Chevron: Roughly 10% of Americans "hate us and our industry"

According to Helen Clark, Chevron Corp.'s manager of corporate brand and reputation, roughly 10 percent of Americans "hate us and our industry and there's nothing we can do to change their minds." The reason, according to Peter Beutel, president of oil commodities consultant Cameron Hanover, is because most consumers don't understand the industry because they only know about volatile gasoline prices and news reports about big oil's record profits.

Hmmm, if only 10 percent of Americans hate Chevron and "big oil" in general, what about the rest of the population? There are apparently just as many who are on their side, and the other 80 percent are undecided. In other words, they need some persuasion to choose one side or the other. Chevron has the obvious goal of swaying those undecided consumers to see things their way, so they are starting a new advertising campaign today, starting with a TV spot on CBS. Additionally, they have updated their website and created a new game, which is accessible there, called "Energyville". In this game, players can choose what types of energy to give their fictional "Power City", and they can see how each one impacts the city, good and bad. You know, 'cause choosing what types of energy to sell consumers is based solely on what their benefits and drawbacks are... but whose benefits and drawbacks are the primary concern?

[Source: Advertising Age]