Wheatpasting, commonly referred to as Wild Posting or Flyposting, is a high-impact, low-cost guerrilla marketing technique that involves affixing posters to public walls or surfaces using a simple, traditional adhesive: wheatpaste.
Here is a breakdown of the process, from preparation to final deployment, as executed professionally for large-scale campaigns:
Preparation Phase
01. Design & Printing
Design Optimization
The creative team designs the poster to be visually impactful and legible from a distance, following the principles of guerrilla poster design (bold fonts, high contrast, clear hierarchy).
Sizing & Volume
Posters are typically printed in large, standard sizes (e.g., A1, 4-sheet) and in huge volumes to ensure wall saturation and multiple layers of repetition.
Material
Posters are usually printed on blue back paper
02. Adhesion: Making the Wheatpaste
Wheatpaste is the key ingredient. It's an affordable, non-toxic, and effective adhesive that is traditionally made from common household materials.
Ingredients
Flour (or starch), sugar (optional, for extra stickiness), and water.
Preparation
The ingredients are cooked and stirred to create a thick, glue-like slurry. For professional use, pre-made commercial poster adhesive may also be used for consistency and faster preparation.
Consistency
The paste must be thick enough to hold the poster securely but liquid enough to be applied easily with a brush or roller.
03. Site Selection & Compliance
Strategic Scouting
The team identifies high-footfall areas, cultural hotspots, and "legal walls" (privately owned walls designated for public posting) to maximize visibility within the target demographic.
Logistics & Timing
Sticking is typically done overnight or during early morning hours to avoid public disruption and maximize viewing time before potential removal or overlap.
Installation Phase (The Sticking)
The goal is rapid, precise, and high-density application, often managed by a small, agile team.
01. Surface Preparation
The team assesses the surface (concrete, brick, plywood hoarding). While rough surfaces are preferred for an authentic look, they must be reasonably clean of loose dirt or heavily peeling paper to ensure proper adhesion.
02. Applying the First Layer of Paste
A thin, even layer of wheatpaste is applied directly to the wall surface using a large brush or roller, slightly larger than the poster itself. This ensures the edges of the poster will stick.
03. Placing the Poster
The printed poster is carefully laid onto the wet paste. Professional teams minimize air bubbles and wrinkles, starting from the center and smoothing outwards with a dry brush or hands.
04. The Top Layer (Sealing)
This is the critical step that differentiates wheatpasting: a final, generous layer of paste is brushed directly over the entire face of the poster.
The Result: This top layer saturates the paper, seals the edges against weather, and helps protect the poster from immediate damage or being easily peeled off. The saturation also gives the poster that distinctive, slightly wrinkled, and textured "street art" look.
05. Saturation and Repetition
The process is repeated rapidly, with posters often overlapping each other in quick succession. This creates the dense, layered effect known as saturation that commands attention on the wall.
A wall covered in 50 copies of the same poster has a far greater visual impact than a wall with just one.
