Fortnite, TikTok, Twitch: Shell's Strategy To Make Fossil Fuels Appealing To Kids

Multinational oil company Shell PLC SHEL is attempting to connect with young audiences through collaborations with Fortnite, TikTok stars and Amazon.com, Inc.'s AMZN Twitch streamers to promote its fossil fuel products, particularly its "new and improved" premium gasoline, V-Power NiTRO+.

What Happened: Shell created a Fortnite world called "Shell Ultimate Road Trips," where players can explore different areas and occasionally fill up at a Shell gas station using their new fuel.

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According to Media Matters, content creators with millions of followers on various platforms have been enlisted to promote this collaboration.

Media Matters found Shell's campaign received promotional support from six Twitch streamers, collectively amassing more than 5.5 million Twitch followers and generating over 1 million views during sponsored streams.

Additionally, three of these influencers extended their promotion efforts to platforms like Instagram and TikTok, reaching nearly 8 million TikTok followers and 1.2 million Instagram followers.

Beyond Twitch, three other content creators, sponsored by Shell, promoted the campaign across their YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts, boasting a combined audience of 1.5 million Instagram followers, 8.5 million TikTok followers and 11.6 million YouTube subscribers.

Why It Matters: Despite the company's efforts, the campaign seems to be receiving a negative response. Viewers have left negative comments on IGN articles and YouTube videos featuring Shell's Fortnite map, criticizing the partnership with an oil company.

This initiative is part of a broader trend among big oil companies to engage with younger audiences through online influencers and content creators.

But, given growing concerns about climate change among young people, it remains challenging to convince them to support the fossil fuel industry despite such promotional efforts.

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