Corporate communications and the free market of ideas
In 1969 and 1970, Mobil Oil Corp. realized that the U.S. was heading into a severe energy crunch; that the press, the Congress, and the general public had little understanding of the economic system of energy companies; and that as a result of the ability of politicians to shift the blame from themselves, the general public had a low opinion of the petroleum industry. Mobil felt that if there was any chance of turning public opinion around, it lay in efforts by individual companies to communicate factual information and informed viewpoints to the public, particularly to opinion leaders. The author describes Mobil's experiences with three major print advertising campaigns to sketch what was done, and why and how it was accomplished to review its problems encountered with the press. He also described the problems encountered with the commercial television networks. In its essay-type advertisements, such subjects were covered as the urgent need for a national energy policy and for economic growth; the virtues of the free market and the folly of most regulation; earnings expressed in terms of rate of return; the need to conserve energy and to develop additional domestic supplies; the need for offshore exploration; the role of private capital investment in economic growth and the essential role of profits in capital information; and the need for balance in environmental considerations. There were two with particularly catchy titles: ''The Unnatural Gas Shortage,'' Man-made in Washington, D.C.; and ''Competition: 43,141 Companies Have a Monopoly on the U.S. Oil Business.'' The lesson learned from attempting to buy television time was that the marketplace of ideas is tightly circumscribed. (MCW)
- Research Organization:
- Mobil Oil Corp., New York
- OSTI ID:
- 7361847
- Journal Information:
- Am. Gas Assoc. Mon.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Gas Assoc. Mon.; (United States) Vol. 58:1; ISSN AGAMA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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CAPITAL
COMMUNICATIONS
CONTINENTAL SHELF
ECONOMIC POLICY
EDUCATION
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY POLICY
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EXPLORATION
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INDUSTRY
INVESTMENT
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
PROFITS
PUBLIC RELATIONS
RADIO EQUIPMENT
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TELEVISION