SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Large non-electronic adverts have appeared over many years now on buildings in Leeds. Some of the most eye-catching ones have been those covering much of some very tall buildings. Some adverts stay up for quite a while but some only a few days. These are photos that I took of 3 adverts on the same building in Briggate. The ones taken on September 27 and October 18 2018 were very soon changed and I expect that taken on November 12 will soon come down. Somewhere in my collection of photos I have some taken up to many years back of adverts on very tall buildings which I may add in due course. I have though what will only be a very small number of such large adverts that have appeared. The change in adverts over the years might provide an interesting unusual history.

These are 3 older photos of adverts on tall buildings. The first photo was taken from Boar Lane on 6 or 14 July 2002 and shows an Audi Cabriolet advert on the Royal Exchange House (City Square/Boar Lane junction) that was being converted to become the Park Plaza Hotel. The second photo was taken from Boar Lane on 27 July 2002 and shows a Coca Cola advert on the same building as the first photo. The third photo was taken from Millennium Square on 12 November 2005 and shows an iPod advert over the Leeds Mechanics Institute building that was being converted to become the Leeds Museum.

Back in the days when all firms had to have a "Mission Statement" I remember seeing one writ large on the outside of an Insurance Company office (not in Leeds btw) about 10 stories high. My employer at the time printed its own mission statement on small card for every employee to keep in their wallet/purse.

I wonder how we ever managed to do anything at work before mission statements were invented? I'm retired so I don't know whether firms still have mission statements or has some new gimmick become fashionable.?

Mission statements are still arround although "strap lines" have probably overtaken them. "Opening doors, opening minds" is a Leeds based example.

Or in the case of politicians: Self satisfaction in , morality and caring out