The Power of Parody

Climate activists have tried presenting the facts, submitted their petitions and demonstrated in city centres.

Not much has changed.

Creating parody advertisements can be an effective way to critique big oil companies and promote more sustainable behaviours. Here are nine ideas for such parodies:

1. "Every Drop Counts": A faux advertisement that starts with beautiful landscapes, clear blue skies, and children playing, then shifts to images of oil spills, smog, and industrial waste, ending with the tagline, "Every Drop Counts. Stop Using Fossil Fuels."

2. "Driving into the Future": An ad featuring a classic gas-guzzling car driving full speed toward a cliff edge. The tagline reads, "Driving into the Future with Fossil Fuels?" followed by a switch to an electric vehicle smoothly cruising on a green, sustainable road.

3. "Fuels of Yesterday, Problems of Tomorrow": A faux vintage ad for an oil company, with a 1950s-style announcer enthusiastically promoting fossil fuels. The screen suddenly "glitches" to reveal images of climate change impacts, with a modern voiceover saying, "Fuels of yesterday, problems of tomorrow. Choose renewable energy."

4. "Beyond the Pipeline": A parody that shows people trying to use oil pipelines as drinking water pipes, with disastrous, comedic results. Ends with a tagline: "Oil pipelines aren't the solution. Time for a clean energy transition."

5. "Oil - Your Secret Ingredient": An exaggerated cooking show segment with a host adding oil to every dish, making it clearly inedible. The message: "Oil: It doesn't belong everywhere. Especially not in our energy diet."

6. "Dirty Profits": An advertisement that shows executives bathing in pools of oil, laughing while the world burns outside their windows. The tagline reads, "Dirty profits come at a cost. Invest in clean energy."

7. "A Day in the Life": An ad that follows a day in the life of a charismatic, busy oil tycoon, but the scene is periodically interrupted by images of natural disasters and protests. It ends with "A day in the life of Big Oil isn't so shiny. Demand corporate responsibility."

8. "Fossil Fuels Forever": A faux jewelry ad showing a beautifully wrapped box containing a lump of coal or a vial of oil, to the horror of the recipient. The tagline: "Some things aren't meant to last forever. Break up with fossil fuels."

9. "Gas Station Spa": A parody of a luxury spa advertisement, but instead of mud baths and mineral water, it's oil spills and gas pumps. It concludes with the phrase, "You wouldn't bathe in it. Why live in it? It's time to embrace clean energy."