ACTIVISTS in Reading showed altered advertisements as part of action at Reading Climate Festival last weekend.
Members of the Berkshire Subvertisers displayed a number of posters calling for climate action during the festival, showing spoofed versions of existing adverts.
Subvertising is the act of creating parodied or altered version of adverts as a method of subverting the message of the original advert.
The subverted displays called for the reduction of use of fossil fuels and related products, as well as criticising the impact of advertising–especially digital adverts– which they argue perpetuates “wealth for a few, and dissatisfaction and ill-health for everyone else.”
The group is calling for bans on fossil fuel and processed fast food adverts, comparable to those in place for tobacco products.
The activists argue that inspite of the climate emergency, “digital advertisements encouraging people to buy high-carbon products are still flooding our towns and cities.
“Adverts for air travel, fossil fuel companies and low fuel efficiency vehicles such as large SUVs are designed to seep into our subconscious.
“Subvertisers aim to show people how advertising drives consumerism and over-consumption, affecting our health and well-being and fuelling the climate and nature crises.”
Reading Climate Festival, run by Reading Climate Change Partnership sees two weeks of events aimed at exploring solutions to the climate crisis and working towards making the town a net-zero, climate resilient town.
