What BP didn’t learn from Tiger Woods

Time and time again, we have seen vast differences in the way that the public and press react to athletes that have committed the same wrong.   One athlete is accused of taking steroids, denies it forever and is vilified.  Another athlete is accused of taking steroids, immediately admits it, addresses the public, falls on the sword and for the most part, it’s back to business as usual, minus a skinned knee.   The response becomes more of what people react to rather than the wrong that was or wasn’t committed. 

One of the great examples of this has been played out since last November when Tiger Woods’ life unraveled before the world’s eyes.  Through the accident, the mistresses and porn stars, Tiger remained silent for months, leaving reporters, TV and radio talk hosts and the public at large to dig up more dirt, speculate, and sling mud in all directions.   Isn’t it interesting that once Tiger finally came out and addressed the public and apologized, most people stopped caring about what he had done wrong and went back to talking about Tiger’s golf game?  Whether you thought his presser was completely staged and insincere or not, it did a great job of dousing the flames that had surrounded him for months.  It didn’t stop, but it dissipated greatly.

Could BP make a donation to the wildlife conservancy or announce a new facility for animals affected by the oil spill?

So, now we have BP and this country’s greatest environmental disaster.  Once again, BP’s lack of response magnified the ill will toward the company.  There are so many things the company could have done and said to make Americans feel better about what is a true disaster.  Because, as mentioned above, we tend to respond more to what is said after something bad happens than what actually happens.  Instead, not only did BP have a lack of public response, but when there was a response, it was arrogance from CEO Tony Hayward, now infamously saying that he hoped the oil spill could be stopped “so he could get his life back.”   Where is Tony Hayward as I write this?  Off the coast of England in a yacht race.  Right.  While one body of water is being forever changed as oil is poured into it, Hayward is on a yacht on another body of water, much cleaner.  The response from his PR man Robert Wine….”it’s a well-known event in the British calendar. He’s entitled to private time with his family.”  Perfect.  Translation.  “Just because there’s a little problem in the gulf doesn’t mean he’s going to cancel this favorite yachting event.”  Whether that’s the intended translation or not doesn’t matter. We’re all left to our own interpretation based again on the arrogance and lack of thoughtful response.

Looking at things from a marketing and public relations perspective, we’re putting aside whether or not you think BP is sincere in its desire to clean the spill the way it should be cleaned up.  The one thing we know is that they haven’t responded to it well from a PR perspective and they’re paying the price. 

Here are just a couple of things that BP could have done:

1.  Immediately address and public and apologize for what happened.  The key here being immediately.  Never under estimate the effect of an immediate response.  Almost never can a response come too soon.  Instead, BP tried to minimize the damage and tell us that it wasn’t that bad.

2. Plan for the worst.  People and companies just don’t think the worst will happen and so they don’t plan.  What would happen if we had an explosion and we couldn’t stop oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico?  An obvious question for a large operator of oil rigs, but an even more obvious question for a company that has had two previous disasters, including the 2005 Texas refinery explosion that killed 15 people and injured 170.  They knew the worst could happen because it had already happened. 

3.  Act with true sincerity, rather than just financially.  The finances are important, as many are losing their livelihoods.  But when you lose your livelihood, $5,000 isn’t going to help too much.   What else could BP do to alleviate the burden on the people affected by this disaster?  Could they actually be hiring them or creating other opportunities?  Maybe. But certainly, there’s more that could be done.

Again, this is a disaster on the magnitude that’s rarely been seen before.  Extraordinary measures are needed.  Extraordinary leaders are needed.  Extraordinairy compassion is needed.  So far, BP has been anything but extraordinary.

By the way, BP is a $58 million sponsor of the 2012 Olympic Games in London and also a sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Committee.  Might it be time to redirect those dollars?

Advertisement