Hijacked Toyota, BMW Billboards Take Aim At Greenwashing By Gas-Guzzlers
Image via Brandalism
Climate activists are pulling all the stops to call upon the end of misleading car advertisements and for governments to ban them.
With the European Motor Show recently opening in Brussels for its 100th anniversary, three protest groups—Brandalism, Subvertisers International, and Extinction Rebellion—have pooled efforts to interject over 400 Toyota and BMW billboards and bus stop posters in Belgium, England, France, and Germany.
The guerilla “subvertisements” accuse the automakers of promoting zero-carbon battery EVs despite simultaneously lobbying to allow combustion cars on the road. The companies’ purported pleas come ahead of a 2030 expiry imposed on gas and diesel vehicles, and a 2035 date for hybrids, in Europe and the UK.
1/ Why have subvertisers targetted @BMW this week? In 2022, the car brand was ranked 16th worst company in the world for anti-climate lobbying. https://t.co/6DsNVyKUhQ
— Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 18, 2023
Art design by @mernywernz
Installation by Brandalism + XR #BrusselsMotorShow #AdBrake #BanFossilAds pic.twitter.com/RIOcAZLGvi
2/ #Toyota attempt to #greenwash their brand through their advertising agency @and_partnership about being "#BeyondZero". In practice, they aggressively lobby against climate legislation in the US, Europe, Japan and Australia #BanFossilAds pic.twitter.com/Pi4MtWH9PT
— Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 16, 2023
One faux BMW creative sports the tagline: “When we test our emissions, the test dummy—is you.”
8/ Across the London tube network, spoof ads for Toyota & BMW mock car firms' advertising tropes of domination, greenwashing & general corp-speak.
— Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 16, 2023
Designs by @darren_cullen, @fokawolf & Lindsay Grime (clockwise), installed by @XRLondon activists. pic.twitter.com/wrpiiFogHS
“Despite emphasizing their Electric Vehicle (EV) range, both manufacturers are still heavily invested in selling polluting combustion engine vehicles. In 2021, just 0.2% of cars sold by Toyota were EVs,” Brandalism asserts.
Tona Merriman, a spokesperson for the climate movement, claims that the carmakers’ manufacturing of electric SUVs isn’t that helpful either, as the models are oversized and “clog up urban neighborhoods.”
4/ "Advertising for the end of times". In 2022, UK automotive advertising was responsible for 69 million tonnes of carbon emissions; 20% of the UK's total emissions in 2021 (via @PurposeDisrupt)☠ï¸
— Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 16, 2023
Artwork by Michelle Tylicki. Installation by Brandalism in London. #BanFossilAds pic.twitter.com/eSrIVd0KOC
“Electric SUVs are no solution,” Merriman says. “They’re too big for most parking spaces and their tall bumper size and excessive weight present an increased risk to pedestrians, especially children, involved in road collisions.”
As per the Guardian, Toyota has defended that it has been working to cut down on emissions for decades, and that it intends to reach carbon neutrality in Europe by 2034 and all its global operations by 2050. For now, Toyota says the most realistic solution is to work with a combination of traditional and electric vehicles as significant change takes time.
WATCH: Subvertisers in 14 European cities have hacked 400 corporate ad spaces with parody car adverts. #Toyota, and #BMW are using advertising to greenwash their public image whilst lobbying hard against climate regulations.#BanFossilAds #BeyondZero #BrusselsMotorShow pic.twitter.com/IM2TJue6is
— Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 16, 2023
6/ "Today, Tomorrow, Toyota" ☠ï¸
— Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 16, 2023
Art design by Hogre. Installed in Brussels. pic.twitter.com/YsLQOOi1l5
7/ Car adverts talk green, but push sales of massive SUVs that drive up emissions and clog up urban streets.
— Brandalism (@BrandalismUK) January 16, 2023
PS. @T_Extinguishers we heard you have an answer for those? 🖤
Artworks by Lindsay Grime + FakePlasticNation (L-R) pic.twitter.com/NzJZqZJLJ7
[via Electrek and The Guardian, images via Brandalism]
