BP took out a full page ad in the NY Times today.
What I find really funny, I was just making a “I’m sorry we messed up” ad at work for a client. The new tagline was “Whatever it takes to make it right” but the client wanted to take off “make it right” because it sounded like they were unsure if they could make it right or not. The client elaborated, “make it right” sounds like some desperate last attempt to make someone believe you’ll really will fix things. But you can’t trust that statement 100%, sounds like an empty promise.

Chris Gidez, head of U.S. crisis practice at WPP’s Hill & Knowlton and former head of corporate PR at Texaco and Chevron, said until it plugs that hole, it doesn’t matter what the company says or who says it.


“At the end of the day, the best PR and advertising in the world can not compete with that live video stream of that oil coming out of the bottom of the sea,” Mr. Gidez said. “PR, advertising, community affairs, social media and communications is not going to solve the problem.” (via)

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Both Mr. Gidez and Ms. Winters believe BP is going to have a hard time convincing people of anything.


“I’m not sure people believe they are sorry yet given all the foot-in-mouth moments thus far,” Ms. Winters said. “When the [BP] CEO Tony Hayward goes on television and says it’s not BP’s spill, that’s not a message of contrition. … He was quoted as saying he ‘just wanted his life back’ only to apologize several hours later. It’s those missteps that undermine all the other hard work they are engaged in to fix the situation.”


Mr. Gidez said BP can’t begin to think about rebuilding its reputation until it stops the oil leak. (via)

(credit: AdAge)