For BP, There Is No Such Thing As Bad Publicity?
Today I was trying to learn more about the new strategy to stop the oil leak in the Golf, and came across this illustration below. The first thing I noticed was the BP logo in the upper right corner. Many people have pointed out how bad BP is with public relations. It stuck me as odd that they would stamp their logo so proudly on this illustration that explains how to stop the oil leak. Why would they want to associate their brand with something so negative?
Earlier today, I walked by the BP gas station on Houston and Broadway here in New York City, and noticed that someone had splattered dark brown paint over the BP sign. To me, branding the illustration of the biggest oil leak in American history with a logo is just as damaging to the brand as this brown splatter, except that the order is reversed; instead of defacing the logo, slapping the logo on something that’s defaced. Such an odd thing to do.
—posted by Dyske » Follow me on Twitter or on Facebook Page
Maybe you should reconsider the effect, that this kind of publicity has on the subconscious of people. In that place of the mind, there is probably not a very strong connection between the negativity of the incident and the logo, but rather a connection between the logo and the graphic which is informing, therefore positive and also important, which makes the logo important.
Well I don’t know if this makes any sense, but you have to analyse before you make the connection, that it’s their fault. The subconscious doesn’t analyze very much you know…publicity after all is publicity.