Posted online today and already with over 2.5 million views, what appears to be a run-of-the-mill glossy ad about Chevron’s corporate stewardship of the earth and contribution to American families — shades of the El Segundo Blue — takes a very dissonant turn.
“We at Chevron believe there is nothing more precious than life,”The voiceover is accompanied by footage of a baby, and other natural wonders. “And the most precious life of all is the dead kind.”Oil is actually organic matter that was once alive and has been subject to extreme pressure for millions upon millions of years.
“Oil that we can refine and sell as gasoline,”You can see photos of a happy young couple pushing each other in a shopping basket. “so that a cool-ass tank can crush a clay hut or an airplane can take a businessman 3,000 miles to have dinner with someone…”
The irony builds until the narrator informs the listener clearly. “Because at the end of the day, we at Chevron don’t give a single F*ck about you, your weird children or your ratty ass dog.”
It concludes with a picture of a beautiful forest, Chevron logo, and the catchphrase. “Chevron: We don’t give a f*ck about you.”
The first advertisement was published in the Ad Age. PostFollow Oscar-winning Oscars on Twitter Don’t Look UpAdam McKay is the filmmaker. It’s also the only video on the newly-created YouTube pageFor his Hyperobject industries.
Deadline reached McKay who isn’t shy about his urgency regarding the climate change issues and offered his honest opinion. “The idea for making this video joking about how Chevron, along with all the other oil companies, are murdering us every day, came from the fact that Chevron and all the other oil companies are murdering us every day.”
McKay posted altered screenshots of Hurricane Ian news coverage, along with chyron headlines to emphasize the connection to the day’s news. “Hurricane Chevron Making Landfall in Florida”And “Fort Myers Resident Witnesses Houses Floating Away as Hurricane Exxon Hammers Florida.”
The spot was written by McKay, voiced by Steven San Miguel, edited by Bruce Herrman and produced by Don’t Look Up co-producer Staci Roberts-Steele — who also played Linda Dicalio in the film — with special thanks to Lost Planet.
Earlier this month, McKay donated $4 million to Climate Emergency Fund and joined its board of directors. The fund was established in 2019 to bridge the gap between climate activism and philanthropy. CEF’s website states that it has supported more than 90 organizations, trained more than 22,000 climate activists and disbursed more than $4M this year. It is a non-endowed fund that relies on donations to raise money. This money it strategically deploys to activist organizations that use disruptive protest and demand incremental change. McKay’s is the largest personal contribution since the fund was founded.