Gulf Oil Spill: Enviros Step in to Rebrand BP as the Grim Reaper, With Dead Fish
It's time to rebrand BP. That's not a directive from the company itself, of course -- it's busy sorting out failed attempts to clean up its mess in the Gulf, which now ranks as the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
But environmental activists at Greenpeace have stepped into the breach with a contest. Submit your art work to Flickr as a way of showing just how you feel about BP, which is responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. (Prizes include a Greenpeace goodie bag -- wonder what's in that? -- and a starring role in the organization's worldwide ad campaign). There are nearly 300 entries so far, with some recurring themes: dead marine life, skull and crossbones, and oil-drenched BP logos.
See all the competitors here.
BP, continuing to take it on the chin, has been updating its Twitter feed regularly with reports on the failed "top kill" method and notes that "we are sparing no effort to bring the well under control" -- all messages from the company brass. There are about 8,800 followers keeping track of the company through its official channel.
The counterfeit Twitter account, "BP Global PR," has skyrocketed to 97,874 followers at last tally, reading entries like these:
What a gorgeous day! The ocean is filled with the most beautiful rainbows! #yourwelcome #bpcaresAs for the Greenpeace contest, the non-profit's website says that "BP's slick (Beyond Petroleum) logo doesn't suit a company that wants to invest in tar sands," so this isn't just a Gulf-related issue. It's ongoing -- there's no end date to submit entries and "behind the logo" isn't a short-term effort.
As part of our continued re-branding effort, we are now referring to the spill as 'Shell Oil's Gulf Coast Disaster.' #bpcares
Due to public outcry, our 'Spill or Be Spilled' flash game will be taken off our BP Kidz Klub website. 'Smack the Greasy Mantee' stays.
Even though reworked logos are older than Wacky Packages, the digital world is spreading this kind of public protest further, quicker, in this case giving outlet to and uniting the rage. So far it looks like BP hasn't learned much about containment.
NOTE: This is a guest post by Terry Stanley.
Image via Flickr user Greenpeace UK, CC 2.0
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