Commuters entering Southwark station in London this week aren’t greeted by airlines, SUVs, or glossy tech brands. Instead, every single ad space has been overtaken by Badvertising, a climate activist group using parody to confront the very industries that dominate public space.
The full “station domination” stunt sits directly opposite Transport for London’s headquarters and coincides with the opening of COP30 in Brazil. Its message to Mayor Sadiq Khan is clear: it’s time to ban fossil-fuel, SUV, and frequent-flight advertising across the entire TfL network.
Why turn Southwark station into a climate protest?
Badvertising — a collaboration between the New Weather Institute, Possible and Adfree Cities — argues that high-carbon advertising is fundamentally incompatible with London’s climate goals. By replacing all commercial ads with subversive parody, the group exposes how public spaces normalize pollution through marketing.
Matt Bonner channels the golden age of cigarette advertising
The takeover was designed by Matt Bonner, best known for the 2018 Trump Baby blimp and the guerrilla project Legally Black. For Southwark, Bonner borrowed the cheerful glamour of vintage cigarette ads — drawing parallels between yesterday’s tobacco propaganda and today’s advertising for cars, flights, and fossil fuels.
From the 1920s to the 1950s, cigarette brands used slogans like “More doctors smoke Camels” to make harmful products seem stylish and healthy. Badvertising argues that fossil-fuel promotion uses the same tactics today.
‘Fossil Ads’: Turning marketing tropes into warnings
The mock brand Fossil Ads transforms familiar car and fuel marketing visuals into bold, propaganda-style posters. The goal: reframe fossil-fuel advertising as a public health issue, just as society once reframed smoking.
“Fossil-fuel promotion is essentially propaganda for something deeply harmful,” Bonner explains. “Just as we banned cigarette ads, we can — and should — do the same for high-carbon advertising.”
What should our public spaces be for?
Beyond satire, the campaign raises a bigger question about design and public space: Should cities be dominated by hyper-consumerist marketing?
Tube stations are among the most ad-saturated spaces in London, and Badvertising’s takeover reveals how deeply marketing shapes public perception. By removing for-profit messaging entirely, Southwark station briefly becomes a place of citizenship instead of consumption.
The campaign runs until November 21, with Badvertising inviting Londoners to contact the Mayor and support a city-wide ban on high-carbon advertising — following the same public-health precedents set by tobacco and junk-food restrictions.
At a time when climate storytelling is becoming a crucial tool for influence, the Southwark takeover shows how OOH can move from reflecting culture to actively resisting harmful narratives.
FAQs about this campaign
What is the Badvertising Southwark station takeover?
A full station domination campaign where every ad space at Southwark station was replaced with anti-fossil-fuel parody ads created by climate group Badvertising.
Why did the takeover coincide with COP30?
To draw attention to London’s continued promotion of high-carbon products and push for a city-wide ban on fossil-fuel, SUV, and frequent-flight advertising.
Who designed the campaign?
Matt Bonner, known for the Trump Baby blimp and Legally Black — both projects known for sharp political satire and culture-jamming tactics.
Why parody cigarette advertising?
Badvertising highlights the historic similarities between tobacco marketing and modern fossil-fuel promotion — both presenting harmful products as glamorous and harmless.
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