An analysis by Clean Creatives, an advertising industry watchdog organization, has documented unprecedented levels of advertising spending by the fossil fuel sector. The research identified 1,321 active contracts between fossil fuel companies and advertising or public relations agencies during 2026, marking the highest number ever recorded.
The study encompassed 386 fossil fuel companies across 73 countries that engaged 802 advertising and PR agencies to manage their public image and communications strategies. The surge in contracted services coincided with elevated oil and gas prices driven by geopolitical tensions, suggesting that increased industry profits were partially redirected toward reputation management efforts. Omnicom emerged as the advertising firm with the largest portfolio of fossil fuel clients, holding 118 contracts, followed by WPP with 88 and Publicis with 34.
Researchers conducting the nine-month investigation analyzed lobbying disclosures, creative portfolios, and social media activity to map the scope and messaging tactics employed. The analysis revealed distinct regional patterns in advertising themes. In developed markets including the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe, campaigns frequently connected national economic prosperity and energy security directly to fossil fuel industry expansion. In contrast, messaging in the global south typically emphasized family, community ties, and cultural participation, positioning companies as integral to social wellbeing rather than as primary economic drivers.
According to lead researcher Nayantara Dutta, advertising agencies portrayed fossil fuel companies as essential to contemporary lifestyles and national interests. The research noted that messaging frequently invoked economic nationalism and addressed public anxieties regarding energy supply reliability and employment opportunities. Despite many advertising agencies’ public commitments to environmental responsibility and climate action, contractual relationships with the fossil fuel industry remained robust and grew substantially.
A representative of the Advertising Association responded that fossil fuel advertising represents a minor component of overall advertising expenditure in the UK market, and that such campaigns are subject to strict regulatory oversight through the Advertising Standards Authority and industry codes that prohibit misleading claims and require transparency regarding environmental assertions.
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