Oil giant Shell has been targeted in a spat of graphic billboard hacks by activist group Brandalism in London, Manchester and other core UK cities in the run up to Shell’s upcoming AGM in London.
The activists replaced more than 200 commercial adverts on JCDeceaux and Global owned billboards, bus stops and tube carriages with satirical artworks protesting Shell’s efforts to greenwash.
One of the billboards reads “Unliveable Future?” with the Shell logo replaced with the world “hell”, while another by artist Camille Aboudaram sees a dummy include the Shell logo, with the wording “At Shell, we are courting the customers of tomorrow”.
Further artworks from nine artists including Klarissa Katz, Matt Bonner, Darren Cullen and Lindsay Grime call out Shell’s association with fitness influencers and sports influencers.
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It follows on from a series of protests about advertising agency Havas’ association with Shell. Campaign group Clean Creatives have also successfully lobbied for a review of the agency’s status as a B Corp organisation.
Brandalism spokesperson Tona Merriman said: “To quote the tobacco marketers of the 1980s: “The problem is how do you sell death?”. ”
“Shell is on a mission to sell its own lethal legacy, using influencers, greenwash advertising, sports sponsorship and political connections to deflect attention from its growing contribution to climate breakdown, which is reversing decades of progress in health and causing death and destruction worldwide.”
“Shell’s insidious tactics are straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook, enabled by a toxic coterie of advertising and PR agencies who should be helping to kick fossil fuel companies into history, not boosting their brand.”
Featured Image: Artwork by Darren Cullen, credit: Brandalism
