Because of the upcoming election politicians are trying to influence the way we think. But something I came across recently while waiting for the train reminded me that some corporations also want to influence us.
The enormous HSBC poster I saw tells the reader: “We are not an island. We’re part of something far, far bigger.”
Some have criticised the message as being anti-Brexit, while others have interpreted it as being pro-Brexit. But whichever it is, the question I ask myself is this:
Why should we listen to corporations or trust what they have to say when we know that the copy is not being written by journalists but by copywriters whose job it is to promote the brand?
And this HSBC campaign is not the only example of this phenomenon. Wetherspoons for example are using beer mats and pamphlets to campaign in favour of Brexit. The message is clear: Wetherspoon’s founder Tim Martin wants to leave the EU with or without deal.
The reason behind corporate campaigns like this can be about attracting new customers. This BBC article implies that the HSBC “… part of something far far bigger” campaign might be an attempt to get younger people to join the bank. Whereas in the case of Wetherspoons it’s about Martin using his empire to get his say.
But either way it messes with democracy. The messages we will get from politicians in the run up to the election are at least from people we have voted in. But why should wealthy corporations be allowed to have a platform too – just because they can afford to print enormous posters and, and beer mats by the million?