PR firms are valued for putting their clients’ interests in the spotlight, not for being in the spotlight themselves. But shining a spotlight is exactly what climate action advocates are aiming for, exposing the major part played by PR firms, ad agencies, and other advisory groups to hinder climate change progress. Edelman’s bad press is part of a growing number of protests , some by the consultancies’ own employees, to pressure these firms into admitting that neutrality is not an option when it comes to representing corporate polluters.

“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Maybe not for global public relations firm Edelman, after a letter signed by 450 climate scientists cycled through news headlines on Jan 19, calling on the public relations and marketing consultancy to drop its fossil fuel clients and discontinue all work that obstructs climate legislation. The letter , which called advertising and PR by fossil fuel companies “a major and needless challenge” to scientific research and government action on the climate crisis, came on the heels of Edelman’s forced portfolio review of clients, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and trade lobby group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. This came after activists tied the PR firm to a campaign for ExxonMobil called Exxchange , making questionable claims about mitigating carbon emissions through a series of Facebook ads .

“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Maybe not for global public relations firm Edelman, after a letter signed by 450 climate scientists cycled through news headlines on Jan 19, calling on the public relations and marketing consultancy to drop its fossil fuel clients and discontinue all work that obstructs climate legislation. The letter, which called advertising and PR by fossil fuel companies “a major and needless challenge” to scientific research and government action on the climate crisis, came on the heels of Edelman’s forced portfolio review of clients, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and trade lobby group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. This came after activists tied the PR firm to a campaign for ExxonMobil called Exxchange, making questio