The BP Oil Spill and Crisis Communication
Happy Sunday, and welcome back once again!
There are only two more weeks left of this course, so let’s finish strong!
Crisis Communication
This week, we have discussed crisis communication and reputation management. According to Swetha Armesan, crisis communication is, “the dissemination of information by an organization to address a crisis that impacts customers and/or the organization's reputation” (Aremesan, 2024). Any organization is at risk of a crisis because crises are rarely, if ever, planned. Any organization can experience a crisis at any time, so organizations must be prepared to address the issue to their stakeholders and manage their reputation.
Reputation Management
According to Kent Campbell, reputation management is, “the ongoing process of influencing and shaping the public perception of an individual, company, or brand” (Campbell, 2020). How an organization handles a crisis greatly affects how successful the organization will be moving forward. Will the organization gain respect from its audience or lose its audience’s trust? Organizations must be strategic and intentional with their crisis communication techniques, especially with cancel culture resulting in mass public reactions that can plummet businesses.
How to Handle a PR Crisis Management
A crisis can strike an organization in minutes, so organizations must know how to approach a solution quickly and effectively. According to the article, “11 Steps for PR Crisis Management,” these steps will lead your organization to a solution:
The BP Oil Spill
A crisis that occurred in 2010 had a direct effect on my community. In April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico causing the water to be polluted with oil. Living in a coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico, I distinctly remember seeing the oil washing up on the beaches. Swimming was discouraged and marine life was suffering, causing a massive hit to the economy in the area.
This is how the BP Oil crisis unfolded. On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which was operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank. Nearby boats worked to rescue men in the water before Coast Guard helicopters arrived at the scene, but there were 11 casualties. It was the largest oil spill in the history of marine oil drilling operations with 4 million barrels of oil flowing from the damaged Macondo well over 87 days. The flow of oil finally stopped on July 15, 2010. (“Deepwater Horizon – BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill”, n.d.).
The oil spill caused environmental and economic damage to coastal communities. The oil in the Gulf of Mexico polluted 1,100 miles of shoreline from the states of Texas to Florida. According to Debbie Elliott from NPR, “There were dramatic images of oiled pelicans and dead dolphins. Hundreds of Gulf fishermen out of work because of the pollution became part of the response… The Wildlife Federation has a new report looking at how various Gulf species have recovered in 10 years… Some of the most heavily affected species are deepwater corals, oysters and bottlenose dolphins, which suffered the largest and longest-lasting die-off” (Elliott, 2020). The environmental and economic damage also affected the tourism industry- people were not able to experience beach vacations like they could in the past with the seafood industry at risk and polluted water on the beaches.
The BP Oil Spill & a Crisis Communication Fail
BP obviously did not follow the “11 Steps for PR Crisis Management.” Executives stated that the incident was not their fault, but that of their contractors. Not taking the blame made the company come across as “arrogant and callous” (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.). The article, “Case Study: BP Oil Spill” also states that. “CEO Tony Hayward repeated insensitive comments in public, like this one: ‘There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do. You know, I'd like my life back’... He also suggested that the environmental impact of the spill would be ‘very, very modest’” (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.). To make matters worse, pictures surfaced of Hayward going to a yacht race two days after being interrogated by a US congressional committee (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.). The CEO of BP Oil did not show concern, empathy, regret, or sincerity, and he most definitely did not take the blame. This demonstrates a complete lack of a crisis management approach.
To try and feign care with the hopes of calming an upset audience, BP aired a multimillion-dollar national TV commercial where the BP CEO pledged to make things right by cleaning up every drop of the leaked oil and returning the shoreline to its natural state, (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.).They also bought online ads that would pop up when people searched for information about the oil spill on Google and Yahoo. The money used to create the ads, especially the television commercial, could have been used to restore the shoreline and help those affected by the oil spill.
Overall, the BP oil crisis is a great example of exactly what not to do when faced with a communication crisis. With preparation and strategy, organizations can manage their reputations and show respect to their audiences with sincere, fact-based, action-oriented responses.
Sincerely,
Sofia
“11 steps for PR crisis management.” (2019). Talkwalker. https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/pr-crisis-management
Amaresan, S. (2024, March 19). “10 Crisis Communication Plan Examples (and How to Write Your Own).” Hub Spot. https://blog.hubspot.com/service/crisis-communication-plan#what-is-crisis-communication
Campbell, K. (2021). “What Is Reputation Management?” Reputation X. https://blog.reputationx.com/whats-reputation-management
“Case Study: BP Oil Spill.” (n.d.). The Arthur W. Page Center. Retrieved May 6, 2024, from https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.pagecentertraining.psu.edu/public-relations-ethics/ethics-in-crisis-management/lesson-1-prominent-ethical-issues-in-crisis-situations/case-study-tbd/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1714972364022516&usg=AOvVaw0f0gdlZQiLJ7DGiCg3HEzr
“Deepwater Horizon – BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill | US EPA.” (2019, March 6). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/deepwater-horizon-bp-gulf-mexico-oil-spill#informationElliott, D. (2020, April 20). “The BP Oil Disaster, 10 Years Later.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/20/839138445/the-bp-oil-disaster-10-years-later
There are only two more weeks left of this course, so let’s finish strong!
Crisis Communication
This week, we have discussed crisis communication and reputation management. According to Swetha Armesan, crisis communication is, “the dissemination of information by an organization to address a crisis that impacts customers and/or the organization's reputation” (Aremesan, 2024). Any organization is at risk of a crisis because crises are rarely, if ever, planned. Any organization can experience a crisis at any time, so organizations must be prepared to address the issue to their stakeholders and manage their reputation.
