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Hijacked billboards target HSBC over ‘climate colonialism’
Three billboards in Southville, Eastville and St Werburgh’s have been hijacked as part of nationwide guerilla campaign.
The Brandalism network have covered 250 billboards in 15 UK cities with spoof HSBC adverts, accusing the bank of “climate colonialism”.
They say that HSBC has invested over £67bn in fossil fuels since the Paris Climate accords in 2015 and have bankrolled significant human rights abuses through their fossil fuel investments.
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“Advertising is a key mechanism for big banks to shore up their public image,” says Brandalism’s Tona Merriman.
“HSBC likes to position itself as a friendly high street bank through its marketing, but these artworks tell a much darker tale of human rights abuse facilitated by the bank’s activities.
“Wunderman Thompson, the agency behind HSBC’s brand rehabilitation, even seems to understand their role in obscuring these abuses.
“Their ‘Together We Thrive’ campaign attempted to co-opt local city identities – a classic tool from the advertising playbook of exploiting authentic cultures for commercial gain.”
The ad on North Street, designed by Tona Merriman. Photo: Simon Holliday
The guerilla ads, which criticise the bank’s new ‘net-zero ambition’, artworks were created by 15 different artists.
“The image I created reflects the resistance by local communities in Mozambique against climate colonialism,” says Rudy Loewe, the artist who designed the St Werburgh’s billboard.
“It’s important to remember that as HSBC attempts to brand itself as invested in local communities and ‘heroes’ during this critical moment, in reality they are complicit in the destruction of communities around the world.
“Local communities such as those in Mozambique and many others are fighting against climate colonialism and that is who we should be supporting.”
Rudy’s billboard in St Werburgh’s. Photo: Brandalism
“While the number of people switching to HSBC increased 140 per cent as a result of their ads, did anything really change about the bank and the priorities of its finance?,” asks Tona. “No. So we created a right of reply for the public, here and abroad, to provide a corrective to HSBC’s billboards.”
Main photo: Brandalism
Read more: In photos: brandalism hits Bristol
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