Can Graffiti advertising really work?

I was walking through Manchester today and i thought i would pop into the Northern Quarter and appreciate the Graffiti advertising converse when i saw a man spraying off the paint using a jetwash, i thought it must of been a waste of time and effort to create something so detailed and amazing. This is now making me think can this form of advertising work in the real world, there has to be a way of gettin round this.

How Dissapointing?