EEBBko ikastetxe batean "Coca Cola" edari-markaren kamiseta bat jantzita zeraman ikasle bat bertatik kanporatu zuten, ikastetxearen arauen aurka jotzearen aitzakiaz. Sinesgaitza? Hona azalpena: egun hartan, ikastetxean, "Pepsi Eguna" ospatzen zuten.

Publizitateak dena inguratzen du. Telebistako programak, irakurtzen ditugun aldizkariak, ikusten ditugun pelikulak, musika festibalak, janzten dugun arropa... dena dago sponsorizatua. Marka, produktu bat besteengandik desberdintzeko izendapena izatetik kultu objektu gisa nagusitzen doa abiadura bizian. Edozein gauza izan daiteke publizitatearen euskarri, edonora heltzen dira publizitate kanpaina handiak... mugarik ez dago? "Pepsi Eguna"-ren adibidea egia izateaz gain, joera bat markatzen du, Estatu Batuetan bizi duten egoera hain zuzen. Bertako hainbat erakundek eskolak publizitate iragarkiengandik babesteko kanpaina jarri dute abian, mugaren bat egon behar duelakoan. Puntu horretara heldu badira han ez da zaila imajinatzea zer tokatuko zaigun hemendik gutxira.

Publizitateak, dagoeneko, ez ditu produktuak saltzen, bizitza estiloak baizik. Bizitza ereduak, gorputz ereduak, sexu ereduak... eta horretarako, bere helburuak betetzeko, merkatuteknia eta marketinaren arma guztiak erabiltzen ditu. Publizitatea, sormen prozesu den heinean, ideiez dago josita, eta publizitatearen munduak sortzaile, artista, diseinatzaile eta argazkilari hoberenetarikoen sormen ahalmenaz baliatzen da bere helburuak aurrera eramateko.

Mundu mailan publizitatean dihardutenen sormen eta komunikazio ahalmena bilduz gero izugarrizko potentzialaren aurrean aurkituko ginateke. Horretaz konturatu ziren publizitatearen mundu horretan sartuta zeuden hainbat sortzailek eta euren lana eta kreatibitatea beste helburu batzuen mesedera jartzea erabaki zuten. The media Foundation kontzientziak astindu nahi ditu, publizitate kanpainengandik babesteko bitartekoak sortu eta barreiatu. Bertako kide batzuk agente bikoitzen papera betetzen dute, egunez publizitate agentzia handietan lan egiten eta gauez euren bezero diren marka handien kanpainen aurkako kontrapublizitatea garatzen, marka handiek bezainbesteko baliabide ekonomikorik gabe baina sormen ahalmen eta irudimen handiarekin.

Kanadako The Media Foundation, adbusters (www.adbusters.org) aldizkariaren bitartez munduko multinazional handienen kanpainen mezuei buelta ematen diete euren formula estetiko eta grafiko berdintsuak erabiliz. Euren aktibitatea Internet bitartez garatzen dute nagusiki, baina haien esanetan «Interneten eragina txikia da oraindik, iritzi publikoan eragin nahi baduzu telebista erabili behar duzu, ezinezkoa da gizartea aldatzea masa komunikabideetan ohiartzunik eduki gabe».

Asko eta asko dira publizitatearen ejerzitotik desertatu eta kontrapublizitatearen gudarostea antolatzen hasiak direnak, hasiera besterik ez da, badator kontraerasoa.

In the a collage in the USA, a student was sent home wearing a T-Shirt with the brand name Coca-Cola emblazoned across it. They said it was against school rules. Unbelievable, huh? The real reason was they were celebrating ¨Pepsi Day¨ that day.

Advertising envelopes everything. TV programmes, the magazines we read, the films we see, music festivals, the clothes we wear…they're all sponsored. Brand names, in an effort to differentiate one product from another, are quickly changing from mere names into something approaching cult status. Anything can be used as a basis for advertising. There is nowhere advertising doesn't reach. Are there no limits to it? The "Pepsi Day" anecdote, which is quite true, is also a clear example of a new trend that is forming. This new trend can be felt in the USA more than anywhere. Several associations there who feel the line must be drawn somewhere, have set a campaign in motion to protect schools from advertising. If that's what the situation there is like at the moment, you hardly need to imagine what's waiting for us just round the corner.

Advertising doesn't just sell products anymore; it sells lifestyles. It uses all the marketing tricks it has at its disposal to lay down the law on lifestyles, physical appearance and sex. Advertising, insofar as it's a creation process, is chock-a-block with ideas, and the world of publicity uses the most creative artists, designers and photographers in order to fulfil their goals.

If we were to lump all the creative and communicative power of everybody working in advertising all over the world together, we would be faced with something of staggering potential. That was the conclusion reached by reached by a group of people working in publicity and they decided to put their effort and creativity to other uses. The Media Foundation is the name they've given to themselves and their goal is to awaken people's consciousness and create the means needed to protect people from publicity campaigns. Some of those involved are playing ball on both sides of the fence; they work for the major advertising agencies during the day, and they design contra-publicity against their employers' clients' giant advertising campaigns at night. They don't have the same economic resources as the big brand names, but they are certainly their equal when it comes to creative power of the imagination.

The Media Foundation from Canada use their magazine Adbusters ( www.adbusters.org) to turn the multinationals' publicity campaign messages on their heads by using the same aesthetics and graphics that they use. Internet is where they carry out most of their work, but as they themselves put it; «Internet isn't that influential yet. If you want to influence public opinion, you need to use television. You can't change society unless you get some kind of coverage from the mass media».

More and more people are deserting the advertising army and they have joined up with those involved in contra-publicity. This is just the start, the counterattack is on its way.