BP Reputation Tarred By Oil Spill Disaster
Words of the Day
“There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do, I’d like my life back.” – BP CEO Tony Hayward
Oil Giant Can’t Plug Spewing Bad PR
BP just can’t plug the negative publicity.
No matter how hard the petroleum tycoon tries to stop the hemorrhaging oil pipeline 5,000 feet below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico – it just can’t make it stop. And its negative reputation continues to sink to new lows. As the worst oil spill in U.S. history continues to march on the Gulf Coast beaches – it is getting another black eye from resorts dotting the entire coastline just in time for the summer vacation season.
For the longest time, it seemed that the oil giant was handcuffed by the disaster – and communications failed on many fronts including efforts from the corporate giant, the government and the many agencies tackling the disaster.
Now, it is hitting the airwaves, newspapers and magazines with ads of apology, disaster strategy and promises to make everything right. But not a whole lot is going right.
Government Reeling
The government – and the Obama administration – is not doing much better.
According to an Associated Press-GfK poll, Americans have become just as dissatisfied with President Barack Obama’s work on the Gulf oil spill as they were with his predecessor’s handling of Hurricane Katrina.
Most are angry about the government’s slow response, the poll finds, with 54 percent saying they had strong feelings about the bureaucracy’s reaction. Many doubt that Washington could really help them if they were a disaster victim.
The survey found that 52 percent don’t approve of Obama’s handling of the spill, a significant increase from last month when a big chunk of Americans withheld judgment. A stunning 83 percent disapprove of BP’s performance in the aftermath of the explosion that set off the spill.
The President took to the airwaves Tuesday night to try to change the perception of his handling of the BP oil disaster, which has gushed out of control for nearly two months. “We will fight this spill with everything we’ve got, for as long as it takes,” Obama said in the 17-minute Oval Office address after returning from his fourth Gulf Coast visit.
After meeting with BP officials, President Obama today announced that the oil giant will set aside $20 billion for an escrow fund to pay compensation to victims of the oil spill.
Band-Aid On A Gusher
For now, BP has a temporary fix … a cap placed over the spewing plume initially collected a portion of the oil spewing out at an estimated rate of about half-million to a million gallons a day, according to officials. Currently, it is trapping about 630,000 gallons – or 15,000 barrels – of oil a day. In the meantime, latest estimates peg the daily oil hemorrhage at as much as 60,000 barrels a day. But the long-term solution – a relief well to take the place of the existing one will not be in place until the fall, well past summer vacation season.
Just in time for summer, tiny tar balls are washing up on pristine beaches like Fort Walton Beach, Fla. and other shores along the Gulf Coast. Images of gunk-covered pelicans, seagulls and other marine animals – dark brown save for the ominous, piercing eyes beckoning for help have gone viral, and are seared into the foreboding conscience, and forever associated with this crazy disaster.
For that — and the apparent lack of a short-term solution – BP and the Obama administration can expect continued tarring of their images and erosion of their reputations.
Golden Mic
Each week, Wordsmith will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t. Stay tuned … and step-up to the mic!
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