9629: BP Means Bullshit Propaganda.

Advertising Age reported on the latest marketing bullshit blitz from BP that launched after Christmas. Pretty sneaky to quietly break the campaign while everyone is distracted with the holidays. Of course, the oil company recently managed to reel in a $4 billion settlement, which will likely help pay for the fresh propaganda. In 2010, Louisiana restaurateur Ralph Brennan suggested determining how much BP is spending to rebuild its corporate image after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and “ask them to match that for us.” No such luck. However, BP did give spokeswoman Iris Cross a fancy makeover.

BP Launching National Ad Blitz After Christmas to Tout Gulf Recovery

WPP’s Ogilvy, Purple Strategies Behind the Campaign

By Rupal Parekh

Targeting the legions of Americans who’ll be home and relaxing on their couches the day after Christmas, BP is launching a 60-second ad Dec. 26 in an effort to convey progress in the cleanup of the Gulf Coast region after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the spring of 2010.

It’s the first spot in a series of ads—which will once again feature BP employees—that will provide updates and run nationally through early 2012. The latest ad was produced by Purple Strategies, which worked in tandem with Ogilvy on the digital ads, and Ogilvy PR in Washington, which is working on a social-media campaign.

The ad marks BP’s first since late 2010. In the days following the massive oil spill, BP launched its “Voices of BP” campaign, which featured employees promising Americans that the company would restore the Gulf Coast and rectify damage to the environment caused by the oil spill. A subsequent campaign, “Voices of the Gulf,” made local business and community leaders the stars of the ads, promoting tourism along the Gulf Coast.

The latest messaging is timed to coincide with the shifting of BP’s efforts from cleanup into an environmental-restoration and -research phase. In a statement, Geoff Morrell, BP America’s VP-communications said: “We made a commitment not only to restore the Gulf but also to keep the American people informed of that effort. We’ve made significant strides over the past year and believe it’s a good time to provide a progress report to the nation.”