The Social Media Effect

/in /by
Graffiti has been around for centuries, serving as a form of expression for artists and activists alike. However, the rise of social media has brought about a new era in graffiti culture, leading to some negative consequences. In this blog post, we will explore how social media has caused an increase in graffiti, negatively impacted commercial and residential properties, and influenced young people to engage in this art form.
 
Social media has undoubtedly contributed to the rise in graffiti. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter provide a global audience for graffiti artists, making it easier for them to share their work and gain recognition. With the advent of digital photography, artists can capture and share their graffiti creations in seconds, reaching a wider audience than ever before. This has led to an increase in the number of graffiti artists and a surge in the popularity of graffiti culture.
 
However, this increase in graffiti has also had a negative impact on commercial and residential properties. There are hefty fines associated with the graffiti if the tags are not removed in a timely fashion. This not only causes financial strain but can also negatively impact the appearance and reputation of their property. Moreover, the frequency and extent of graffiti can also deter potential customers, leading to a decrease in sales for businesses.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the impact of social media on graffiti culture. With lockdowns and social distancing measures in place, many young people turned to graffiti as a form of creative outlet and a way to express their frustration with the pandemic. Social media provided a platform for these individuals to showcase their work and connect with other artists, leading to a surge in graffiti activity during the pandemic.
 
While graffiti can be a powerful form of expression, social media has also negatively influenced young people to engage in this art form. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram glorify graffiti, promoting it as a cool and rebellious activity. This can be particularly enticing for young people who are looking for ways to stand out or make a statement. However, this can lead to an increase in illegal graffiti and vandalism, resulting in negative consequences for both individuals and the community as a whole.
 
 

The 10 Tips For Maintaining A Graffiti Free Building

/in /by
  1. Mural Installation: Murals are a great way to beautify your property or asset while deterring taggers. Additionally, if you have our Graffiti Removal Technicians apply our GP2000 anti-graffiti coating, you can be sure that the art will be protected from the elements as well as any potential tags. Our ant-graffiti coating eases the removal process while protecting the art underneath leaving the mural and substrate untouched.
  2. Hire A Qualified Contractor: Save yourself the time and money by hiring a qualified contractor. Failed attempts at graffiti removal can often times set the tag further into the substrate resulting in a more difficult removal for Graffiti Removal Technicians which in turn will be a more costly process to completely remove the graffiti.
  3. Go Green: At Goodbye Graffiti we have integrated a green model into our every day practices. We choose to reduce our carbon footprint by using low-impact vehicles, green graffiti removal products, paperless operations and safely remove of waste water. By using our green graffiti removal products, we can ensure we preserve the substrate during our removals. 
  4. Use Preventative Measures: Whether it be coating your building or mural with our GP2000, wrapping your assets with GraffWrap, or enrolling in a maintenance program, you are deterring taggers from using your property as their canvas. 
  5. Timely Removal: Graffiti tends to attract more graffiti. Taggers want their tags to be seen and remain on sites that will not remove them. The faster you act to remove graffiti, the more likely taggers will relocate to a space where their tags are unlikely to be removed. 
  6. Report Graffiti: Contact your community leaders to access local resources. By dialling 3-1-1, you are holding government officials responsible for keeping your parks, streets and other community assets clean of graffiti for all to enjoy. 
  7. Use The Ever-Clean Program: Enrol your property or asset in our Ever-Clean maintenance program. Mitigate the occurrences of graffiti by having our Graffiti Removal Technicians patrol your site and remove graffiti on-site for one monthly cost. Save on high impact, high cost removals by taking a proactive approach!
  8. Remove Graffiti Instead Of Painting Where Possible: Our green graffiti removal product line can safely and effectively remove graffiti. Painting over a tag may seem like a temporary solution, however, it ultimately leaves a visually unappealing patch in the short-term and a more costly and time consuming removal in the long-term. 
  9. Eliminate Other Illicit Behaviour From Your Site: A well-maintained site, free of bio-hazards is less likely to attract graffiti. Goodbye Graffiti provides programs that patrol your site for pickup and disposal of needles. 
  10. Support Commissioned Graffiti Art And Mural Projects: Goodbye Graffiti franchises are key sponsors for a number of different street art and mural festivals across the country. Our staff, owners and suppliers dedicate time and resources to support local artists within our communities. Street art projects provide a safe space for artists to express themselves through an authorized channel for displaying their talents.
 

