Chevron Corp. announced a new global advertising campaign this week aimed at showing Chevron as a “real people” corporation, and admitting to abuses that companies usually try to hide.
— source code of «Radical Chevron Ad Campaign Highlights Industry Problems»
The e-mails I received w/ the (fake) press releases titled «Radical Chevron Ad Campaign Highlights Victims» and «STATEMENT: Chevron Deplores Subterfuge, Investigates Options» had raw header data like “Received from:” and IP-ranges like previous Yes Men newsletter e-mails. Only the “Sender:” falsely stated something like “x@chevron-press.com” and “x@chevron-corp.com” which leads (now) to the official “chevron.com” but has a different registrar/registrant information than “chevron.com”.
WHOIS excerpts:
«Radical Chevron Ad Campaign Highlights Victims»
(still online, 20101018.2220)
From: Chevron Media Relations
chevron-press.com
- IP Address: 184.106.131.150
- protected domain
- Protected Domain Services Customer ID: DSR-2798929
- Registrar: Spot Domain LLC
- Created: 2010-10-17
- Expires: 2011-10-17
- Updated: 2010-10-17
- Timestamp: 1287416924.2116 (Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:48:44 GMT)
- IP Address: 184.106.131.150
- protected domain
- Protected Domain Services Customer ID: DSR-2798846
- Registrar: Spot Domain LLC
- Created: 2010-10-16
- Expires: 2011-10-16
- Updated: 2010-10-16
- Timestamp: 1287388186.8559 (Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:49:46 GMT)
«STATEMENT: Chevron Deplores Subterfuge, Investigates Options»
From: Chevron Corp.
chevron-corp.com
- IP Address: 184.106.131.150
- protected domain
- Protected Domain Services Customer ID: DSR-2798845
- Registrar: Spot Domain LLC
- Created: 2010-10-16
- Expires: 2011-10-16
- Updated: 2010-10-16
- Timestamp: 1287420781.4625 (Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:53:01 GMT)
- IP Address: 96.17.15.8
- Registrant: Chevron Corp.
- DNS 146.23.4.135 / 146.23.68.233 / 146.23.196.13 / 146.23.212.13
My conclusion: somehow the Yes Men knew about the upcoming Chevron campaign and started the spoof before Chevron or they (The Yes Men) had the campaign/spoof idea and Chevron reacted very quick w/ a counter-campaign.
Anyway, that stunt was a typical Yes Men guerrilla action.
Update (20101019.0409): It’s getting better. On the page «Chevron Deplores Pre-emptive Spoof Ads, Investigates Options» IP Address: 184.106.131.150
“they” link to Advertising Age’s article «Chevron “We Agree” Advertising Campaign Highlights Concerns With Oil Industry Problems» … little WHOIS: IP Address: 184.106.131.150
but every other link goes right off the spoofs address to the official Advertising Age’s website at IP Address: 205.234.169.36
.
advertisngage.com
(pointing to a FancyIndexing enabled webspace!)
- IP Address: 184.106.131.150
- protected domain
- Protected Domain Services Customer ID: DSR-2798952
- Registrar: Spot Domain LLC
- Created: 2010-10-17
- Expires: 2011-10-17
- Updated: 2010-10-17
- Timestamp: 1287420781.4625 (Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:48:57 GMT)
vs.
- IP Address: 205.234.169.36
- Registrant: Crain Management Services Inc.
- Registrar: Network Solutions, Llc.
- Created: 1995-03-09
- Expires: 2019-03-10
- Updated: 2009-03-31
Two duped companies on one day. Yehaa, Yes Men!
[hat tips to CJ Sveningsson, without his tweet responses I wouldn’t go so far to make this post finally — and to good.is who did a nice recap.]