Cut-It-Out Communications: PR and Politics

Public Relations and Oil

As the saying goes, oil and water don’t mix. And they certainly aren’t mixing very well in the Gulf of the Mexico where the oil and gas industry is undergoing a public relations disaster.

As revelations continue to mount about a fast-and-loose attitude towards regulations and environmental laws -- new details came out in The New York Times this morning -- one wonders how oil and gas companies will recover. It didn’t help to hear the head of BP repeating over and over in testimony to Congress that the company would pay for all “legitimate” claims.

This is where you see the fault lines between legal advice and public relations advice. Repeating a buzz word such as “legitimate” ad nauseum is an obvious talking point or legalese developed after much consultation.

This tactic proved to be a disaster when Chris Matthews replayed it in all its variations on Hardball last night. And the public can see through it as a ploy used by an extremely untalented representative of BP.

What’s needed instead is a mea culpa with an overly generous attitude toward those affected by the disaster. With prompt, solicitous care, BP can undo many of the adverse reactions it is experiencing. And in the long run, this can prove more profitable to them. They should look at it as an investment of the billions of dollars in profits they are still racking up.

Public Relations for BP America

At this point, any public relations professionals working for BP America should be hanging their collective heads in the shame. The response to the disaster provides a textbook case of what not to do in an emergency situation.

Here’s some of their biggest mistakes:

1) Minimizing the extent of the tragedy -- It’s always better to plan for the worse and prepare the public for it, too. That way, if things turn out better than planned, you can always walk back from your assessment and look like a conscientious corporate citizen. When you err on the short side, it looks more like a cover-up.

2) Overemphasizing your ability to respond to the situation -- Sometimes, it’s better to ask for help and share the burden during an emergency situation. Then, if any mistakes occur, you won’t be bearing the blame alone. BP America initially said that it was unlikely the oil spill would even reach the shore.

3) Reacting in a slow or sluggish manner -- Whenever a company is responsible for a situation that may pose danger to the general public, and the news coverage starts to increase, they’ve got to shift into overdrive and give the appearance of dropping everything to respond. The BP oil rig disaster seeped into the press slowly, gaining intensity until it was a full-blown crisis with screaming headlines. This is a typical process in crisis communications, and BP should have tried to cut it in the bud using some of the strategies listed above.

At this point, unfortunately, the oil spill disaster has transcended the world of public relations and threatens an unmitigated environmental and economic disaster. We can only hope for favorable weather and a successful attempt to plug the oil well still gushing forth on the floor of the ocean.