The motives behind this reforms are quite evident: A modified advertising policy will generate new income and rising consumption in turn results in rising taxes for the benefit of the member states‘ budgets and their populations. This charitable principle is best expressed by the EUAA slogan: „Advertising for the People“. The heart of the project is the promotion video of the EUAA, a fictitious, dystopian TV spot introducing and commenting these new policies. The promotion video as such imitates an official style, supported by the appearance of several guests, such as the chief executive of the EUAA and the head of the European University in Liege.

The EUAA project being a promotion video has, nonetheless, greater capacity: In best guerilla marketing strategy we want to establish contact with the potential clients and audiences of the EUAA (business, lobbying, diplomats, etc.) and communicate the advantages of advertising liberalisation, at the same time exploring the approval of such policies. An intervention in public areas, in lobbies or entrances of business and political insitutions, booths with high gloss brochures that inform the audience on the opportunities of this policy, highly skilled staff presenting the reforms and their everday-life impacts on society. Guests can enjoy the promotion video at the lounge and eventually discover the absurdity of the EUAA. A good example for this practice can be seen at the EUAA presentation on the Subversive Fair 2009 in Linz (with Max Valentin & Joe Lucero) - the videos are available online: www.euaa.net

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Photos Linz 2009: Florian Rainer