The Social Media Exploits of Shell
A roundup of the climate conversation across social media this week
Welcome to Climate Monitor, a weekly, data-driven report on the digital strategies polluters and pro-Climate groups are using to shift public opinion and move legislation. Here’s what we found:
Toplines:
Shell is using a suite of social media accounts and hashtags to create fun content and engage with people to improve their reputation – and thus far, it seems to be working
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters is supporting pro-climate candidates ahead of the Commonwealth’s elections this November
Vice shared a deep dive into the toxic pollution that’s coming from the US military’s burn pits in Colfax, Louisiana
A group called Clean Creatives dropped their “F-List” naming and shaming the PR firms that work closely with Big Oil
Digital Advertising Roundup
Facebook + Instagram 👍
For starters, here were the top 25 climate and energy-related advertisers on Facebook and Instagram last week:
The top spenders on digital ads in the climate and energy space last week were the oil giant Shell, the American Chemistry Council (AKA the plastics lobby), and the American Petroleum Institute. This dynamic has persisted for weeks.
A new and notable ad campaign this week comes from the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. They are running ads on Facebook and Instagram across Virginia that support pro-climate candidates (and criticize their opponents) for the Virginia statehouse elections this year.
The Essential Plastics Coalition is also running new video ads on Facebook and Instagram that are primarily targeted at CA and argue for the continued importance of high-value single-use plastics. Check it out here >>>
And finally, while they are not in the top 25 climate and energy ad spenders, another Big Oil giant also spent a fair amount on climate-related ads this week: Chevron is running ads on Facebook and Instagram that are nation-wide with a specific focus on CA and TX. The ads tout Chevron’s Energy in Progress agenda to provide a lower carbon future.
Google & YouTube 🎞️
There were two new and noteworthy climate or energy advertisers archived by Google last week: Maine Affordable Energy ($34,700) is running ads that tell Mainers to vote no on Question 3 (which would establish a non-profit, customer-owned utility company in Maine) on Election Day 2023, and Clean Jobs for Michigan ($8,800) is continuing to run illustrated video ads that ask Michiganders to call their state senators and thank them for promoting green energy.
Snapchat 🤳
There were two new and noteworthy climate or energy advertisers on Snapchat last week: Trout Unlimited thanked President Biden for protecting trout in the Grand Canyon, and Patagonia, in support of Earthjustice, called for a clean and equitable electricity grid.
🔦 Spotlight: The Social Media Exploits of Shell
This past summer, DeSmog revealed that Big Oil giants were paying British influencers to tackle their perception as “bad guys” and get millennials and Gen Z, who largely dislike the use of fossil fuels, to feel more “emotionally attached” to these massive corporations.
It comes as no surprise that Shell was one of the main corporations that used this type of covert marketing strategy. They have been one of the top climate-related digital advertisers for weeks and weeks now. Last week, we covered how they are determined to change their reputation with young people and are using digital ads to do it. It bears noting, however, that it is specifically their reputation they want to change, not their policies – in fact, as of this year, Shell is actually giving up on reducing their fossil fuels output and instead planning to invest billions more into oil and gas production.
But, of course, you would never know that from their social media presence. In addition to working with influencers (who post pro-Shell content directly on their accounts), Shell also has a suite of accounts and hashtags that they use to “emotionally connect” with Americans.
The main account that employs these tactics is @shellstationsus. They regularly post memes and photos of people who have taken a #Shellfie – and they post a ton of content from influencers and micro-influencers. The people they work with range from a mountain biker to a “professional gearhead” to an expert foodie.
Another key account they use is @shell_ecomarathon, which is a STEM-focused account specifically meant to bring students and young people (read: Gen Z) together to build energy-efficient vehicles. The account features posts of young winners and teammates doing the “pass the phone” trend or doing transition-style videos that seem straight off of TikTok.
To be clear: it’s a good thing that Shell is giving opportunities to students and uplifting the voices of creators. But it’s a very bad thing that they are doing it to distract us from the fact that they are actively harming both the planet and communities. Over the past few years in the US alone, Shell caused a massive chemical fire in Texas, exceeded legal limits on volatile gas emissions in Pennsylvania, and, due to their fossil fuel activities, contributed to a record-breaking “heat dome” in Oregon in 2021 that killed 69 people.
And the scary thing is that their “greenwashing” social media exploits seem to be working. Edelman, one of Shell’s PR firms, reported that one of their social media campaigns increased positive attitudes towards Shell by 12%. The lesson is clear: on social media, don’t trust a wolf in an influencer’s clothing.
What’s Trending on Social Media
How are climate and energy issues being discussed by Americans on social media? Every week, we conduct a robust keyword search using CrowdTangle for general terms like “climate change,” “global warming,” “fossil fuels,” and over 40 more specific topics (like “electric vehicles,” “gas stoves” and “pipelines”). Here were the 10 top-performing public posts (by # of interactions) related to climate and energy on Facebook last week:
Last week, over 12,600 public Facebook posts mentioned climate or energy issues, and they earned a cumulative 783,200 interactions.
Vice posted a fascinating (and horrifying) video about the US military’s burn pits in Colfax, Louisiana that is poisoning the water and air and causing residents to develop cancer and other serious conditions. Check it out here >>>
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who has had quite a big news week, also posted a video that performed well on Facebook. She disputed the fact that oil companies are responsible for the wildfires in Colorado and instead blamed environmental groups for allegedly stopping the state government from managing CO’s lands. Check it out >>>
And finally, an account called Donald Trump the Great received over 14,000 interactions on this post (that a lot of people did, in fact, comment YES on).
Here were the top-performing feed posts (excluding Reels and Stories) related to climate and energy on Instagram last week:
Last week, over 6,700 public Instagram feed posts mentioned climate or energy issues, and they earned a cumulative 4.4 million interactions.
The top three climate-related posts on Instagram this past week (in order) came from @wall about the government's recent decision to approve the Thacker Pass Lithium mine in the McDermitt Caldera, @sarcastic_us about calling out AC users, and @natgeo about food security and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
Weekly Reading
Want to go deeper? Here’s a quick roundup of news from the past week at the intersection of climate, digital strategy, and advocacy.
P.S. Are you signed up for Climate Nexus’ daily newsletter, Hot News? It’s a one-stop shop for everything you need to know in the climate and environmental policy space. Subscribe here>>
President Biden has unveiled his American Climate Corps program which is aimed at getting young people involved in the clean energy economy (NPR, 9/20)
Clean Creatives released its “F-List” naming PR companies with fossil fuel clients (DeSmog, 9/19)
What to know about the Climate Week protests in NYC and across the US (Washington Post, 9/18)
Check out this map of US areas that were most affected by climate change this summer (Axios, 9/13)
That’s it for this week! If you enjoyed reading this week’s issue, feel free to forward it to a friend or colleague.
Climate Monitor is a product of the Digital Climate Coalition + FWIW Media. Tips/comments/questions? Email lucy@fwiwmedia.com