The recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill from the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon rig is a huge environmental disaster not to be joked about, even though David Letterman has already had a crack at it.
Leaving the environmental issues to the side for a second, for BP it is disasters such as these that truly test the capabilities of their Marketing and Communications teams.
To their credit, BP have stepped up and taken responsibility for the environmental consequences of the accident and their response is front and centre on their global website, and also the Australian version of the site.
BP Global Home Page - Gulf of Mexico Response
BP Australia Home Page - Gulf of Mexico Response
Despite this response, I could not forget the impressive marketing campaign that BP Australia ran last year highlighting what they are doing for the environment, with the unforgettable headline “Talk stopped long ago”.
So I thought I would check the microsite again to see if they had updated it to mention how they are dealing with the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
Sadly, it has been forgotten.
BP Talk Stopped Long Ago - No Gulf of Mexico Response
It appears that the Marketing team have left the problem to the Communications team, and not held up their end of the bargain.
Actions speak louder than words, right BP Australia?
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Hey Chris, great post. It’s clear that BP doesn’t want a glossy response, partially to avoid arming its critics. Still, an effort to tone down what’s already been done wouldn’t be a bad idea. Last I checked, they still had their cartoonish carbon footprint calculator on their US site.
Some more on the topic here:
http://mathisworks.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/bps-anti-slick-response/
Thanks Mike, I agree with your post that they are in a tough position as they had tried to position themselves as a “green” company.