Frequently Asked Questions

1) IS SIDEWALK ADVERTISING LEGAL?

That’s a complicated question. Consider it something of a grey area. WaterStencils™ are almost certainly legal because we’re not putting anything down on the ground, we’re simply removing dirt. We’ve never heard of a law which says you can’t clean the sidewalk. Stencils are probably less legal, because we are, after all, spraying paint onto the sidewalk, albeit a chalk-based, non-permanent spray paint, which fades away over a relatively short period of time. Decals land somewhere in the middle, probably: they are, in effect, merely large vinyl stickers which can easily be removed by anyone, leaving no residue on the spot they were removed from. The bottom line is that we are placing these forms of media without permission from anyone. In addition, every city, state and town has its own regulations and standards regarding this sort of thing, so it’s hard to say what the consequences would be. 

2) WILL MY CLIENT BE FINED?

We’ve been doing this form of advertising for over 25 years and we’ve never had a client get fined for it. That’s not to say that it’s impossible. It could happen in the future, however. Just saying.

3) IS THE STENCIL PAINT PERMANENT?

No. There’s a huge difference between the type of spray paint we use for sidewalk stencils and regular spray paint. For example, our chalk-based paint will typically last a week or two at most, depending on foot traffic (friction) and weather conditions. Regular spray paint, in contrast, could last a year or two. Ginormous difference.

4) WHO IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE?

If the fit hits the shan and a municipality complains, who is legally and financially responsible for the consequences?

Our clients are fully responsible, sorry. We like to sleep at night. It’s a risk you should be willing to take when you deploy this medium. And as we said above in FAQ #2, we’ve never had a client get fined.

5) WHAT IF WE GET COMPLAINTS?

There are generally two types of complaints:

(a) Regular folk don’t like your stencil/decal and complain;

(b) A municipality complains.

In complaint type (a), we do our best to remove the offending application as quickly as possible, say “sorry” and put out the immediate fire. This requires an extra fee.

With complaint type (b), we generally offer the complaining party an apology for stepping on toes and offer to remove all the applications as quickly as possible, and that generally puts out the fire. We’ve gotten most of the bang for our buck by the time we remove all of them anyway, so we’re moderately happy with the outcome either way. This requires an extra fee.

6) CAN WE DO MORE THAN ONE COLOR?

Stencils: one or two color stencils are possible. Two color stencils require a bit of forethought in how they are designed, i.e,, the color areas need to be separate and distinct for it to work properly. Two color stencils are an additional cost. Here’s an example of a 2 color stencil we did for Ben Sherman:

DECALS: Decals are printed in full color with full-color process. 

7) WHAT HAPPENS IF IT’S RAINING OR SNOWING ON THE CAMPAIGN START DATE?

In the event of rain or snow forecasted for your placement date, our execution team will work with you to determine the best alternative start date, either earlier or later than originally planned.

8) CAN YOU GUARANTEE THE EXACT LOCATIONS WE REQUEST?

We will work with you to map out where we deem placement to be possible, in the best locations to reach your target demographic, and you will approve our recommendations, along with plenty of back up/alternate spots, in advance of the campaign start date. Stencils and decals are placed guerrilla-style, so the final locations will depend entirely on the conditions on the ground on the night of placement and as a result, we can't guarantee that any particular spot will be possible. You will be provided with the exact locations the morning after placement is complete.

9) WHAT COLORS ARE POSSIBLE FOR STENCILS?

Sidewalk Decals are printed full color in CMYK.