Traditional Advertising: Flyers and Posters.

So, as a part of this blog, I am exploring all types of artist promotion, whether online, at festivals or traditionally, like radio ads, print ads and flyers for shows. As a student of advertising, I am certainly interested in the traditional aspects of artist promotion, since this can allow me to delve into older artists and how they could rise to fame without the assistance of the internet. This first post will be an introduction to the art of flyers. I walked around the city of Austin and took photos of many different posters that advertised festivals, concerts and bands in general. The next time I cover this topic I plan to interview people about their attention to these posters. So, to whet your appetite, here are a few images around town...


Here is a poster for a show - the photos are pretty captivating and interesting...


And a flyer for Fun Fun Fun Fest, which is coming up soon! The typeface for the bands on this flyer is pretty boring, but I guess you have to be informative so viewers can actually read the talent...still, I would pick something a little more eye-catching.


I thought this little guy was interesting. It's a "flyer" for a show, but it was about 3 inches by 3 inches - see the Fun Fun Fun Fest poster next to it??? This little thing is hardly noticeable, so I wonder why the promoter decided to print such baby-sized flyers. If I were walking down South Congress, this would NOT be noticed.



Here is a big cluster of flyers at the South Congress restaurant, Home Slice Pizza. As an advertiser, this is my worst nightmare: getting lost in all the clutter. So, how would an artist or festival promoter make an impression in all this junk? (The answer in a later post.)



Now in the next few posts I'll try to uncover if these posters are actually working or if they're wasting space and being ignored.