MIAMI -- The graffiti on bus shelters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties is not the work of vandals.

 

It's actually part of an innovative marketing campaign unveiled Thursday by the Marlins and the Zimmerman Agency that will run until the end of September, and possibly October should Florida again reach the postseason.

 

The team has added a new twist intended to reach out to younger and urban area fans.

 

On the back of bus shelters will be large pictures of Marlins players Mike Lowell, Juan Pierre, Miguel Cabrera and Josh Beckett. As part of the "Go Fish" campaign, these players are shown in action poses. But a different touch has been integrated.

 

Each picture is embellished with stylish graffiti that brings out the personalities of the players. Five local graffiti artists have painted the pictures. In the ad for Pierre, for instance, flames are flying off his side as a reminder that the center fielder is so fast.

 

"I think it's pretty cool," Pierre said. "It amazes me that I'm being posterized."

 

Lowell has seen billboards of himself around town and has stopped his car to take pictures of them with his digital camera.

 

"We've got good graffiti now and it relates to the edgy-young crowd we have now in society," Lowell said.

 

Marlins president of marketing Sean Flynn sees the campaign reflecting a cutting-edge approach to advertising.

 

"This is something we're very excited about," Flynn said. "We're so proud of the initiative and the way it blended a new emerging art. It's actually been around for a while, but it's really the pop trend right now. It's something that has really caught a lot of attention. The boards are up and it's really attracted some positive feedback."

 

Bert Sutcliffe, account director of the Fort Lauderdale-based Zimmerman Agency, said the graffiti-painted pictures are up on 30 bus shelters.

 

"You look around and you see this graffiti everywhere and to be pro-Marlins as opposed to the Cubs or someone else, is a good thing," Sutcliffe said. "People identify with it. We have a second campaign on the inside of the transit shelters that looks like you are sitting inside the dugout. It's part of being part of the community and being one with the community."

 

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

 

Juan Pierre is one of five Marlins players who will appear on the posters done by five local graffiti artists. (Florida Marlins)

 

http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/...s_fla&fext=.jsp

I think it sucks.

I had read about it and I think it is going to work well in Miami because I know as a kid growing up in Miami graffiti was nothing new and you had to paint your exterior walls several times. I remember when they caught the "artists"/criminals they used to take them around and make them paint the walls and bridges they sprayed.

 

This campaign is a very hip and urban approach and really takes the team's personality to the streets. Next time I am in Miami, I hope to see it. Looks cool.

Doesn't really do much for me, but I hope it works well...

I think kids that graffiti, should be thrown in jail for a month and have their faces graffiti'd every day they spend in there.....This just promotes vandalism....whatever, if it brings more people to the park, I'll be happy. But now we have a bunch of kids that don't know how to do anything, but graffiti, thinking their "artists".

It doesn't promote vandlism. Shut up, how the hell does an ad that looks like this promote vandlism?

I personally think it is cool

I like it.

When Cefalo told me about this on thursday before the news i thought it sounded weird but after seeing it, i like it. theyre trying hard to attract new fans.

 

yes i realize what i said in the 1st sentence.

I think kids that graffiti, should be thrown in jail for a month and have their faces graffiti'd every day they spend in there.....This just promotes vandalism....whatever, if it brings more people to the park, I'll be happy. But now we have a bunch of kids that don't know how to do anything, but graffiti, thinking their "artists".

Oh yeah why don't you take a look at Philly. There type of campaign to make graffiti into artwork has cut down tremondously on the graffiti. This could very well help stop graffiti.

I've got to see these on the streets. Anybody seen one yet?

I think it's awesome and it's different.

I've got to see these on the streets. Anybody seen one yet?

I saw a Beckett one but it wasnt in Miami. Is there anywhere that we can see all of them?

it sounds like a cool idea. i'd like to see these in person though.

I've got to see these on the streets. Anybody seen one yet?

I saw a Beckett one but it wasnt in Miami. Is there anywhere that we can see all of them? maybe mike will be nice enough to post the picture he snapped with his digital camera.

I think it looks like crap

 

looks more like a billboard that was sabotaged than art

i saw the mike lowell ad the other day in downtown at a bus stop. i thought it was cool.

