REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
- People are paying to spread pro-GameStop messages beyond online forums.
- One person took out a pro-GameStop billboard in New York City’s Times Square.
- After Robinhood temporarily froze GameStop purchases and limited other stocks last week, another paid for a plane to fly a banner mocking Robinhood.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
A billboard in Times Square. A plane flying a banner mocking Robinhood. In the wake of GameStop trading mania and backlash against trading app Robinhood last week, some GameStop traders and Robinhood users are finding creative ways to express their support for GameStop or air their grievances with Robinhood.
Last week, when Robinhood temporarily froze trading of GameStop and limited other stocks, some users began swarming the app with low ratings. Politicians responded by calling for hearings about Robinhood’s trading practices.
But in recent days, people who have been following the saga moved the conversation out of the digital world with physical displays.
A Times Square billboard
On Friday, Twitter user and TPS Engage co-founder Mattei Psatta responded to a Tweet by Elon Musk about short-sellers with a photo of a billboard advertisement in Times Square.
—Matei Psatta (@mateipsatta) January 28, 2021
The text read "$GME GO BRRR," referencing a Reddit meme that describes the sound of money printing rapidly and the stock symbol for GameStop. Psatta share a screenshot of a transaction with Insider showing that he paid $18 for one hour of time on his company's digital billboard. A spokesperson for TPS Engage confirmed the ad and its price to Insider.
"We've planned the same billboard to run today until 2 pm (hope it runs despite the snowstorm)," Psatta continued. He said that there was also a fundraiser in the works to feature a message on the NASDAQ billboard.
Psatta said that he purchased GameStop stock "out of solidarity," and that he recently joined the r/WallStreetBets subreddit. The reason for the advertisement? He said he "wanted to show support and thought the billboard was a good way to do just that."
Plane flies message mocking Robinhood
Across the country, Kaspar Povilanskas, founder of Nowadays Media, chartered a plane to fly a banner around San Francisco, with a special path right outside Robinhood's headquarters.
Videos of the plane show a banner blaring a mocking, anti-Robinhood statement trailing behind it.
—Kaspar (@KasparCMS) January 29, 2021
Povilanskas shared the purchase agreement for the flight, which he chartered through Skywriters, LLC, with Insider. Another Twitter user posted a video of the plane and banner, which flew over the Bay Area last Friday.
—Kaspar (@KasparCMS) January 30, 2021
Insider reported Monday that Robinhood traders would still only be allowed to buy one share of GameStop for now, among other stock-trading restrictions, as the company attempts to raise enough capital to meet federal clearing-house requirements.