Reputation Management
According to Kent Campbell, reputation management is, “the ongoing process of influencing and shaping the public perception of an individual, company, or brand” (Campbell, 2020). How an organization handles a crisis greatly affects how successful the organization will be moving forward. Will the organization gain respect from its audience or lose its audience’s trust? Organizations must be strategic and intentional with their crisis communication techniques, especially with cancel culture resulting in mass public reactions that can plummet businesses.
How to Handle a PR Crisis Management
A crisis can strike an organization in minutes, so organizations must know how to approach a solution quickly and effectively. According to the article, “11 Steps for PR Crisis Management,” these steps will lead your organization to a solution:
- Prepare for a crisis: having a plan saves time and allows for a slightly easier navigation of the situation.
- Build a crisis response team: assemble a diverse crisis response to team that will allow feedback from individuals with different backgrounds.
- Create your PR crisis management plan: arrange a to-do list, emergency contacts, and draft messages to aid in preparation.
- Create holding statement templates: formulate a statement that will communicate that the organization is looking into the situation, values its audience, and will release more information when available.
- Communication and intelligence analysis: pay attention to social media features such as hashtags and trending topics to catch a crisis early.
- Identify influencers and brand ambassadors: strategically chosen influencers can often influence public opinion in a crisis.
- Get the facts before you speak: work calmly and intentionally, gathering accurate information and communicating facts.
- Accept responsibility and apologize: taking responsibility and apologizing sincerely will increase credibility, trust, and respect for the organization.
- Write your PR crisis messages: using gathered facts, address the problem, offer a way to make it right, and express intention to avoid similar issues in the future.
- Choose your channels of distribution: is it most effective to offer a statement on social media, television, a blog, etc.?
- Post-crisis review: monitor responses, update information, and maintain your organization's integrity.
The BP Oil Spill
A crisis that occurred in 2010 had a direct effect on my community. In April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico causing the water to be polluted with oil. Living in a coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico, I distinctly remember seeing the oil washing up on the beaches. Swimming was discouraged and marine life was suffering, causing a massive hit to the economy in the area.
This is how the BP Oil crisis unfolded. On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which was operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank. Nearby boats worked to rescue men in the water before Coast Guard helicopters arrived at the scene, but there were 11 casualties. It was the largest oil spill in the history of marine oil drilling operations with 4 million barrels of oil flowing from the damaged Macondo well over 87 days. The flow of oil finally stopped on July 15, 2010. (“Deepwater Horizon – BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill”, n.d.).
The oil spill caused environmental and economic damage to coastal communities. The oil in the Gulf of Mexico polluted 1,100 miles of shoreline from the states of Texas to Florida. According to Debbie Elliott from NPR, “There were dramatic images of oiled pelicans and dead dolphins. Hundreds of Gulf fishermen out of work because of the pollution became part of the response… The Wildlife Federation has a new report looking at how various Gulf species have recovered in 10 years… Some of the most heavily affected species are deepwater corals, oysters and bottlenose dolphins, which suffered the largest and longest-lasting die-off” (Elliott, 2020). The environmental and economic damage also affected the tourism industry- people were not able to experience beach vacations like they could in the past with the seafood industry at risk and polluted water on the beaches.
The BP Oil Spill & a Crisis Communication Fail
BP obviously did not follow the “11 Steps for PR Crisis Management.” Executives stated that the incident was not their fault, but that of their contractors. Not taking the blame made the company come across as “arrogant and callous” (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.). The article, “Case Study: BP Oil Spill” also states that. “CEO Tony Hayward repeated insensitive comments in public, like this one: ‘There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do. You know, I'd like my life back’... He also suggested that the environmental impact of the spill would be ‘very, very modest’” (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.). To make matters worse, pictures surfaced of Hayward going to a yacht race two days after being interrogated by a US congressional committee (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.). The CEO of BP Oil did not show concern, empathy, regret, or sincerity, and he most definitely did not take the blame. This demonstrates a complete lack of a crisis management approach.
To try and feign care with the hopes of calming an upset audience, BP aired a multimillion-dollar national TV commercial where the BP CEO pledged to make things right by cleaning up every drop of the leaked oil and returning the shoreline to its natural state, (“Case Study: BP Oil Spill,” n.d.).They also bought online ads that would pop up when people searched for information about the oil spill on Google and Yahoo. The money used to create the ads, especially the television commercial, could have been used to restore the shoreline and help those affected by the oil spill.
Overall, the BP oil crisis is a great example of exactly what not to do when faced with a communication crisis. With preparation and strategy, organizations can manage their reputations and show respect to their audiences with sincere, fact-based, action-oriented responses.
Sincerely,
Sofia
Works Cited
“11 steps for PR crisis management.” (2019). Talkwalker. https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/pr-crisis-management
Amaresan, S. (2024, March 19). “10 Crisis Communication Plan Examples (and How to Write Your Own).” Hub Spot. https://blog.hubspot.com/service/crisis-communication-plan#what-is-crisis-communication
Campbell, K. (2021). “What Is Reputation Management?” Reputation X. https://blog.reputationx.com/whats-reputation-management
“Case Study: BP Oil Spill.” (n.d.). The Arthur W. Page Center. Retrieved May 6, 2024, from https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.pagecentertraining.psu.edu/public-relations-ethics/ethics-in-crisis-management/lesson-1-prominent-ethical-issues-in-crisis-situations/case-study-tbd/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1714972364022516&usg=AOvVaw0f0gdlZQiLJ7DGiCg3HEzr
“Deepwater Horizon – BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill | US EPA.” (2019, March 6). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/deepwater-horizon-bp-gulf-mexico-oil-spill#informationElliott, D. (2020, April 20). “The BP Oil Disaster, 10 Years Later.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/20/839138445/the-bp-oil-disaster-10-years-later
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