Can Graffiti Affect Your Your Property Value?

/in /by
Graffiti and vandalism can cost more to property owners than the price of removal. Potential buyers and customers may be deterred from entering the property as it may indicate an overall lack of care or maintenance. This may result in a loss of revenue for businesses and less interest from potential buyers. The National Association of Realtors reports that properties with graffiti are estimated to lose 15% of their value and nearly 25% when the graffiti is profane or hateful in nature. Goodbye Graffiti offers free removals of Hate or Racist graffiti. 
 
Incidences of graffiti and vandalism can also affect the aesthetic appeal of a neighbourhood. The presence of graffiti can influence the feeling of safety and security for residents and visitors to the surrounding areas. Graffiti tends to attract more graffiti and has been linked to an increase in crime. Neighbourhoods with higher incidences of crime may result in higher levels of vacancies and an overall threat to residential stability. It is important to have a graffiti maintenance program in place to deter the occurrence of future tags while providing a sense of care and stability for the neighbourhood. 
 
Learn more about the benefits of having a graffiti-free property by contacting your local Goodbye Graffiti and obtain your FREE ESTIMATE!

2022 Year End Wrap Up

/in /by

As we cap off 2022 and Goodbye Graffiti’s 25th year in business, we have so much to look back on and be proud of! After an almost 3 year break, we have returned to in-person events like Buildex Vancouver, BOMA NB PEI and The Buildings Show. Our teams enjoyed connecting and learning from other industry leaders to improve our processes in order to deliver even better services to our clients.

We are proud to be a part of the communities we service and in 2022 we continued to give back through sponsorship and volunteer work. We are glad to be 2022 sponsors for this year’s Annual Real Estate Reception in Toronto and Vancouver Mural Fest.

For this year’s Vancouver Mural Fest, we enjoyed collaborating with community groups and event curators to provide an environment where local artists could showcase their talents through story telling and artwork for neighbourhood residents and community members to enjoy. We continued to work closely with local Toronto artists through the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto program by preparing walls for murals and coating finished projects.

Goodbye Graffiti was thrilled to have our newest Graffiti Removal Technicians from across Canada return to in-person training in Vancouver this year. Led by our Corporate Trainer, Lisa Stoll, our technicians were trained on Goodbye Graffiti policies like; clean instead of paint, The Ever-Clean Program, Effective Products, Water Care, Rag & Container Disposal, Chemical Disposal and our Recycling Program. It was a successful week of bonding and team building for new and existing team members. We look forward to seeing our team grow and wish them all success moving into 2023!

City Of Toronto Cleaning Blitz

/in /by
The City of Toronto is currently under a cleaning blitz! On October 25th, John Tory made an announcement regarding the complaints he has been receiving from the residents of Toronto. He has vowed to take immediate action on a number of requests including graffiti removal on public and private property. 
 
These blitzes taking place over the next few weeks are Mayor John Tory’s promise for “ongoing efforts to address cleanliness of the city and nuts and bolts of frontline service.” 
 
We are proud to work closely with the City of Toronto since 2013 to protect the city’s mural art and remove graffiti. We are excited to be a part of this initiative and look forward to keeping the city graffiti-free!
 
“All of these initiatives are meant to help clean up our city streets and public spaces. This is just the beginning but it is an important start and I hope it sends a message across our public service that a clean Toronto is an absolute priority,” said Tory, in a release.

The Benefits of Coating Your Mural

/in /by

Mural art is a terrific way to beautify your storefront or building to attract tourists and local foot traffic. It is an effective way for contracted artists to tell their story and deliver pieces of history to admirers. The artist can be the start of new conversations and communicate new ideas or old traditions to passersby.

In a fast-paced city, it is a way to slow down pedestrians to appreciate the details of the large artwork. Murals create a sense of community by calling its members to protect and take care of the artist’s story.

Fall is the perfect time to coat your murals to prevent any damage from the elements during the harsh Canadian winters. Chipping and peeling paint can be difficult to repair and can leave the art permanently damaged.

