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Dear Friends, Have you ever watched a TV commercial, rolled your eyes, and thought, "wow, do they really think I'm that stupid?" Well, Chevron's new "We Agree" campaign is proving to be worthy of more than just eye-rolling. In fact, everyone from major news outlets to PR industry analysts to green bloggers agrees that Chevron's advertising launch has been a major failure, drawing attention to exactly the kinds of issues they hoped to gloss over. Chevron must think we're all stupid! We're very proud to say that we've been instrumental in exposing Chevron's attempt to "greenwash" its image, and played a key role in putting the spotlight back on the company's practices and un-met responsibilities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We've also had incredible help, and the latest comes in the form of a hilarious parody commercial from comedy superstar Will Ferrell's "Funny or Die" video team. One warning: It contains a couple expletives (but don't oil companies make you want to curse sometimes?). The video is featured on a new website we've launched along with Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and corporate crime-fighting pranksters The Yes Men (more on them in a moment). The site, www.ChevronThinksWereStupid.org provides tools so that anyone can join in the fun, designing and uploading your own parodies of Chevron's ads. Next week, we'll kick off a contest for the best parodies with special prizes for the winners. You can already see dozens of brilliant satirical "remixes" of their print ads entered by creative activists and supporters! Watch the video and join the fun! Hey Chevron, who's stupid now?  Our new website and Funny or Die's hilarious spoof are only the latest elements in a counter-campaign that has completely overshadowed Chevron's "We Agree" campaign, which the company launched just last week. Before Chevron's campaign was announced, we worked with RAN to support the Yes Men tricksters in launching a hoax version of Chevron's campaign – with parody ads and press releases that had the company "speaking honestly" about issues its real campaign is designed to co-opt and conceal. Our pre-emptive strike scored major media coverage and had reporters and the public trying to figure out whether Chevron was really owning up to its destructive practices. At the same time, Chevron was scrambling to deal with a multi-million dollar PR campaign that went off the rails before it had left the station. With the launch of their "We Agree" ad campaign, Chevron gave us an opportunity to laugh, and have some fun at Big Oil's expense. More importantly, however, it gave us a chance to use the company's huge profits and major investment in deceptive PR tactics to put the spotlight back on the ongoing human and environmental tragedy in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest. Now, we need your help to keep it going. Help us keep the spotlight on Chevron – join the creative action now! For justice in Ecuador (and an end to stupidity in advertising), 
Han Shan
P.S. In addition to joining in the fun, we hope you'll also spread the word. We've already made a big impact but this latest effort is the kind of thing depends on word-of-mouth and grassroots support. Help spread the word and invite others to join through your social networks (Facebook, Twitter), via email, and around the dinner table!  
P.P.S. Want to know more about Chevron's latest tactics of deception, distraction, and delay in the historic trial over their pollution in Ecuador? Read Amazon Watch's new briefing paper on recent developments in this monumental case. |
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