Political spin doctors are the dirtiest part of Australia’s communications industry for the second year running, according to the F-list 2024 by Comms Declare and Clean Creatives.
Clemenger/Omnicom’s GRACosway has the most fossil fuel clients (8) followed by SEC Newgate, Spring Street Advisory and WPP’s Purple, with 6 each.
The most marketed fossil fuel company was Ampol, with 6 agencies in Australia and 5 more in New Zealand where it trades as Z Energy.
Belinda Noble, Founder, Comms Declare said, “The research has found that the halls of power are greased with oil, coal and gas, and public affairs companies with strong links to governments are continuing to do the bidding of our largest climate polluters.
“Climate polluters will insist that they are just maintaining market share or trying to reach net zero. But look at Ampol, one of the biggest marketing spenders, with record petroleum sales that increased 17% since 2022. “
The number of Australian agencies has fallen from 90 to 65 this year, in part because of a more rigorous methodology and shorter time frame of two years used in partnership with US-based Clean Creatives.
The research incorporates over 30 new sources of data to reveal 1,010 contracts between 590 agencies and 332 fossil fuel clients in 70 countries between 2023 and 2024. Of these 1,010 contracts, 692 are new, and 318 have continued from the F-List 2023. A total of 551 contracts haven’t been reported before, making it the most comprehensive report on fossil fuel advertising and PR.
Clean Creatives’ 2024 methodology included searching agency websites, creative portfolios, LinkedIn’s ad library, PRCA and O’Dwyers agency directories, the OpenSecrets lobbying database, and more. To ensure accuracy, each contract uncovered has at least three different sources. For the first time, public affairs firms, production agencies, retail marketing agencies, recruitment agencies, animation studios and OOH agencies have also been included in the total figure.
Duncan Meisel, Executive Director, Clean Creatives said, “This is the most accurate report on the ad and PR agencies working for fossil fuel companies ever produced. We’ve incorporated over 30 new sources of data so that clients, employees, and business partners fully understand the risks of working with fossil fuel agencies. We are experiencing the hottest period in human history, and as extreme weather continues to spread, pressure will only grow on these firms to cut ties with the polluters pushing our planet to the brink.”
Earlier this year, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, asked all governments and businesses to stop advertising the fossil fuel companies he describes as the ‘Godfathers of climate chaos’.
Comms Declare is calling on the agencies and individuals in the comms industry to heed Guterres’s warning, draw the line now, and divest themselves of fossil fuel clients.
F-list lowlights – Australia New Zealand
- Most polluting agency: GRACosway (Omnicom): 8 fossil fuel clients.
- Most polluting marketing agency: Initiative (IPG) 3 fossil fuel clients
- Most self-promoting polluter: Ampol, 6 Australian agencies, 5 NZ agencies
- Agencies representing fossil fuel lobby groups: 8
- Australian agencies new to the list: 6 (BMF, Brookline Advisory, Buck, Nous, Special, Wahoo Advertising)
- Least improved: Crisis & Comms Co: 3 new fossil fuel clients (4 overall)
- Australian agencies with a fossil fuel client in 2023/24: 65
- New Zealand agencies with fossil fuel clients: 14
Key findings from Clean Creatives
- Holding company fossil fuel contracts: WPP (79), Omnicom (74), IPG (50), Publicis (40), Havas (19), Dentsu (18), Edelman (11), Stagwell (7).
- The agencies with the most contracts: Ogilvy (15), McCann Worldgroup (15), FTI Consulting (13), Burson (12), IPG Mediabrands (12), Edelman (11).
- Shell is the fossil fuel company with the most contracts (54), followed by BP (40), TotalEnergies (36), ExxonMobil (33), and Chevron (31). Other oil majors, such as ConocoPhillips (20), Saudi Aramco (19), Petronas, and Equinor (14 each), are also highly represented on the list.
CASE STUDY 1
Of particular note in this year’s list are links between the former Northern Territory government and fossil fuel lobbyists.
Purple (formally Cannings Purple) of WPP employs Dr Paul Vogel as a strategic advisor. Dr Vogel is also the Chairperson of the NT’s Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
Of Purple’s six fossil fuel clients, is Inpex, which has a LNG gas terminal in Darwin, whose environmental operations are overseen by the same EPA.
According to the Environment Centre NT, in 2023 that terminal released eight times the estimated amount of VOC chemicals, the health impacts of which are not being assessed by NT regulators.
The NT’s former Chief Minister, Natasha Fyles, was also referred to Territory’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in late 2023 as it was revealed one of her political advisors, Gerard Richardson, also works at Brookline Advisory whose clients include Tamboran Resources. Tamboran has a major stake in two contentious NT gas projects.
Ms Fyles herself was caught holding undeclared shares in Woodside Petroleum and coal and manganese miner, South 32, ahead of her resignation.
CASE STUDY 2
Victoria just backflipped on a plan to ban gas cooktops in new homes, after a massive joint effort from lobbyists, advertisers and MasterChef.
There were 25 gas contracts with twelve Victorian lobbyists in 2023/24, including five with Spring Street Advisory. Its Managing Director, Ken McAlpine, was previously a Chief of Staff in the ruling Labor government and also sits on the Board of the Clean Energy Council.
Australia’s largest gas heating manufacturer, Seely Australia, ran an ad campaign in marginal seats to try to overturn gas restrictions.
And gas companies, Australian Gas Networks, Jemena and Australian Gas Infrastructure Group, Solstice and ATCO created the ‘Renewable Gas’ brand, which sponsored one of Australia’s most popular TV shows, MasterChef, which is filmed in Victoria. In a business case, pipeline company Australian Gas Networks, discussed options for promoting ‘renewable gas’ across Victoria, including in schools.
