One bank, two sides – HSBC’s brand comes under renewed attack

14 Apr 2021

Satirical HSBC posters have again appeared across billboard and bus stop advertising spaces in Britain critiquing HSBC’s heavy financing of fossil fuel projects around the world. Around 100 posters appeared in six (currently undisclosed) English cities. A poster artwork by Darren Cullen reads: “Some crisis are so urgent they require immediate action, like when we froze the bank accounts of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. But for other crisis, like catastrophic global warming, our shareholders require a slower more relaxed…

05 Nov 2020

Dozens of anonymous installation teams in 15 British cities have installed a range of HSBC poster artworks in a ‘right of reply’ to the bank’s recent ad campaign. The artworks highlight the things we don’t see in HSBC’s official adverts: such as the £67 billion worth of investments in fossil fuel projects it has invested since 2016. This includes financing for fracked gas, oil drilling resulting in deforestation and gas extraction projects which has led to community displacement and human…

07.07.2023

Brandalism crews have hijacked advertising spaces in Wimbledon, south London, to protest the tennis tournament’s endorsement of Barclays via a lucrative new sponsorship deal. As the tennis tournament celebrated its dubious “Environment Day”, activists replaced corporate ads on streets surrounding the tournament with satirical artworks stating: “Barclays sponsors Wimbledon and Fossil Fuels”. The spoof ad, by artist Klarissa Katz, shows Barclays shaking hands with death – dressed up as a corporate executive at Shell. Barclays is one of the world’…

In a massive coordinated subvertising action across the UK, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and France, anonymous Brandalism crews hijacked over 500 corporate advertising spaces, replacing adverts with satirical artworks denouncing the role of aviation industry advertising in the climate crisis. Tona Merriman from Brandalism said: “The allure and glamour of high carbon lifestyles such as frequent flying has been purposefully crafted by the advertising industry and shows no signs of relenting – despite one of the hottest summers on…

International week of action against aviation ads:Saturday 10th – Saturday 17th September 2022 Join the Subvertisers International network and Brandalism in September 2022 to stand up against airline and airport advertising, as Europe burns under an unprecedented heatwave and our politicians, corporations and the advertising agencies that hustle for fossil fuels continue to act like nothing is happening. TAKE ACTION From 10th – 17th September 2022, citizens, climate justice groups, activists and artists around Europe will be taking action to call for a…

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One bank, two sides – HSBC’s brand comes under renewed attack

14 Apr 2021

Over 250 statirical HSBC posters appear on UK billboards, bus stops and tube ad spaces

05 Nov 2020