Subtlety is a strategy that rarely works in the world of banking—and HSBC just demonstrated why, with a deft, sculptural take. The international bank launched a dramatic die-cut billboard in Dubai, to tout its high-octane HSBC Live+ credit card and its offerings. This creative concept campaign is suspended high over a major city bridge, and it's made to be experienced, not merely viewed. This is a follow-up to HSBC's previous campaign (it highlighted elevating the banking experience), but this one makes its point about succinctness—literally, and the bank’s Live+ credit card. What distinguishes the new installation is its cut-out format, breaking through the bridge billboard medium to introduce dimension and visual excitement into an otherwise flat and text-oriented environment. The design artfully incorporates a massive red cut-out in the shape of the Live+ logo, suspended between two billboard arms like suspended sculpture. The bare-bones ad copy—emphasizing the lifestyle-focused Live+ credit card—lets the cut-out shape do the talking. This card offers “cash back up to 6%”. It's high-end, it's simple, and it doesn't yell. It just gets noticed. Geographically, the campaign couldn’t have been better positioned. The bridge lies at the heart of Dubai’s traffic flow, targeting commuters in high-traffic zones where long exposure meets high-value viewers. In a city where the skyline itself competes for attention, this billboard’s use of negative space ironically gives it more presence. It’s proof that smart media buying, paired with bolder fabrication choices, can make a banking product feel like a lifestyle brand. In a sea of digital screens and glossy backlights, HSBC’s die-cut moment is a reminder that physical advertising still has the power to innovate, even in one of the world’s most media-saturated cities. The die-cut campaign struck Dubai’s bridge billboards in the third week of April.
