Meet the ‘Banksy of fast food ads’ subverting McDonald’s posters in broad daylight

“I was brought up by hippie parents,” explains our anonymous interviewee. “My dad was in a punk band and they’re people who have never really gone along with authority. Not law breakers, as such, but people who are just a bit ‘two fingers up to that.’”

Their own ‘two fingers’ stance began three years ago, in broad daylight, when they felt a need to take a stand against the messaging all around them.

“Honestly, I was just walking to the shops one day. Back then, it wasn’t even the bus stops. It was this huge billboard on the side of a building. And I just thought, I’m sick of seeing all this McDonald’s and gambling crap everywhere.

“So, I went home, grabbed a pen, came back and scribbled something on it. That was it. But then it snowballed. Someone saw it and said, ‘Have you seen what someone’s done to the McDonald’s ad?’ And they were properly laughing about it. So, I thought, ‘Alright… I’ll do that again.’"

The graffiti artist continued until the entire billboard was removed from the side of the building. McDonald’s has never advertised on that site since.

The next stage was tackling bus stop advertising, but since they are against damaging public property, they needed more of a system in place. So, armed with nothing more than a hex key, they unlocked the casing of a McDonald’s poster at a bus stop, carefully removed it, took it home and gave it a whole new message.

Then, just as quietly, they returned it. Slipped it back into place and walked away, grinning.

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You would assume that this is a middle-of-the-night job, but no, it’s all done in broad daylight. “The comedian and activist Mark Thomas has a take on all these things, which is, wear a high-vis jacket, carry a clipboard and always do things in the middle of the day. The high-vis is a really good way to do things and not be bothered by anybody.”

In one of their most recent works, they’ve taken on the McDonald’s Big Arch burger, changing the line to ‘Big Arse.’ To date, McDonald’s has never contacted them about any of the graffiti. Maybe that will change after this feature.

Part of the reason they do this type of work is rooted in community. “We have no real recourse when it comes to these corporations; we’re completely at their mercy. At first, it felt like a personal thing. But then I started talking to people and I realized they got it. They liked the work.”

The Brandalism community has been a huge inspiration, though not directly involved. In fact, that’s where they first learned how to break into bus stop poster cases and also to just be a bit bolder. “I made a rule to begin with: no swear words on any of the boards. And I have loosened that a little bit, because sometimes, something is so crying out to have a certain word put in it.”

Founded in 2012, Brandalism is a UK-based activist artist collective known for its bold use of “subvertising,” a type of protest art that hijacks public ad space to parody and critique corporate messaging. Its work replaces glossy commercial campaigns with sharp, satirical counterpoints, challenging everything from consumerism to climate inaction. It’s the type of work our interviewee draws inspiration from. “It’s about the slight little changes to a brand to make it really kind of grotesque or hilarious.”

From the advertising world, there has to be more “honesty,” the graffiti artist says. A case they’ve been interested in for some time is the famous ‘McLibel’ lawsuit, which was a legal battle between McDonald’s and two environmental activists, Helen Steel and Dave Morris, in the 90s.

McDonald’s sued Steel and Morris for libel over a pamphlet titled ‘What’s Wrong with McDonald’s?’ The pamphlet accused the company of various unethical practices, including exploiting workers, harming the environment and promoting unhealthy food. The pair had no legal aid and represented themselves in what became the longest trial in British history (lasting over 10 years, including appeals).

“It really showed the difference between what normal people do and the way that capitalism and corporations are just forced upon us without any say. I’m not anti-advertising. I think there’s loads and loads of advertising that is really necessary and useful, but I do get a bit annoyed about the intrusiveness.”

They believe that, often, people don’t realize how much power they have to stand up for what they believe in. “I’m a big fan of direct action. I don’t want to advocate any kind of violence or crime as such, but I do I feel this is a fair way to get at corporations. They can afford to lose a couple of places at some bus stops. I don’t imagine the shareholders are going to be crying into their champagne.”

Having been tagged by some as the ‘Banksy of Fast-Food ads,’ our interviewee is quick to point out the contrasts. “Banksy is the best at what he does. His work is so clever and you have to look at it and figure it out, whereas my stuff... there’s not a great deal of nuance because I don’t want there to be. I want it to be as in your face as possible. People who do public art, I think they are amazing because so much stuff is thrust at us and we have no say over it. So anyone who’s able to take the mickey out of it and subvert it in some way, they’re commendable.”

To date, our interviewee has worked on about 40 posters and plans on more.

Want to see more subversive advertising? The Drum’s Chip Shop Awards are open for entry, with a deadline of September 5. Students can submit work for free.