Lord, Hear Our PR

Oil industry turns to PR offensive to diffuse anger over record prices

Posted at 7:35 AM on 17 Jun 2008

Faced with angry consumers incensed at high oil and gasoline prices, oil companies in the U.S. and Europe have turned to well-funded PR campaigns in an attempt to shift their image from profit-hungry oil-mongers to responsible innovators fulfilling their duty as energy providers. ExxonMobil has led the most recent effort to sway the public; on June 1, Exxon released a barrage of TV and print ads, peppering the airwaves and major newspapers with a message of innovation and utility. Meanwhile, car manufacturers have been eager to paint themselves as being equally innovative and oh-so-close to divorcing petroleum altogether. General Motors recently produced a TV ad framed as a "Dear John" letter. The ad begins, "Dear Oil, We've had this great relationship for many years. We think we will both be a lot happier and healthier if we see less of each other." However, in the face of criticism from oil companies, GM execs have said that if they ultimately release the ad, it would likely be framed differently as "Dear gas pump ... "

sources:  The Wall Street Journal (access ain't free), The Detroit News