HSBC Advertising Hijacked in Hong Kong Democracy Tussle

By Darren Boey and Richard Frost

HSBC Holdings Plc (5), Europe’s biggest bank, was unwittingly drawn into Hong Kong’s democracy debate after activists hijacked one of the lender’s advertising campaigns to spread their message.
A poster featuring two identical pictures of a young woman holding a yellow umbrella aloft -- one emblazoned with the word “patriot,” the other marked “traitor” -- was at the entrance of a subway station close to the main protest area in the Admiralty district today.
The images underline divisions within Hong Kong, where support for the pro-democracy protesters is mixed with concern by those who say the demonstrations are
hurting the economy or fomented from abroad. The poster, at least one meter (3.3 feet) high and more than two meters wide, mimics HSBC advertisements from a global campaign.
“The more you look at the world, the more you recognize what really matters to people,” the mock advertisement says. It features HSBC’s logo and the slogan “the world’s local bank.”
Gareth Hewett, a spokesman for HSBC in Hong Kong, declined to comment on the advertisement or whether his company had taken any steps to remove the poster.

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HSBC, which has roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai dating to 1865, serves about 52 million customers in 74 countries and territories, according to its website. The lender’s building in Nathan Road, Mong Kok, was closed today as protesters maintained an occupation of part of the street and police watched on.

Photographer: Richard Frost/Bloomberg

The poster, at least one meter (3.3 feet) high and more than two meters wide, mimics... Read More

Admiralty has been the focus of demonstrations which organizers estimate drew as many as 200,000 people at their peak. The student-led activists have blocked off key roads through the district, pitched hundreds of tents, and set up supply depots and stages for speeches.
Umbrellas are a symbol of the pro-democracy protests after demonstrators used them to shield themselves from pepper spray during clashes with the police that began on Sept. 26. The colorful protests have featured banners ranging from fake street signs to political caricatures and a “Lennon Wall” made of Post-it notes.
The protests, triggered by the Chinese government’s decision that candidates for the chief executive election in 2017 be vetted, have blossomed into the biggest challenge to China’s authority over Hong Kong since it regained sovereignty over the city in 1997.