AN ADVERTISING campaign has targeted two of the world’s biggest car manufacturers.
A so-called “brandalism” campaign has seen fake advertisements put up in cities and towns across Europe purportedly for Toyota and BMW, including at sites in Reading.
The adverts accuse the manufacturers of using misleading advertisement and criticise their actions on climate change.
Fake adverts seen at bus stops in Reading show a Toyota SUV amongst a classical depiction of people suffering in Hell, and BMW cars emitting fumes amongst test dummies with the slogan “when we test our emissions, the test dummy is you.”
The posters have been put up as part of a Europe-wide, collaborative campaign by Extinction Rebellion, Subvertisers’ International, and Brandalism.
The groups have cited research from InfluenceMap, a climate think tank, which concluded that Toyota is the “10th worst company in the world” for anti-climate lobbying.
This is the worst of any car manufacturer on the list, followed closely by BMW, who ranked 16th overall.
The activists have also criticised both companies’ “slick” advertising for electric vehicles despite just 0.2 percent of cars sold by Toyota in 2021 being EVs.
Tona Merrimen, a spokesperson for Brandalism, said: “Toyota and BMW use slick marketing campaigns to promote over-sized SUV models that clog up urban neighbourhoods.
“Electric SUVs are no solution – 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.”
In response to the campaign, a spokesperson for BMW said: “Sustainability is a central part of the BMW Group’s corporate strategy.
“The BMW Group is firmly committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and we are adopting a scientifically validated and transparent path through the entire value chain.
“BMW was one of the first automotive brands to bring a mainstream electric vehicle to market in 2013 with the BMW i3 and by 2030, at least 50 percent of our global sales will be fully electric.
He continued: “In the short term, the company is taking steps today to reduce the total carbon footprint of our products by 40 percent throughout their lifecycle by 2030 compared with 2019 levels.
“As the first German carmaker to join the ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’ and a member of the UN’s Race to Zero programme, we believe in action and continued dialogue.”
Toyota was contacted for a reply but has not yet responded at time of publication.
The posters have been added to bus stop advertising boards owned by JC DeCaux, though the posters were unauthorised by the company.
A spokesperson for JC DeCaux said: “This is flyposting and not paid-for advertising and our teams will be taking this down.”
