The BP Oil Spill Costume: Tapping Into Public Outrage (or Not)

(MoneyWatch)  First BP Global PR used satire and Twitter to publicly ridicule UK oil and gas company BP, then Italian Vogue used oily models, and now this: an oil spill Halloween costume created by Fun World, a supplier out of New York (h/t AOL News). The oil-stained green jump suit emblazoned with a BP-esque logo and the words "bad planning" underneath, is the latest example of companies mocking and making money off of BP's misfortune.

It'll be interesting to see the public's reaction to the costume and whether it translates to sales, especially considering Halloween is still two months away. Hey, forget surveys, maybe Fun World stumbled on the perfect polling instrument to gauge whether the oil spill is still on folks' minds. Low sales = oil spill apathy? High sales = the public's readiness for a climate bill?

The reception from retailers, especially online, has been quick and positive, Fun World executive vice president Alan Geller told me in a recent phone interview. And it's not surprising. For the public angered and frustrated by the oil spill, buying a costume to protest BP is empowering and easy. It may not solve the problem, but people feel like they're doing something to show their disdain. Or they could buy could an electric car, noted Geller, who proudly drives one.

Of course, companies like Fun World also have to be careful not to come across as capitalizing on a tragedy. The supplier will, after all, make money by selling a costume borne out of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Geller said that they had two concerns: coming across as insensitive and intellectual property issues. Ultimately, the company decided to run with the costume because political satire and parody is a big part of what Fun World (and the costume industry, in general) does, he said. Still, the company also will donate a percentage of its oil spill costume proceeds to a charity that is providing support to the families effected by the oil rig explosion.

Fun World should be able to avoid the "insensitive" label because the costume is directed at the oil company, not the tragedy itself. As Geller aptly points out: "If BP had solved this quickly we would've never created a costume; it's about BP's approach to problem solving that is so worthy of parody."

Photo from Fun World
For complete coverage, see All Things BNET on BP's Gulf of Mexico Spill
Related:

• Gulf Oil Spill: Meddling Scientists Keep Ruining it For BP
• Hints Suggest BP May Restart Gulf Oil Drilling
• Workers Sue BP for $10B! (And No It's Not Because of the Gulf Oil Spill