Greenpeace hijacks Shell’s brand, creates imposter Twitter account

This article first appeared on commPRO.biz. A scenario recently surfaced that cuts way too close to horrible for most marketers. In June, a video appeared of a Shell Oil launch party gone wrong. The party was to kick off drilling in the Arctic. The video looks very grassroots and incognito, and was widely shared on YouTube. The video even shows a security agent at the private event objecting to the filming, much like you’d expect.

Next, very real-looking press releases appeared to deny Shell’s involvement in the launch party. But the next move upped the game.

An “Arctic Ready” website nearly identical to Shell’s actual site became active. It offered interactive ads about Arctic wildlife and drilling that allowed visitors to add captions.