# if I stick my logos stickers on place like the local train random boards will that be consider as vandalizing?



## Augusto Amaya

I just wanted to know I live in down town Dallas and I was wondering if I stick my logos stickers on place like the local train random boards will that be consider as vandalizing? 
Thanks


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## tcrowder

*Re: Advertising*

Give it a try and see how it works out for you...... LOL

My guess would be that if you apply any type of decal on someone elses property, it would be considered wrong. 

Just imagine the local dry cleaners comes by your home and puts a sticker in the middle of the front window.... would you be happy?


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## Augusto Amaya

Ha true. Thanks


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## Rodney

Augusto Amaya said:


> I just wanted to know I live in down town Dallas and I was wondering if I stick my logos stickers on place like the local train random boards will that be consider as vandalizing?
> Thanks


I would suggest checking your local laws. Maybe calling the police station and seeing what the rules are for sign and sticker ads.

Doesn't seem like an effective use of time or worth the possible repercussions though.


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## LYFE9

I say slap your stickers everywhere you can. There is no way of 'proving' that you are the person who stuck it there even though it has you company logo on it. Also the fact that a sticker does little to no damage on property so why not. I would also say it depends on what your target market is. If you are targeting teenagers and young adults i would find this a good way to have free marketing. If you are targeting an older generation i dont think they will pay much attention to your stickers or care much for them.. 

your call. 

personally i have stickers all around my city and it gets people talking. depends what message your brand is putting across too. have fun! lol


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## Austin300

In Dallas the owner of the property that you
go around sticking you stickers on can be fined for
not removing them and yes they have several
ordinances against it on public property as well.


Why not take that same energy and put it into making
great Auto stickers and giving them away. People sitting
in traffic are a captive audience.


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## taricp35

In my city their is an ordinance against this so I say check your local laws. I also advise that if you do take advice from a member encouraging you to _"slap them everywhere you can_" if you are fined, you will be alone in that court room and the judge will not allow _"They said on the T-shirt Forums I could do it"_ as an excuse. Regardless of how minimal one may think the damge is, someone has to clean that up and they will eventually catch up to you. What is done in the dark always come to light. Do the right thing and find out your laws then make your decision.


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## ryan barker

pick the busiest intersection and slap them on the stop signs. i mean, where does it end? if selling lottery tickets for six years has taught me anything, it's that the slightest return only encourages more action. in this case, if one person says they came to your site and bought a shirt because they saw one of 500 stickers you put out there, you'll want to put 1000 out there and probably in more daring (which the tagger will consider 'creative') places. if it works for eikei, that's awesome, but i think that in the long run rodney is absolutely right, the average screen printer is going to spend a lot of time, money and effort (with miserable returns) better spent in marketing efforts leading to a real advertising strategy resulting in sales. 

pick any screen printer you would reasonably like to be like and you'll probably see that not a single one of them went around slapping stickers on things and claiming that that was how they built a successful business. i'm just sayin'....


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## Augusto Amaya

Thanks for the advise guys.


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## LYFE9

Like i said earlier in this thread, it depends who you want to appeal to. Also, are we talking about a screen-printing business or a clothing brand? Promoting a printing business does not take the same type of marketing as a clothing brand. Most clothing brands have a 'lifestyle' tied into the whole brand and are not just about selling clothing. So in a nutshell, marketing a company and marketing a lifestyle do not fall into the same bag. 

Just take a look at world famous Shepard Fairy and OBEY. 

Just my 2cents.


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## kimura-mma

eikei47 said:


> Just take a look at world famous Shepard Fairy and OBEY.


Didn't he plead guilty to vandalism for placing stickers on public property in Boston?


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## Augusto Amaya

A clothing brand. Its a skateboard/ street brand. I'm just looking for good advertising. Without spending big bucks.


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## foot print

If you want to place a sticker somewhere start with the back of your car.. I have a vinyl cut window decal on the back of my car and it serves as a moving billboard and I have actually got business from it.. Just my 2 cents.


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## ryan barker

you're right, eikel, i wouldn't market merchandise the same way i'd market a service (screen printing), though in this case i think the terms screenprinter and brand owner are interchangeable, eh? and you're right, also, in that in some cases, such as skate/street wear, you are catering to a lifestyle. that said, whatever market you're doing shirts/ancillary merch for still needs to have effective marketing. 

so, my question is: how many sales can you conclusively show were the direct result of putting out 100 stickers? i can understand how it would be a blast to challenge yourself to put them in innovative places, but from just a time investment standpoint, has it been worth it?


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## Rodney

> I say slap your stickers everywhere you can. There is no way of 'proving' that you are the person who stuck it there even though it has you company logo on it.


Please don't recommend members do illegal things and "hope they don't get caught". 

There are lots of great, more effective (and legal) ways people can market their clothing line or business that don't involve sticking things to other people's property


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## LYFE9

> Didn't he plead guilty to vandalism for placing stickers on public property in Boston?


I'm pretty sure he has plead guilty to many counts of vandalism throughout his graffiti career. His success is directly related to his graffiti career, I doubt he regrets it. Thats another subject though i guess.



> A clothing brand. Its a skateboard/ street brand. I'm just looking for good advertising. Without spending big bucks.


