Lisa Hrabluk

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the U.K. has told Exxon Mobil to pull an ad for liquified natural gas (LNG) that calls LNG one of the cleanest fuels in the world. Four people complained to the authority that the claim isn’t true when compared against all forms of energy and the authority agreed. Unsurprisingly, Exxon Mobil is appealing the decision.

The claim that LNG is clean fuel is routinely made by producers and distributors here in North America. It is, when we’re talking about fossil fuels (petroleum and coal), an argument Exxon Mobil made – to no avail – to the authority.

ExxonMobil said the ad was “accurate and truthful”, after the Advertising Standards Authority today upheld four complaints from viewers saying the ad misleadingly implied that liquefied natural gas was environmentally friendly when in fact it caused significant carbon emissions.

The TV campaign featured three employees talking about the energy challenges facing the world today, ending with the message: “ExxonMobil … Taking on the world’s toughest energy challenges.”

Negotiating through the new, environmentally-sensitive, public domain is proving to be very difficult for oil and gas companies. Not that long ago they were the swaggering Alpha males in the room. Now they’re more like the ever-so-uncool guy at work; we’re polite but we don’t really want to hang out with them at the office Christmas party.

To view the ad that the U.K. public watchdog doesn’t want on the air, follow this link, ExxonMobil LNG ad

For the full story in The Guardian — ExxonMobil to contest ban on ad for liquified natural gas