In addition, intentional damage to the mural can be mitigated by prompt and effective graffiti removal. Our anti-graffiti coating eases the removal process and allows the original artwork to remain untouched.

Learn more about the effectiveness of our GP1000/2000 anti-graffiti coating and how it can benefit your mural art by contacting your local GG office.

Vancouver Mural Fest

/in /by
The Vancouver Mural Fest is back and Goodbye Graffiti is proud to be a sponsor for another year! The 11 day celebration is an annual outdoor festival celebrating mural art depicting our diverse communities. The rich culture of our communities is celebrated through art and live performances in neighborhoods across Vancouver. 
 
This year, you can expect to see over 30 new murals created by 46 artists in 8 different neighborhoods! To make sure you don’t miss any of the amazing artwork, VMF is offering mural tours hosted by Vancouver Detours, Curated Tastes, presented by Herschel Supply. 
 
The City Centre Motel will serve as the festival’s live event hub. If you have not had a chance to check out the newly-transformed space, you must visit VMF’s largest mural-to-date! There will be fun for all-ages, food, drinks, entertainment and more! 
 
The events will run weeknights 5:00PM-9:30PM at 2111 Main Street. We hope to see you there!

After 25 years we are now the largest graffiti removal company in the world.

/in /by

Goodbye Graffiti™ Inc. was started in Vancouver, Canada in 1997. We were the first graffiti removal in company in North America. After 25 years we are now the largest graffiti removal company in the world.

Our team includes sales and franchising professionals, marketing professionals, chemists, and Certified Graffiti Technicians. We are committed to employment diversity with respect to all aspects of employment. Goodbye Graffiti™ makes every reasonable effort to ensure that it is a representative employer of women and men, members of visible minority groups, people with disabilities and First Nations at all levels of the organization’s operations.

Over the past 5 years we have built extremely successful partnerships with non-profit organizations dedicated to inclusive hiring. Through our partnerships with Coast Mental Health, Ready, Willing & Able, JobStart, and PossAbilities we have had the privilege of helping many participants with varying disabilities and barriers transition successfully into the workforce by providing necessary support and guidance.

Additionally, Goodbye Graffiti™ participates in community clean-ups, paint-outs and mural programs that help to beautify neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for all its residents. To date, The Goodbye Graffiti™ Group of Companies has donated and raised over $750,000 for charity.

These programs have made an incredibly positive impact on our team and have truly enriched our company culture. We are proud of the work we have done over the past 25 years and look forward to continuing to positively impact the communities we work in beyond the scope of graffiti removal.

Strathcona is Making a Push to Remove Graffiti

/in /by

The volume and size of graffiti has increased and upper elevations of buildings and murals are being targeted more often. In response, Strathcona BIA has recently added additional capacity to their graffiti removal program that will have more timely responses and a more proactive approach when it comes to removing graffiti in the neighborhood! We look forward to allocating additional technicians to patrol the area to minimize the occurrence of graffiti. In our over 20 years of graffiti removal, our teams have learned that graffiti attracts more graffiti. The best way to deter future tags is a quick, prompt removal! Great work Strathcona BIA – we look forward to keeping the BIA graffiti-free!

Employee Spotlight – Amy Moscrop

/in /by
Amy Moscrop has been employed with Goodbye Graffiti Inc since 2005. Amy has worn many hats during her career with GGI, starting as an Administrator 2 for Goodbye Graffiti Vancouver. She witnessed the evolution of our Clickoff system from the time of manually entering service photos to the instant before/after pictures available to our clients today. 
 
After some time as an Administrator 2, Amy was promoted to G-Man of Vancouver, managing the daily operations of the office. She quickly moved on to work with GGI in a franchise support role. The franchise support role is where Amy would spend many years assisting in the growth of our 14 locations across Canada. 
 
We spoke with Amy to ask her “What is your biggest professional accomplishment so far?”

“I think my biggest professional accomplishment is where I have ended up today. After many years, and starting from the bottom I am now running my own business.  I am so proud to be a part of a team (largely women) who are doing it all!  The support I have received to get to this point has been so important. I look forward to seeing where we go together!”

 
Amy, we thank you for your many years of service and cannot wait to see you grow with Goodbye Graffiti Surrey & Burnaby!