“Fake it until you make it” is a common adage in the creative industries but never before has it rang so true as with the spoof ad agency created to satirise the notoriously amoral oil and gas company Saudi Aramco.
Climate collective Glimpse, climate communications lab Utopia Bureau and satirical musician Oli Frost joined forces last month to create a fake agency, Atmospheric, which would pitch for the world’s largest oil and gas company. It’s a concept that represents a striking act of activism and commentary on the advertising industry's role (or perhaps lack thereof) in addressing the very real threat of climate change.
Atmospheric's launch was marked by a billboard advertisement in central London, encapsulating its provocative (and defiantly tongue-in-cheek) stance with the slogan: “The climate is changing. Business shouldn’t have to” and the satirical belief that they offer clients “the social license they need to Keep the Fire Burning.”
Atmospheric is a fake agency that really went the distance to make itself seem genuine. It’s got a website, LinkedIn page, and a fictitious CEO, Jamie Kolkot, (what next a Creativepool account?) but the one thing it doesn’t have is a great deal of respect for McCann, the agency currently preparing to (legitimately) pitch for the Saudi Aramco account. McCann’s relationship with Aramco has been continually contentious due to the oil giant's environmental controversies, including serious allegations of greenwashing.
James Turner, Glimpse's founder, notes the absurdity of advertising agencies pitching for major polluting companies while claiming to uphold meaningful climate change policies. Atmospheric's stance is a satirical mimicry of this practice, with the intention of pitching for Aramco's business alongside agencies like McCann, highlighting the latter's opaque stance on working with polluters. This move is accompanied by an invitation for public contributions of creative ideas, reflecting wider social commentary on the advertising industry's ethical responsibilities.
Of course, public sentiment around agencies actively promoting fossil fuel companies, many of which have benefitted greatly from Putin’s war in Ukraine, is resolutely negative. YouGov research commissioned by Glimpse found that one-third of respondents believe ad agencies should not work with fossil fuel clients full stop, a sentiment that intensifies when comparing fossil fuel companies to tobacco companies.
However, despite Saudi Aramco's significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, its public profile remains relatively low, with only 22% of UK adults aware of the company, compared to higher awareness for other major oil companies like BP, ExxonMobil, and Chevron. This is arguably why Glimpse felt it necessary to shine a less than flattering light on the company and their partners.
As a whole, the campaign, for me, underscores a critical juncture in ad land, where the ethical implications of client selection, particularly in the context of climate change, are being publicly scrutinized more than ever before. The narrative holds a mirror up to the industry, forcing it to confront its role and responsibilities in a world grappling with environmental challenges and those financially benefitting from it. And to that I say, fair play.
