Shoppers across Reading have said that the messages to protest over consumption and the over-use of detrimental advertising as ‘resonated with them’.

Demonstrators from a Berkshire-wide action group gathered on Reading Broad Street today (29/11) in a silent protest against the use of digital advertising screens which showcase ‘detrimental’ messages.

The screens up and down the town centre were covered in sheets with messages to grab the attention of passers-by.

Bee, a demonstrator from Reading said: “I’m here as part of a group that is protesting over consumption and the way that we are constantly pressured to buy stuff that we can’t afford, that we don’t need and we are saying to people that you are much more than the stuff that you have.

“We have so much pressure constantly from advertisers to buy stuff and it’s not good for our family finances, it’s not good for the planet and the only people that really benefit is the corporations.

“We have a massive problem with plastic pollution and electronic goods in different countries and in landfills here. Why are we doing this? What makes you worth it is spending time with people, not the things you buy.”

What began as a single day of special offers can now last for weeks in the lead up to Black Friday and last until ‘Cyber Monday’.

The competitive nature of Black Friday can lead people to buy items they might not have planned to purchase. Martin Lewis, on the website MoneysavingExpert.com, warns that ‘Black Friday can be addictive’ and ‘it’s not a saving if you weren’t going to buy it anyway’.

17-year-old Aurhaana from Zimbabwe stopped to engage with the demonstrators during her day.

“The signs caught my attention because I’m literally going shopping and the signs are saying that I could get 100 percent off by not shopping, she said.

“I feel like I do tend to buy things that I don’t actually need. I have tonnes of clothes and I never wear them. I always go back and wear the same hoody but I have 20.

“It makes you think, do I actually need these things. I like it.”

Another shopper added: “The message just resonated with me. It felt very anti big corporations and I don’t resonate with that ideology.

“This just makes sense. It’s great that someone else is trying to stop this.”

A interactive board asking people what they would rather see on message boards had many shoppers stopping to engage with the demonstrators. Some answers included community art, countryside photos, climate change awareness and positive affirmations.

The actions in Reading come as part of an internationally coordinated series of creative responses to Black Friday known as the ZAP Games [7]. ZAP (Zone Anti-Publicité, or “anti-advertising zone” in French) began in Brussels in 2020 and has since spread to become an annual event ahead of Black Friday.

Activists target outdoor advertising such as bus stops, billboards and digital screens, repurposing them for artistic purposes. ZAP Games is coordinated by Subvertisers International.