Global oil and gas companies are increasingly shifting their public messaging away from climate leadership and toward defending the continued use of fossil fuels, according to a new report analysing industry advertising campaigns.
The report, Toxic Accounts: From Greenwashing to Gaslighting, by climate campaign group Clean Creatives, examined 1,859 marketing and public relations campaigns released between 2020 and 2024 by four of the world’s largest oil companies, Shell, ExxonMobil, BP and Chevron.
The study found that industry messaging has evolved significantly over the past four years, moving from promises of climate leadership to arguments that fossil fuels remain indispensable for economic stability, national security and modern lifestyles.
Researchers analysed advertisements across digital platforms including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn and television, alongside corporate communications such as press releases and executive speeches.
According to the report, oil company narratives evolved through several distinct phases: positioning themselves as climate leaders after the Paris Agreement, emphasising energy security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, promoting a narrative that fossil fuels and emissions reductions can coexist in 2023, and ultimately asserting fossil fuel dependence in 2024.
Eco-Business has reached out to the companies for comment on the findings.
From climate leadership to fossil fuel dependence
In the years following the Paris Agreement, several oil companies pledged to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century and announced investments in renewable energy.
But those ambitions weakened after the industry posted record profits in 2022 amid soaring oil and gas prices. According to the report, many companies subsequently scaled back climate targets and returned their focus to expanding fossil fuel production and boosting shareholder returns.
Campaigns increasingly emphasise themes such as national security, domestic energy production and economic stability, framing oil and gas as essential to a reliable energy system.
At the same time, oil companies are promoting technologies such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, biofuels and natural gas as climate solutions. Critics argue that these technologies risk prolonging dependence on fossil fuels rather than accelerating decarbonisation.
Natural gas in particular is frequently marketed as a “bridge fuel” to renewable energy, despite methane – its main component – being a potent greenhouse gas responsible for roughly 30 per cent of human-caused global warming.
The report also highlights the promotion of renewable diesel, which is often produced from vegetable oils such as soy and palm oil when waste cooking oil supplies are insufficient. Large-scale production could drive deforestation and land-use change, the report’s authors warn.
Shared playbook
Despite differences in branding and messaging, the report finds that major oil companies are following similar communication strategies.
Advertising campaigns for (from top left, clockwise) ExxonMobil global, ExxonMobil in India, Chevron and Shell. Images: ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell
British major BP initially sought to position itself as a climate leader through ambitious net zero pledges, but has gradually scaled back its transition targets while emphasising domestic energy production and energy security in its campaigns.
Chevron has focused on human-centred storytelling, highlighting employees and technological innovation to frame fossil fuel production as enabling economic development and human progress.
ExxonMobil has centred its messaging on technological solutions such as carbon capture and hydrogen, while emphasising the risks of abandoning fossil fuels too quickly.
Meanwhile, Shell has increasingly promoted liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a key component of the future energy system while scaling back some earlier climate commitments.
Across all four companies, the report identifies a growing emphasis on reassuring investors and consumers that fossil fuels will remain central to the global energy system for decades.
Promoting family values in Asia
The analysis found that campaigns for energy companies in Asia focused on more traditional themes such as family values, national pride, affordability and brand loyalty rather than climate leadership or energy security.
Corporate messaging also tended to highlight corporate social responsibility programmes, community development and economic benefits, a strategy described by campaigners as “purpose-washing”.
Advertising campaigns from top left, clockwise, for Shell in Malaysia featuring Remy Ishak in the “Quest for more” campaign, Esso (ExxonMobil) in Singapore, and Caltex (Chevron) Malaysia. Images: Shell, Esso, Caltex
The report noted that Asian oil companies face different political and regulatory pressures compared to their Western counterparts, many of which have been directly targeted by shareholder activism and climate litigation.
Nayantara Dutta, Clean Creatives’ head of research, noted a general shift in communications focus in Asia from energy poverty in 2020 and 2021 to energy security in 2024, which loosely follows the global trend – but at a slower speed.
She said there is a greater cultural acceptance of oil and gas in Asia, and relatively low climate literacy, which has informed how fossil fuel companies communicate.
“In the US and UK, there is urgent climate action which has put pressure on oil and gas companies to adopt a new narrative. Energy security is a global theme that has started to be incorporated in Asia, but most campaigns in the region continue to focus on brand loyalty and Asian values of family and community,” Dutta told Eco-Business.
The Asia-focused ad campaigns studied include the “Esso Cares” campaign in Singapore that portrays liquified natural gas as a cheap solution for lower-income families, the Caltex Unstoppable Star campaign that features a rap challenge in Southeast Asia, and Shell’s Quest for More initiative in Malaysia, which aimed to “go beyond mileage and into the hearts of Malaysian families”.
