Big Issue: give poverty the finger

With 3.8 million vulnerable people in the UK struggling to survive, The Big Issue has launched an innovative membership scheme. Supporters can contribute monthly to social enterprise projects that help those in poverty through upskilling, guidance, and support. The campaign cleverly uses familiar sign-up button iconography - the ubiquitous ‘hand pointer’ finger cursor - and turns it into a ‘middle-finger’ to present the new membership as a colossal movement while inventing a whole new icon for action against poverty. Badges, t-shirts and digital media support the main outdoor campaign with the slogan ‘Give poverty the finger’, reinforcing the message to ‘Turn your anger into action’ by becoming a Big Issue member.

Fearless Union and Cat Wiles led the strategy for this impactful campaign, with partners like The Guardian and National Trust. A new YouGov poll shows 69% of people believe local collaboration is key to solving issues. Over half of 2,000 surveyed Brits think the government is doing too little for local poverty, and 45% say their areas have worsened. The Big Issue also advocates for a ‘Poverty Zero’ law, mandating governments to set targets to reduce poverty.