Oil and gas company ExxonMobil has released — and subsequently deleted — what has been described as an “expertly crafted propaganda” against electric vehicles.
The dystopian advert for Mobil Oil, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, shows individuals connected to heavy electric wires which hold them back from carrying around everyday tasks and keeps them attached to their locations on ‘the grid’.
One of the characters breaks off their cables and drives off in a petrol-powered car, with the sentence “disconnecting. Feels a lot like breaking free” appearing on screen.
Although here is no mention of electric vehicles in the ExxonMobil advert, many have associated the heavy cables with electric vehicle chargers.
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Former BBC News science editor David Shukman called out the “expertly crafted propaganda” by the ExxonMobil advert asking, “Which ad agency produced the video? Which marketing consultants provided advice? Which law firm gave it the nod?
“Are they theoretically ‘aligned with the Paris Agreement’ and ‘committed to the transition to Net Zero’?” he added.
Rviain UX director Chris Jacob on the other hand believes the cables act as “act as a powerful metaphor for our society’s existing dependence on oil.
“The people tethered by the wires can be seen as a reflection of how we, as a society, are bound by our reliance on oil,” he added.
Campaigners have been criticising fossil fuel companies for not cutting oil and gas production amid a rising climate crisis.
Sustainability Beat has contacted ExxonMobil for comment.