I think kids that graffiti, should be thrown in jail for a month and have their faces graffiti'd every day they spend in there.....This just promotes vandalism....whatever, if it brings more people to the park, I'll be happy. But now we have a bunch of kids that don't know how to do anything, but graffiti, thinking their "artists".

haha i think most kids who do grafitti are lame, but theres really nothing wrong with it if youre not dong it on a sketchbook or on your own property.

 

these ads dont promote grafitti or vandalism in any way.

I think kids that graffiti, should be thrown in jail for a month and have their faces graffiti'd every day they spend in there.....This just promotes vandalism....whatever, if it brings more people to the park, I'll be happy. But now we have a bunch of kids that don't know how to do anything, but graffiti, thinking their "artists".

:mad : damn someones a little mean. throwing kids in jail for a month for painting?

Hardly "painting"

I think kids that graffiti, should be thrown in jail for a month and have their faces graffiti'd every day they spend in there.....This just promotes vandalism....whatever, if it brings more people to the park, I'll be happy. But now we have a bunch of kids that don't know how to do anything, but graffiti, thinking their "artists".

:mad : damn someones a little mean. throwing kids in jail for a month for painting? graffiti pisses me off.

 

it looks trashy when the exit signs on I-95 are illegible.

http://www.sportsfeatures.com/PressPoint/show.php?id=9883

 

Here's a list of the bus shelters:

 

Location Area

 

4th Ave East

&

31st St. Hialeah

 

4th Ave East

&

7th St. Hialeah

 

8th Ave

Le Jeune Rd East

&

45th St Hialeah

 

Pines Blvd SS & Hiatus Pembroke Pines

 

Mm 105.8 - Sexton Co & Bayside Keys

 

SR 7 US 441 &

21st St NW Lauderdale Lakes

 

Oakland Park Blvd

& Ter NW Lauderdale Lakes

 

14th

Ave NE & Atlantic Shores Blvd Hallandale

 

Hollywood Blvd

&

38th Ave Hollywood

 

Sheridan St

&

24th Ave Hollywood

 

Atlantic Shores Blvd

&

10th Ave NE Hallandale

 

Sunrise Blvd &

University Dr Plantation

 

Broward Blvd

&

76th Ave Plantation

 

Peters Rd & US 441 Plantation

 

Pines Blvd & University Dr Pembroke Pines

 

Coconut Crk Pkwy & 39th Ave NW Coconut Creek

 

BCC box 1 & Davie Campus Bldg 19 Davie

 

Coconut Crk Pkwy & Lyon Rd Coconut Creek

 

Nova Dr & Davie Rd Davie

 

Location Area

 

Hallandale Bch Blvd & Three Island Blvd Hallandale

 

Biscayne Blvd & NE Port Blvd Miami

 

W. Flagler St. & NW 41st Ave Miami

 

NW 12th Ave & NW 14th St. Miami

 

LeJune Rd & NW 11th St. Miami

 

SW 8th St. & SW 39th Ave Miami

 

NW 22nd Ave & NW 6th St. Miami

 

W. Flagler St. & NW 15th Ave Miami

 

SW 27th Ave & SW 23rd St. Miami

 

SW 12th Ave & SW 8th St. Miami

 

W. Flagler St. & NW 8th Ave Miami

NW 12th Ave & NW 14th St. Miami

 

bingo. i'll go scope it out right now actually.

So whose going to go get us pictures? lol

well i stopped and checked it out on my way to burger king. the sign at that bus stop was a cabrera one. i left my digital camera at PB, so i couldnt take a picture of it, but here's my impression of it:

 

it's basically a blown up, very grainy looking version of a popular cabrera home run pic with "go migue" (it cuts off) printed in the same fashion as the "go juan" above. the canvas looks like it was then graffiti'd on by hand... the graffiti said stuff like "go miguelito!" and "2004" and had some other unintelligible loops of text--it all looked authentic and just like regular city graffiti. a graffiti rocketship, complete with lines of exhaust, was flying off of cabrera's swing.

 

overall i think its a cool concept, but i wasnt particularly blown away by the artwork on this particular sign. then again, graffiti usually isnt enough to blow someone away. the lettering did look authentic...