An Examination of Corporate Image Advertising in the Oil and Gas Industry

Corporate image advertising is a subset of advertising that focuses on promoting the organization itself, instead of specific products or services. A company can use corporate image advertising as part of its overall effort to manage its corporate reputation. In recent times, the image of oil and gas companies has been negatively affected by various factors such as the highly politicized debate over climate change. While there is evidence of climate change, the extent of change caused by human activity is not clear. Whether caused by human activity or naturally occurring climate cycles, increasing evidence indicates that the impact of climate change will not be significant. This study provides a descriptive analysis of corporate image advertising by four of the largest publicly-held oil and gas firms. The ads featured five different corporate social responsibility themes: operational safety, economic impact, environmental responsibility, philanthropy, and sustainability initiatives. Whatever the conclusion of the climate change political debate, corporate image advertising, which publicizes efforts by oil and gas companies to protect the natural environment, will be helpful to the industry