SAN FRANCISCO: Prior to releasing his Purpose album over a month ago, Canadian singer Justin Bieber promoted it with graffiti sprayed on walls in various cities around the world. Now, officials of San Francisco are having trouble getting rid of the scribblings on the city’s sidewalks which hadn’t come off.

City workers had to be hired at great expense to remove some of the graffiti. In an attempt to find the person responsible for the marketing campaigns, city attorney Dennis Herrera sent a letter to Def Jam Recordings and Universal Music Group, reports aceshowbiz.com.

“This prohibited marketing practice illegally exploits our city’s walkable neighbourhoods and robust tourism; and intentionally creates visual distractions that pose risks to pedestrians on busy rights of way,” Herrera complained. He continued, such a marketing move “irresponsibly tells our youth that like-minded lawlessness and contempt for public property are condoned”.

Bieber’s Purpose came out last month. He also used graffiti to reveal the project’s tracklist. The titles of all songs making it to the album were spray-painted onto the walls in Sydney, London, Stockholm, Paris, Oslo and Berlin. These cities didn’t make a big deal out of it.