Green groups attack Shell’s national press ads

Environmental groups have attacked a national press campaign by Shell as ” ill-timed and “at best cynical and at worse downright dishonest”. Shell, the oil company, today (May 28) launched a series of full-page national ads in today’s Times, Guardian, Independent and Telegraph. The advert reads: “Let’s deliver energy for a changing world,” before covering Shell’s work in cleaning up the air, using biofuels and meeting the energy demand challenge. The ads come in the midst of the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which has battered the company’s rival, BP. The reputation of Shell and Esso has, so far, remained intact on the back of the oil spill. BP’s, on the other hand has plummeted from a high of 18.6 at the end of April to -2.7 in mid-May, according to YouGov BrandIndex data. Says Greenpeace’s senior climate change advisor, Charlie Kronick: “At Shell’s AGM there were waves of satisfaction that they weren’t in BP’s position. BP is taking an almighty kicking, so this is an opportunity for [its rivals like Shell] to look good.” However, Kronick has a number of issues with Shell’s ad, in particular the idea that global energy demand will double, leading to energy being “unlocked” from “hard-to-reach” places like Siberia. “Shell hasn’t got any interest in renewables; they’re still in the dig it up and burn it camp,” he adds. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: USA, UK | Company — Ethical Quote link: Shell, BP | Source: MarketingWeek