If you're afraid of getting caught slapping stickers around town but you appeal to the skateboard market I would say spend a lot of time in skateparks, give a few shirts away to some skaters that have good skills and take part in competitions, if your lucky they just might rep it. Also get a good amount of stickers printed and slap that stuff all around public skateparks. Give a lot of free stickers to the skaters in the park. This might not generate sales automatically but it will get people to know about you and have had a positive interaction with you. The sales come after.



> you're right, eikel, i wouldn't market merchandise the same way i'd market a service (screen printing), though in this case i think the terms screenprinter and brand owner are interchangeable, eh? and you're right, also, in that in some cases, such as skate/street wear, you are catering to a lifestyle. that said, whatever market you're doing shirts/ancillary merch for still needs to have effective marketing.
> 
> so, my question is: how many sales can you conclusively show were the direct result of putting out 100 stickers? i can understand how it would be a blast to challenge yourself to put them in innovative places, but from just a time investment standpoint, has it been worth it?


You are right when saying that a clothing brand and screenprinting can go hand in hand but thats also like saying the business of selling beans is the same business of selling the cans that they come in. Technically its 2 very different things even though the end product is both together. I mean,, im looking into buying some screenprinting equipment instead of outsourcing it all but when i do have the equipment i wont be selling screenprinting services even though i easily could. Call me hard headed but im selling my brand and nothing else. Im not a screenprinter, im a brand owner. 

About the stickers.. i carry them everywhere i go and slap em everywhere i get the chance. Anywhere it has a chance to be seen. Stickers cost less to nothing to produce so if slap 200 of them and get a customer out of that i've done my job. Reason being is that every client attracts other clients and all clients have the potential of being repeat customers. Especially if they like your gear and the message your putting across.



> Please don't recommend members do illegal things and "hope they don't get caught".
> 
> There are lots of great, more effective (and legal) ways people can market their clothing line or business that don't involve sticking things to other people's property


On that note, i don't recommend anyone to do anything illegal, just sharing my personal experiences. Take it how you like


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## idonaldson

In NYC it is considered graffitti and if DOS decides to track you down - you will be fined. With that said so many folks are doing it.


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## Zenergy

I'm from Dallas and we used to slap stickers everywhere. Nobody's going to get on you as long as you're not doing it right in front of a DART cop. For a skatewear brand, it's a great way to reach your target market. I live in Austin now and do a lot of stickering in bar bathrooms (and before anybody jumps my case, my stickers are right next to a million band stickers, so it's not vandalism), and get plenty of business from it.


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## ryan barker

well, putting a sticker up in a bathroom stall at some sleazy bar is like tacking your business card up on the corkboard at the diner, eh? lol. in that specific case, okay, there may be some benefit. but, how much business does plastering them at random spots get you?


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## Zenergy

ryan barker said:


> well, putting a sticker up in a bathroom stall at some sleazy bar is like tacking your business card up on the corkboard at the diner, eh? lol. in that specific case, okay, there may be some benefit. but, how much business does plastering them at random spots get you?


It's about branding. I talk to at least 3 - 5 people a week who say "Oh yeah, I saw your sticker." It establishes a presence and raises my credibility when I'm closing a deal. I never mention I put the stickers up myself, btw, and I give out stickers with every order. It creates the appearance of virality.


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## ryan barker

that's cool, and far be it from me to tell you to stop doing what works. still, i would suggest that perhaps your's is not the norm. furthermore, i would guess that this kind of advertising only works for a few niche markets, ones that have a kind of, ah, 'punk'-ish attitude associated with it, eh?


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## Rodney

> For a skatewear brand, it's a great way to reach your target market


It sounds like it could be a branding method, but I just am not sure how effective it *really* would be when weighed against the risks.

I honestly thing there are better ways to use your stickers and marketing time. I'd probably see it on the same level as "spam". Intrusive advertising to people in places they didn't ask for it or expect it. I'm sure spammers that send commercial emails that are halfway targeted probably think they are Ok since it's effective sometimes and other people are doing it.

Reaching out to potential customers directly to see if they are interested in your product (like the above poster mentioned by going to skate parks and talking to people) seems like a better way to tell your story and promote your brand. Start up and sponsor a small competition in one of your local parks. 

Lots of creative ideas out there that don't involve what many would consider vandalism.


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## ryan barker

i think part of what he's saying is he's 'branding' in places that such practices are expected/conventional to the breed. i dunno, though, advertising in the bathroom seems somehow contrary to my upbringing, lol.


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## idonaldson

If a graffiti artist went and added more graffitti to a wall, it does not mean that if he gets caught it is acceptable because it is already there. I am just saying know where you are and what is enforced. In NYC you do not have to be the person posting it who gets caught - you only need to be the beneficiary. Hanging around your target audience with some cool freebies is a way to get them your message. Values which are an overlooked characteristic are becoming such a thing of the past. Much harder to do things right than to take the short cuts - hope it all works.


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## kbthreads

I slap mine up all over college campus's, theres already so many flyers and other stickers up.


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## ryan barker

i think what we're really getting at is don't sticker where you know you shouldn't put one up. if a private place allows that, it's okay. obviously, any public place, for example a bus stop, and you can get busted. probably not the crime of the century, but still punishable. it should be common sense, right? then again, that's why we have to have laws that legislate common sense, lol.


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