Big Oil's PR Campaign

NH drivers – paying upward of $3.69/gallon at the pump - were delighted to learn that the American Petroleum Institute has begun one of the largest PR campaigns on record to salvage Big Oil’s plummeting reputation. A Madison Avenue-style ad campaign – saturating TV, radio, print and the Internet – will cost an estimated $100 million. It has been crafted to convince apoplectic motorists that the oil industry is not to blame for its bloated profits.

When next we spend $40, 50 or 60 to fill our tanks, citizens can be grateful that our money is cycling back into a publicity campaign to assure us of Big Oil’s innocence. Only the naïve and gullible will buy this pitch, but it’s worth a try – and Big Oil can afford it.