Our buddies Researcher and TextURL have both noticed the strange story of the Louis Vuitton markings on Yale schoolyard.

Lawmeme posted: "Yale's Louis Vuitton® Sidewalk" april 26, with images of the drawn on sidewalks. The poster Rebecca Bolin asked students who were doodling on the pavement what it was all about and got the reply: "to raise awareness".

Raise awareness? What a great buzzword for guerilla advertising. These students were raising awareness of a brand that has continually skyrocketing profits, and for free! Brilliant plan, Louis; I have to give you that. The Yale group's creative plan was to have Vuitton manufacture (quite nice) custom stencils so they could paint the most prominent public area at this non-profit institution with the Louis Vuitton® print.
Me: Why are y'all painting this?
Student 3: We're raising awareness of this issue. (I assume by issue, this student meant trademark or brand.)
Me: (skeptically) So this is an ad?
Student 3: Well, I guess you could think of it as that.
Me: (nicely) So Yale approved it?
Student 3: It's just chalk.
Wrong answer. A billboard made of chalk is still a billboard. I guess the folks at Vuitton think you can write anything you want, wherever you want, as long as it is chalk. They must have missed Part K of the Student Organization Regulations.

Well hell, if guerilla advertising can sneak past Yale lawstudents without them raising as much as an eyebrow, guerilla advertisers have it made. Dean Trachtenburg in fact did not authorize this advertising display, it's the new gold rush people, dupe students into stencilling for you. Amen.