Droga5 for Marc Ecko – Still Free: the story of an impossible tag

“I wanted to do something culturally significant, I wanted to create a real pop-culture moment. It’s this completely irreverent, over-the-top thing that could really never happen:this five-dollar can of paint putting a pimple on this Goliath”

This is the story of a viral succes that plays on the fine line between reality and fiction. It came from New York fashion designer Marc Ecko.

In a video on his site he was shown creeping up to Air Force One and spray-painting it with the words “Still Free”. When the film was released, several inconsistencies were found in the footage, and it was later revealed that a real plane was not vandalized. Ecko’s company had rented a 747 cargo jet and painted one side of it to look like Air force One.

In a separate video on the same website, Ecko explained that he had tagged the plane in protest against the strict anti-graffiti laws in many American city including New York. In some cases it has been made illegal to carry or purchase wide-tipped markers or spray paint. “No elected official gets to decide what is art and what is trash…” Ecko said. “Since then I’ve learned that there are cities all over this country with laws that restrict kids who want to pursue legal art inspired by graffiti… The President’s highest responsability is to protect our freedom, and the first among those is our right to speech. That’s why I tagged the President’s plane… The President can’t fly around like a rock star, talking about how America is the greatest country in the world, but ignore what makes it great…”

The Video

Case History

Behind the Scene

Advertising Agency: Droga 5
Creative: David Droga, Duncan Marshall, Jeski Takaharo
Production Company: Smuggler NY
Director: Randy Krallman
Year: 2006