| Chapter 2: | Marketplace Advocacy in Action |
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among those people who had lived in Texas for less than 3 years, the Foundation for Energy Education was created “to improve public attitudes on energy issues, enable better legislation and provide energy education to school children in the classroom” (Percival, 2009).
The Foundation for Energy Education has launched advertising campaigns targeting different media markets throughout Texas. The foundation’s fall 2008 Panhandle campaign, which included radio and newspaper advertising in 26 counties and the city of Amarillo, emphasized themes such as job creation and the industry’s tax contributions to local governments and education. In one full-color print ad, the headline touts Texas as the “Nation’s Energy Leader.” The body of the ad reads:
In spring 2009, the foundation expanded its advertising efforts to target Abilene, San Angelo, and 19 counties in the west-central region of the state. The campaign highlighted similar themes as the Panhandle campaign (i.e., industry tax contributions and jobs) but also promoted the benefits of natural gas usage to consumers and the economy. Other advertising messages in print and radio advertising discussed Texas’s role in meeting the nation’s energy demands, the need to expand domestic oil and gas production, and the environmental and economic impacts of importing significant amounts of foreign oil. A full-color print ad that ran in the west-central Texas area features photographs of oceanic oil tankers and identifies “Imported Oil & Oil Tankers” as “A Double Whammy to America’s Economy and Environment.” Subheadings explain, “Imported oil is bad for America. It’s a drain on America’s