Five Below could have taken the budget it built in for this ad and given it directly to the artist studio, then effectively backed off. We don’t need heavy corporate hands inserting their influence onto an eight-story mural on one of our city’s busiest streets. We need true partners for Philly artists and public space. Imagine what kind of new iconic mural this artist team could have created with Five Below’s financial support sans the company’s marketing directive. Five Below could have simply been thanked in a press release for its support of the artists, and gotten its company logo placed on the mural’s plaque for all to see, and it would have added something to this city. Unfortunately, it has co-opted our public space for commercial interests: advertising to kids.