DC Journal

A new Chevron ad campaign has been hacked by pranksters and a spoof news release and e-mail hoax were released designed to fool readers into believing the spoof ad was the real thing.

The imitations are the handiwork of the Yes Men, who have played pranks mocking major corporations in the past, according to the Washington Post.

The spoof news release carries the headline "Radical Chevron Ad Campaign Highlights Victims," compared with the actual Chevron news release headline, "Chevron Launches New Global Advertising Campaign: 'We Agree,'" reports the NY Times.


The group timed their prank very well, the real Chevron ad campaign was set to be revealed with a news release and accompanying e-mail and the spoof release beat it with both by just hours.

Everything looked quite official, even including quotes from oil company executives, but used phrasing such as: "Oil companies need to get real" and "Oil companies should support the communities they're a part of."  

More details on the elaborate prank.  

The Times reveals that Chevron spokesman Morgan Crinklaw said the company was "taking down the Web sites that purport to be Chevron's."