eircom in ‘Death Disco logo’ shock?
So along come eircom with their new advertising posters. Not exactly a benign scene being depicted – an unhappy girl being manhandled out of somewhere that’s supposed to be rockin’ by two grim-faced don’t-fuck-with-me security guards.
The eircom ad. Photography by Peter Murnaghan
What caught our eye was how eircom – without a bye-your-leave or a nod in this direction – have ‘adapted’ our Death Disco skull-and-headphones logo on the girl’s t shirt. Do we have a patent on all skulls and headphones? No. But look at the ad… eircom have basically drawn a pair of shades over their version of our DD logo.
BP Fallon and Robert Plant at the the benefit concert for Arthur Lee, bless him, at The Beacon Theatre NYC June 24th 2006. Robert sang. BP DJed – in non-eircom Death Disco t shirt. Photography by Bob Gruen.
It’s flattering to have one’s work – one’s art, one’s images, one’s logos – recognised by the mainstream.
It’s disconcerting how this acceptance of something that was once underground and pure and based around music and having a good time is now warped magnetic eye candy for a corporation flogging telephones by any means possible.
Then again… who are we to stand in the way of pop culture influences?
Or… should we sue ’em?
Camille Corazón in her Death Disco t shirt.
Life’s a gas.
And while we’re at it…
Death Disco badges w/ thanks to Barney in Dublin and Joly In New York
anne goodnow
November 23, 2011 @ 4:06 pm
Yes, you should initiate a suit. Because they sure as hell would try to sue you if you appeared to appropriate their logo in any unauthorized way.
Jenny
November 25, 2011 @ 12:19 am
Hi Beep, my niece is the funky young music loving kid in the picture. It is part of a bigger campaign and the concept is that she has bunked in to a festival coz her parents won’t let her download! So I think in this instance your ‘logo’ is being worn by someone who is underground and will go to any lengths to get her music, someone who dares to rebel and have a good time. ……. Or maybe not and it is all part of a cynical vendetta against DD and all it represents……somehow I doubt they are that clever at Eircom….they probably just bought the T-shirt in Penny’s for the shoot anyhow.
anne goodnow
November 26, 2011 @ 6:11 am
I doubt BP (or anyone else reasonably sane) really thinks that this a kind of plot against DD. More likely, eircom (or their ad agency) used the logo without doing any investigation to whether it was an infringement of use. DD has had a long, established run in London, Ireland. DD Ireland takes place in Dublin, where eircom’s headquarters are located. My vote is that–if BP has any inclination to raise it as a legal matter–he should contact eircom for a cease and desist and/or renumeration for use of his logo in conveying their marketing message. Clearly, the ad is using the DD design in their photograph to associate the girl with an interest in new, hip underground music. Due to BP’s long run of the successful party night, and the fact that it now happens in Dublin, means the logo and it’s association are known to many whether consciously or not. My vote is to take action! Because you KNOW that eircom would take action on you if you used something that looked like their logo!