# Billboard-Defiling Doodles The cARTographyTO Street Art Hacks Into Sidewalk Ads By Vivian Lau | Published 2012-07-25 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cartographyto-street-art References: [good.is](http://www.good.is/post/toronto-hacktivists-morph-sidewalk-billboards-into-street-art-canvases/) & [bagger.tumblr](http://bagger.tumblr.com/post/27026365536/cartographyto) The cARTographyTO street art initiative is an activist's stand against the ridiculous concentration of ad space in the city. The group looks to bring the whimsy into life with impromptu art, doodles and map illustrations. Citing Toronto as the biggest city in Canada, the group looks to reverse the culture of consumerism and feelings of inadequacy that result from a constant onslaught of advertisements. The creative disruption process took cARTographyTO to the streets where they broke into many of [Astral's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/astral-desk-clock) 'Info' [sidewalk billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dreamies-treats) to replace the huge ads. Instead, you may find quirky maps, a chalkboard board, calls for change ("We are here, ads should not be") in dozens of different ad pillars around Toronto. cARTographyTO makes use of daring [guerrilla art techniques](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mwcurated) to rid the city of the visual pollution created by corporations. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.8/10 - Popularity: 86% | Activity: 51% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Graffiti](https://www.trendhunter.com/graffiti) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Street Art Activism:** The use of street art to create community-based activism, sparking critical dialogue and challenging consumer culture. - **Guerilla Marketing Tactics:** The utilization of creative and disruptive advertising techniques in unconventional spaces to inspire change and spark conversation. - **Urban Revitalization:** The implementation of public art initiatives to transform urban landscapes, promote community engagement and stimulate economic growth. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Advertising:** Ad agencies can leverage techniques like street art activism and guerrilla marketing to bring innovative solutions to challenging traditional advertisement spaces. - **Urban Planning:** Urban planners can leverage the use of public art initiatives as a way to revive the aesthetics of cityscapes, fostering a spirit of collaboration and creativity. - **Nonprofit:** Nonprofit organizations can adopt new marketing techniques for social change, like cARTographyTO, to draw attention to important social issues through public art and activism. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Charitable Live-Marketing Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/living-billboards.md) - [Enigmatic Graffiti Incidents](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/enigmatic-graffiti.md) - [Miniature Billboard Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mini-media.md) - [Playful Creative Design Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3d-billboards.md) - [Pollution-Removing Murals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/this-campaign-sucks.md) - [Innovative Outdoor Advertising Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/outdoor-advertising-campaign.md) - [Food-Inspired Street Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dish-pics.md) - [Multi-Sensory Art Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arcadia-earth-toronto-benjamin-von-wong.md) - [Creativity-Focused One-Day Activations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oneday-activation.md)