Remember the first time you saw BP’s “We Apologize for Ruining Pretty Much Everything” commercial? Kind of reminded you of Dominoes’ “We Apologize for Feeding You This Disgusting Crap for Decades and Passing it Off as Food” commercial, didn’t it? Yes, back in the first half of 2010, it was still strange to see a large corporation claim any sort of responsibility for their missteps using advertising. Even BP’s unnerving, condescending style was at least somewhat of a break from the norm.
But now, according to Forbes, oil companies worldwide are now in a competition to be the most responsible, charitable, and forward thinking companies ever. JWT London recently designed a campaign for Shell Oil called “Let’s Go,” underlining the company’s duty to bring liquefied natural gas to Japan and creating low-emission fuel for factories in Brazil. Citgo is continuing to push their “Fueling Good” campaign made by BVK Milwaukee, which highlights the company’s dedication to social-economic development through millions of dollars and volunteer hours.
Finally, Exxon-Mobil is apparently fighting malaria and Chervon and its “Human Energy” campaign will keep our cars fueled and our lights on for the foreseeable future by creating geniuses out of underprivileged children.
So, which oil company would you trust to babysit your kids?