Creatively Subverting Messages in Posters

Creativity is widely used in advertisements, and is meant to be appreciated by people. However creativity can also be used as a defense. When we walk in the street we are overwhelmed by messages which try to get our attention with any persuasive device at hand. As messages get ever more aggressive, often our basic cognitive defense ‐ trying not to perceive those messages ‐ is not sufficient. One advanced defensive technique is based on transforming the perceived message into something different (for instance irony or hyperbole) from what was originally meant in the message. In this paper we describe an implemented application for smartphones that creatively modifies the linguistic expression in a virtual copy of the poster. The mobile system is inspired by the subvertising practice of countercultural art, and aims at experiencing aesthetic pleasure that relaxes the cognitive tension of the user.