Fossil fuel advertising contracts reached a record high in 2026

# What happened

A year of extreme weather and geopolitical strain coincided with a surge in commercial work for fossil fuel companies. Clean Creatives, an advertising industry campaign group, compiled a survey showing an all-time high in active contracts between fossil fuel firms and advertising or PR agencies in 2026.

# The scale and method

# Which agencies and companies

Omnicom had the most fossil-fuel-related contracts at 118, followed by WPP with 88 and Publicis with 34. These agency relationships persisted even when companies and some agencies publicly acknowledged climate risk in annual reports.

# How the campaigns framed fossil fuels

• An Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Ramadan ad that linked fuel availability to family gatherings. Clean Creatives described the ad as "unsettling."
• Chevron messaging that positioned the company as part of American life, promoting slogans about energy keeping the country moving and linking its history to progress.
• Equinor posts emphasizing "energy security" as a shared national interest.

# Context driving the communications

Two background pressures shaped 2026 advertising. First, climate breakdown drove visible extremes—Clean Creatives referenced unusual events such as gardeners growing watermelons in Bristol. Second, geopolitical tensions, including an intensifying conflict involving Iran, tightened oil and gas supplies, pushing prices and company profits higher. The report notes fossil fuel firms spent part of that windfall on shaping public image.

# Agency disclosures vs. client work

Lead researcher Nayantara Dutta noted this was the first year agencies broadly acknowledged climate risk in their annual reports. Despite those acknowledgements, business relationships with fossil clients persisted at scale. Clean Creatives argues agencies continued to produce messaging that reframed fossil fuel firms as integral to daily life and economic security.

# Industry response and regulation

Guardian that fossil fuel ads are a small share of UK advertising spend and must follow strict ASA and CAP rules. It highlighted existing regulatory controls requiring non-misleading claims and transparency on environmental assertions. The ASA is active in monitoring and taking action when claims fall short. The industry also referenced Ad Net Zero programs aimed at tools for agencies and advertisers.

# Why this matters now

The report links high levels of fossil-fuel advertising to a moment of climate and energy volatility. Where supply concerns, higher prices and national narratives are prominent, advertising choices shape public perception of the fossil industry's role: as an economic stabilizer, a cultural participant and a provider of security. The survey suggests those narratives increased in 2026 even as agencies publicly accepted climate risks.

# Short takeaway

In 2026 the fossil fuel sector expanded its advertising footprint, using cultural and security framings to influence public views at the same time agencies were publicly acknowledging climate risk. The Clean Creatives survey provides a documented snapshot of those commercial relationships and campaign themes.