Oil corporations slickly tap influencers, sparking eco-conscious uproar

Top oil corporations are increasingly utilising social media influencers to advertise their products, a move that has provoked criticism from environmentally conscious followers.

The influencers, typically known for sharing lifestyle content, are now endorsing petrol stations, fuel rewards, and club cards. Instances of such promotions were identified by AFP across India, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States on platforms including Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch. The promoted companies involve major oil players such as BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and TotalEnergies.

A TikTok influencer known as The Petrol Princess, who typically showcases wigs to her 2.7 million followers, invites invites her fans to “Join me to grab some snacks at my family Shell gas station.”

The partnership is appropriately tagged as a “paid partnership” according to the platform’s regulations.

DeSmog, a news site specialising in climate disinformation, reported in a separate investigation that it identified over 100 influencers promoting oil and gas companies, including a Filipina grandmother who usually posts about her family.

Experts suggest that these companies are targeting young audiences on social media in an attempt to bolster their oil and gas-centred business models. This comes at a time when nations are seeking cleaner energy alternatives to curb global warming, primarily caused by burning fossil fuels.

Melissa Aronczyk, a professor of communication and information at Rutgers University, said…

“Many young people are well aware of the urgency of the climate crisis and take a dim view of fossil fuel companies, which are now attempting to build up social capital with these audiences.”

However, not all sponsored posts have been well received. A gamer with 178,000 followers on her @chica Instagram account received negative responses for a recent post showcasing a new Shell-sponsored feature in the video game Fortnite.

One follower said…

“I understand you have to make money, but advertising a fossil fuel company in 2023 ain’t the way.”

Promotional videos for ExxonMobil’s products were found by AFP, including those by a pregnant mother at a gas station utilising the company’s rewards programme, and a wedding-themed influencer. ExxonMobil’s media relations spokesperson, Lauren Kight, stated in an email to AFP that the company, like many others, uses influencers to educate consumers on the full benefits of its fuel rewards program.

A Shell spokesperson, who wished to remain anonymous, informed AFP that Shell uses advertising and social media to promote its low-carbon products but declined to provide examples. They did not comment on the paid partnerships for petrol products.

In a search of Shell renewable fuel-related hashtags, AFP found only a few Instagram posts promoting its electric car-charging application. No responses were received from BP, Chevron, and TotalEnergies regarding their comments.

Duncan Meisel, executive director of Clean Creatives, a campaign to motivate PR and advertising professionals to reject fossil-fuel clients, noted that an influencer ad for fossil fuels was “probably less questionable than one focused on greenwashing” -– where companies overstate their climate efforts. However, he deemed it “more ethically suspect in other ways, because it’s encouraging more use of a product that is actively harming people.”

Meisel and Aronczyk both suggested that the oil companies’ attempts to engage influencers could potentially backfire.

Meisel said…

“Influencers that work with fossil fuel companies should expect their reputation to take a hit. Fossil fuel companies are the world’s biggest polluters, deeply disliked by young people, and for anyone who sees these videos, the unfollow button is never far away.”

None of the influencers mentioned in this story responded to requests to comment.

In other news, a Phuket boat owner faces charges for damaging the environment with an oil leak. Read here to find out what happened!

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