Revision: Adbusters - Industry

written and published by Adbusters Media Foundation - a small independent media company
it is a 'not for profit' magazine which means it contains no advertisements at all

this is highly unusual as most magazines rely heavily on advertising for revenue
most of their funding comes from the sales of the magazine itself (e.g the cover price)
any money goes straight back into making further magazines
challenges Curran and Seaton's idea that media companies are focused on power and profit
the money they make from sales of the magazine isn't enough to sustain them so they also invite audiences to donate

both environmental enthusiasts and documentary film makers
at the time, logging companies were paying for pro-logging adverts om TV
Lasn and Shmalz were angry that rich capitalist companies could afford to broadcast bias media texts
they planned an anti-logging campaign for TV and print, but Canadian TV refused to sell them advertising space
eventually they got some publicity and started a protest which had successful results in preventing further destruction of trees in the area
Adbusters Media Foundation started as a way of encouraging rebellion against capitalist consumer culture
the company has a clear brand of rebellion, activisms and fight for social change
only 10-12 staff who work at the foundation so its a small company
they also hire freelance staff and readers to generate content
Adbusters invites audience submissions so allows "amateur" writers and designers to contribute

Audience

the magazine has subscribers in over 60 countries
the print magazine can be purchased in select shops or people can subscribe for a year and have it delivered
digital editions are also available (plus print/digital combos) reflecting the way many audiences are now steering away from traditional print products
their website promotes and sells a range of anarchy theme items for sale, which helps to generate funds for the magazine too
each issue of the magazine costs £10.99 which is a high price
some might argue that the price is very high considering their anti-capitalist message
the magazine participates in google bombing

this is getting people to create hundreds of fake pages online in order to confuse Google's search algorithms so that when someone searches for a particular word, Google shows them the result you want, usually for humour

although they organise a number of events and campaigns, none of it seems designed to promote the magazine and is instead all focused on the anti-consumerist message
they sometimes actively promote events or activities which may disengage or repel their own readers and users
the company has in the past been accused of anti-Semitism for writing an article identifying and listing prominent Jewish US politicians
Adbusters once bought a 30 second advertising slot on CNN and used it to broadcast just a blank screen
hard to regulate a product that has a global audience

Adbusters once tried to but TV advertising space on Canadian TV for some spoof adverts and for messages about the evils of TV but the TV channels refused to sell them advertising slots
Adbusters complained they were being censored
the ideologies of the company means that the magazine and their website often feature extreme or graphic content
the print magazine can be censored (e.g it is banned in certain shops in Canada) in a way that their online content cannot
this highlights the lack of regulation online

James H Media Studies