Note: Image from Fast Company - this image is of a flag activists placed outside of BP's London headquarters.
Yesterday, I read the Fast Company article about the new logos Greenpeace followers have created to provide a more accurate visual representation of the brand, considering how out of place the green and yellow sunburst seems when, as the article puts it, "the defining image of the company is a dark blob spreading across the Gulf".
This page was created less than a week ago, and it already has almost 40,000 followers, nearly 8 times as many followers as BP's official twitter page. This site is making a farce of the BP brand with tweets like:
This article made me immediately think - actions speak louder than words!
On BP's site, they define themselves as:
"Helping the world meet its growing need for heat, light and mobility. And we strive to do that by producing energy that is affordable, secure & doesn't damage the environment"
Unfortunately, the actions associated with BP (i.e. giant plums of oil as big as 10 miles, long 3 miles wide and 300 feet deep, including oiled smeared beaches and pelicans dyed with crude) have gone completely against the image Beyond Petroleum was trying to create for themselves, impacting consumer perceptions leading to new visual cues - like an oil stained logo.
What's more, is this is all consumer generated content. There has even been a fake BP twitter page created: @BPGlobalPR:
What's more, is this is all consumer generated content. There has even been a fake BP twitter page created: @BPGlobalPR:
This page was created less than a week ago, and it already has almost 40,000 followers, nearly 8 times as many followers as BP's official twitter page. This site is making a farce of the BP brand with tweets like:"It's official, the phrase 'All the tea in china' has been replaced with 'All the oil in the gulf" - Can't wait for the royalties!#bpcares"
and
"Negative people view the ocean as half empty of oil. We are dedicated to making it half full"
The consumers are beginning to reshape the BP brand - in fact they are making the BP brand as dirty as BP has made the Gulf!
It's like I alluded to in my Semantic Web post - consumers are in control of defining the brand within the marketplace, based on that brand's actions. And here we are seeing this happen to BP - going as far as consumers rebranding the organization with new logos!
Posts
is BPGlobalPR helping? I'm failing to appreciate any of the "black humor".
ReplyDeleteHello! Thanks for checking out my blog!
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question - No the 'black humor' of BPGlobalPR is not helping BP's brand. Rather, it's influencing the markets perceptions of the brand in a negative way.
In no way is it helping shape BP's brand to be perceived as an environmentally friendly oil & gas company like they want. Mind you, nor has this oil spill, hence, the importance of managing your organization's actions because consumers have the power to influence brand perceptions with these new digital platforms - like Twitter - in both positive and negative way depending on how the brand delivers on its promise.
I hope this answers your question, and please keep them coming!
BP damaged more than its own brand. It also damaged the image of the communities involved and made it harder for them to compete for capital investment. Read about the work being done to help economic development professionals refurbish their community brands.
ReplyDeletehttp://strengtheningbrandamerica.com/blog/?p=343
I just Amplified, "Now that’s some Bad BP PR", where I quoted you and your blog, at http://thomasretterbush.amplify.com. Check it out and keep it up!
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