Saturday, June 05, 2010

A PR Disaster, In BP's Own Words

The Gulf Oil Spill Disaster makes me sick for more reasons than I can explain.  I won't take the time to go into all of that heree, a peek at my Google Buzz or Friendfeed (assuming they're still in business) shows my thoughts and the opinions I share with others about the biggest environmental catastrophe in history.

As a "communications professional", I've been following the way The weasels at BP have been dealing with this mess from a public relations standpoint.  To say the least, their early response was completely unacceptable, and its only improved to lame in my opinion.  Their lack of transparency and practice of downplaying the effects of the spill are simply embarrassing.

Don't take my word for it.  Watch this video featuring the actual words of BP's CEO throughout the first 46 days of this nightmare:

</object><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;">Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy</p>

Some of the best lessons I've learned are about how NOT to do things.  Anyone who does any kind of public relations or brand management needs to learn how NOT to handle a crisis.  I can't think of a better teacher than the fine folks at BP.

Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0