Just Stop Oil: A PR success?

Just Stop Oil has announced it is standing down from direct action, and while some see this as a win for calmer, more constructive climate discourse, others aren’t so sure.

In a new opinion piece for PR Week, Diffusion’s Head of Climate and Cleantech, Peter Jackson, argues that the group’s disruptive tactics may have drawn scorn, but they also did exactly what they were designed to do: spark attention, provoke emotion, and force climate into the national conversation.

The article challenges the assumption that public approval is the end goal of comms, especially in activism. Instead, Jackson suggests, it’s salience that matters. In a media environment driven by emotion and outrage, being talked about, even angrily, can sometimes be more effective than being liked.

If you’re working in climate comms and wondering what comes next, this is essential reading.

Read the full piece at PR Week.

If you’re a comms professional grappling with how to communicate complex or controversial science and technology, and could use some support, we’d love to help, please drop me a line to connect at ivana.farthing[@]diffusionpr.com.