In the face of an impending ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario, the long-time Tory donor turned his back on Theresa May’s government and joined the Liberal Democrats to fight for a second referendum – and he announced his change of allegiance in no uncertain terms.
What was produced?
A black-backed 16.2x2.7m PVC banner in brilliant yellow with the declaration ‘BOLLOCKS TO BREXIT’ in stark black lettering. The banner was installed by Redhill-based PLG Signs on top of Pimlico Plumbers’ south London base, in plain view from the commuter train route to and from Waterloo station – the busiest in the UK.
What did the job entail?
The PVC was printed using a four-colour 5.18m-wide EFI Vutek GS5000r. It was then hemmed and eyeletted before being installed using a scissor lift and scaffold towers to wrap it around a flexface lightbox on Pimlico Plumbers’ rooftop. Black-backed PVC means that the lightbox will not be at risk of lighting up and causing bleed-through on the temporary sign.
What challenges were overcome?
PLG Signs was given only four days from commission to installation, as Pimlico Plumbers had only adopted its slogan a week ahead of the Lib Dem party conference in Brighton and wanted to unveil the new sign on the first day.
Father and son team Peter and Adam Long, along with staff at PLG, developed a rapid release and install mechanism using an elastic shock cord and steel hooks in order to install or remove new banners in an hour, meaning that PLG will be able to respond quickly to any future requests from Pimlico, whose sign-related requirements the firm has fulfilled for more than 20 years.
What was the feedback?
Pimlico Plumbers’ Mullins said: “We’ve always used our roof sign site for commercial messages, and during the run-up to the 2016 referendum, we started using it to make political points. Who wouldn’t? It’s passed by 288,000 passengers every day!
“Peter and Adam at PLG Signs have been making all sorts of banners and signs for us for years, and when we decided to go political they really stepped up to help us get some great and hard-hitting slogans into the consciousness of London commuters.”
