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Watchmen Graffiti or Underground Street Marketing?

Posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta

watchmen nyc graffiti

The words “Who Watches The Watchmen?” have begun to appear spray-painted on walls around New York City. There is no evidence that Warner Bros is paying underground street marketing teams to tag the catchphrase around the city. It is possible that renegade vandals are to blame, but I would find that hard to believe that they just decided to start tagging the city with this text the same week of the film’s release. Photos above via: davesbu, kellan, kellerkeller, and bonerjamz. More after the jump.

watchmen doorway graffiti

Most likely unrelated: In Toronto, silhouettes of Night Owl II and Silk Spectre II are found in various ally ways, mimicking one of the scenes from the film. If you look closely at JenM32’s photo on the left, you will see a posted fake advertisement for “The Veidt Method”. The photo to the right thanks to Jesusio101.

Update: HermitHomeboy has sent me the alternative photo of the Toronto photo above:

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via: Splash Page

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Comic Book/Superhero, Images, Movie Marketing, Viral Marketing, Warner Brothers, 

  • i doubt warner brothers would pay taggers to market their movie in an illegal fashion.

    the stencil of the silhouette is really good.
  • Studios have done illegal street marketing in the past. Here are some examples:

    http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/09/02/babylon-ad-gr...
  • wow. that's actually really interesting. do you know if Fox ever ended up paying fines also?
  • John Stweart
    that silhouette isn't Nite owl 2 and SS. in the book, unkown persons just begin spray painting the kissing couple around the city.
  • Square
    It's not illegal if you rent the walls from property owners as ad space, and clean it up later.
  • Watchmen Inc
    First!
  • Ha. I wondered if this would happen.
  • Yeah, I thought it was pretty inevitable given that Watchmen has such a rabid following. You knew some Watchmen fan with a can of spray paint would do this sooner or later.
  • Yup.
  • Thrillhouse
    Keep in mind the silhouettes are a recurring theme and not just the image of Laurie and Dan. I'm not trying to be a nit-picky nerd, but...
  • Floating Elephant
    Peter have you not finished the book yet?

    Those aren't silhouettes of Nite Owl and SS (even though their embrace is mimicked by these poses in the dream sequence), those are the "Hiroshima Lovers" that the Knot Tops spray paint around NY. Rorschach even has a journal entry about them when he witnesses one being made.

    And the "who's watching the watchmen" are clearly all part of the marketing. All the same color, same writing style, and chelsea/union square are identical.
  • Dylan
    I echo what has been said about the silhouette -- not Laurie and Dan
  • QUE!!!
    has anyone noticed that the chelsea and union square photos are one and the same
  • Tercotta
    But the Chelsea one has some serious white balance problems. My vote is over zealous fans. Studios have done it before but this time I have a gut feeling it isn't. Naturally I could be wrong.
  • That's true. But regardless of white balance, it would be pretty damn hard to do the exact same thing geometrically.

    And sneaky work there, Peter, removing the Chelsea image. Making me look crazy.
  • Ive been tagging that everywhere. bars, bathrooms, college desks, payphones. this makes me think though. i NEED a purple spraycan. I CAN NOT FUCKING WAIT FOR FRIDAY. Dave Chen, Peter Sciretta, you lucky lucky people. Post your reviews! Fuck embargos! Right? Wrong, I guess. Anyway, love the site, love the filmcast. Peace!
  • The embargo is over. Has been for almost a week.
  • right you are. well then, i guess what im waiting for is Slashfilm's review. or preferably Watchmen itself.
  • Joe R.
    The first two images are of the same location, just under different lighting. They can't simultaneously be Chelsea and Union Square.
  • That's what I was thinking. Stencil much?
  • Tercotta
    No they were actually the same one as all the surroundings of the graffiti were the same (the signs, doorway...)
  • infinitysend
    art mimicks life mimicks art. we've come full circle, it seems. brilliant.
  • purplecartoon
    Cant wait. Wonder if I can buy one of those fake viedt advertisements anywhere?
  • Jeff L.
    Hopefully no one mistakes the graffiti for a bomb.
  • Gavin
    This bomb...it looked like some sort of alien. and it's giving me the finger. clearly ter'ism.
  • Palmer
    Meh, if it's actually a marketing thing then the paint would probably wash off. Pretty good though.
  • It does seem like it's guerilla marketing. Hmmmmm...works for me!
  • Nice, all my attempts are in ratty bus station bathrooms and my schools 1 bathroom stall.
  • The WatchMAN!
    I dunno, I have a few friends who have been tagging shit all around my school for weeks now, and they are just big fans. Could easily see this as some common graffiti.
  • Zinc
    The ultimate zinger if the movie bombs would be if someone went up to one and spray painted, "no one".
  • As cool as it is, I hope it's not street marketing from a studio, that's so douchey
  • nameless
    No doubt the work of giddy fanboys unable to control themselves. Immediately afterwards they ran home as fast as possible, looking over their shoulders for police the whole way. Then bragged about it on some forums.
  • hiroshima_lover
    you know what's really awesome/nerdy? i just got a tattoo of the silhouette last week. not as marketing of course, it's just an image from the book that stuck with me. and now it's being sprayed all over walls. FTW ^_^
  • jay
    hahaha i actually wondered if WB would start an ad campaign like that, it'd be cool on a billboard, like an advertisement of some veidt product, then "who watches the watchmen" tagged over it.
  • I agree with Peter. Even if this is just illegal tagging by fans of the film, it is awkwardly convenient that they start tagging the week the film opens. Either way, I highly doubt Warner Brothers mind!
  • I agree with Peter. Even if this is just illegal tagging by fans of the film/comic, it is awkwardly convenient that they start tagging the week the film opens. Either way, I highly doubt Warner Brothers mind!
  • I'll tell ya who watches the watchman... Fucking everybody!!!!! Big ticket sales this weekend....
  • Big weekend and then Big drop-off the next weekend (if not the next).

    I think it's mostly people who buy into the hype who will watch this weekend. Afterwards, depending on the reaction and word of mouth, we'll see.

    For better or worse.
  • Eli
    I live in Toronto, does anyone know where the Hiroshima Lovers is?
  • I wish I could get paid to tag some walls with "Who Watches the Watchmen".
  • L.D.S.
    One of them says "Who watches the WatchMEmen?"

    With that said, how the hell do you typo with a spray can?!?
  • At least people don't think they're bombs.

    *cough*
  • lol, that was like, the least illegal one of all and it shut down all of boston.
  • Funny, I actually saw one of these in Chinatown/ Little Italy today, though it was barely legible.
  • funny... After I first read the comics....( about 20 years ago) I use to spray paint that everywhere when I was 15, It was my "Tag"
    My friends and I also use to do the silhouettes in ally ways..
  • Regardless of the who is beyond this oh so cool graffiti, it is still pretty damn cool.
  • That picture is on the side of the Silver Snail on Queen W.
  • Mr. Poopoopachu
    What are the chances that random kids and/or artists are all using the same purple paint? Not likely. Seems like a street marketing campaign to me.
  • skippy
    true. or perhaps they offered the wall-owners a new coat of paint after their watchmen promotion?
  • Joe
    The Hiroshima Lovers are popular graffiti Rorschach comes across in his travels of NYC. Despite the shot of Dan and Laurie kissing in front of the nuke, that's actually a dream sequence.

    It's half-street marketing, half-fans.
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