San Francisco Not Happy About Justin Bieber's Graffiti Campaign

Street Hassle

JUSTIN BIEBER might not have left his heart in SAN FRANCISCO, but the city's none too happy with his graffiti marketing campaign for his new album, according to several news reports, including the CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. 

City attorney DENNIS HERRERA sent a letter to the pop singer’s record label, DEF JAM RECORDINGS, requesting full cooperation to find and punish those who spray-painted ads that promote his new album, “Purpose.”

The guerrilla marketing campaign has resulted in sidewalk graffiti in various neighborhoods starting earlier this month. The public works department has been responding to a string of complaints about the stenciled ads, which mostly say, "JUSTIN BIEBER Purpose #Nov. 13" in a white, scrawled font, and at least eight photos of the ads were sent as evidence along with the letter to the record label. Desite several rains, the pain had not faded and appears permanent.

“Far more infuriating to the SAN FRANCISCANS I hear from is commercially-sponsored graffiti vandalism,” HERRERA wrote to the record label. "As city attorney, I take the illegal graffiti marketed for Mr. BIEBER’s album seriously, and I will aggressively pursue all available penalties and costs from those responsible for lawless marketing tactics that intend to financially benefit your respective companies.”

DEF JAM faces potential civil litigation from the city, court-ordered injunctions, and fines of up to $2,500 for each violation. HERRERA's spokesman MATT DORSEY, an admitted BIEBER fan, told NBC while standing near one of the ads he didn't know how much the clean-up might cost. "And it sends a message to young people, 'Hey, if JUSTIN BIEBER does this, it's okay for you to do it.'"

In the pastl IBM, NBC UNIVERSAL and video company ZYNGA paid fines of, respectively, $103,000, $100,000 and $45,000.

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