Posted online today and already viewed over 2.5 million times, what looks like a run-of-the-mill glossy ad about Chevron’s corporate responsibility for the earth and its contribution to American families – shades of the El Segundo Blue – takes a very dissonant turn.
“At Chevron, we believe there is nothing more precious than life,” the voiceover begins, accompanied by sunny shots of a baby and other natural wonders, before continuing, “And the most precious life of all is the dead.” The ad goes on to point out that oil is actually the product of organic matter (once living) that has been under extreme pressure for millions of years.
“Oil that we can refine and sell as gasoline,” it continues, alongside photos of a laughing beautiful young couple, one playfully pushing the other in a shopping cart, “so a horny tank can smash a mud hut or an airplane can one.” Businessman 3,000 miles to have dinner with someone…”
The irony continues to build until the narrator clearly tells the listener, “Because at Chevron, at the end of the day, we don’t give a f*ck about you, your weird kids, or your ratty ass dog.”
It ends with a picture of a beautiful forest, the Chevron logo, and the slogan “Chevron: We Don’t Mad at You.”
Clues to the ad’s origins include that it was the first Posted on Twitter by Oscar winners Don’t look up Filmmaker Adam McKay. It is also the only video on the newly created one YouTube page for its Hyperobject Industries.
Deadline reached out to McKay, who doesn’t shy away from the urgency he places on the issues of climate change, and he offered bluntly, “The idea of doing this video jokes about how Chevron, along with all the other oil companies, is murdering us, everyone Tag came from the fact that Chevron and all the other oil companies are murdering us every day.”
To bring home the connection to the day’s news, McKay also posted slightly altered screenshots of Hurricane Ian coverage with headlines such as “Hurricane Chevron Lands 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 the Climate Emergency Fund and joined its board of directors. The fund was established in 2019 as a bridge between philanthropy and climate activism. According to its website, CEF has funded more than 90 organizations and trained more than 22,000 climate activists and disbursed more than $4 million this year alone. As an unendowed fund, it relies on donors to raise money, which it then strategically channels to activist groups using disruptive protest and calling for transformative, rather than incremental, change. McKay’s is the largest personal contribution since the fund’s inception.