Media

McPherson, Kan. — After years of playing defense, the oil and natural gas industry is going on offense.

J.L. White, director of communications for Kansas Strong - the Kansas Oil and Natural Gas Resource Fund, said since research and public education began in 2009, public perception of the oil and natural gas industry has improved 49 percent among Kansans.

That’s a significant boost for an industry that has been plagued by natural disasters, ballooning executive profits and a poor public image.

Incidents like the BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico make everyone in the industry, “guilty by association,” White said.

The organization has put much of its efforts targeting women, White said, and through the use of social media has also tried to hit teens and 20-somethings.

“We’re opening up the demographics we’re targeting,” White said.

The industry, like others, suffered from years of letting others tell its story. Through television ads and other forms of advertising, it’s reminding consumers that not only it’s their vehicles but thousands of everyday, household items are products of either oil or natural gas.

White and others with Kansas Strong have also worked to remind people of the industry’s positive impact on the state including employment - it is the second-largest industry in the state - and tax revenues, which amount to billions each year for the state.

“What we’re really fighting is a lack of understanding of the significance of the industry,” White said. “People just don’t understand the reality of what we do and how important the industry is.”

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