May 2
Social media and the oil spill disaster
BP actually seems to be using its website and traditional means of communication quite well, given the circumstances of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But in social media they are the proverbial lame duck.
The @BP_America account has a total of 52 tweets, one per week, since its inception in April 2009.
Not one of those tweets has an @ symbol in it, meaning they have replied to no one, ever. Apparently BP’s idea of social is pure monologue broadcast. Consistent with that approach is the fact they follow only one other account.
And there is a lot out there that need response from BP:
And the link on the @BP_America Twitter page leads to a classic corporate “brochure-ware” page that has no information on the spill until you click into the “Press” section.
Finally, when you look at how BP is listed by other Twitter users, it is often categorized by the words “oil spill,” whereas previously it was listed under “energy” and even “green energy.”
And BP’s Facebook page is silent:
BP is being hammered by critics all over the web, with thousands of posts on Twitter and Facebook slamming the company for its failure to prevent the disaster and its inability to stanch the flow of oil from their well nearly two weeks after the accident.
This spill is going to stick to BP’s image like oil to a pelican’s back, in some measure because BP is unable to contain the reputational damage through efficient digital communications and preparation.
Could that have been mitigated? It’s hard to say given the scope and scale of this incident. It certainly couldn’t have hurt to have fans, followers and plans to communicate.
Maybe BP can learn from some of the airlines during the the Icelandic volcano eruption:
Short URL & Title:
Social media and the oil spill disaster — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/sop
Related posts:
Torben
Thanks for linking to your blog. A few things I wanted to add:
a — the Twitter account you refer to us BP’s US one… and while it does not interact with its Twitter followers, it is clearly a broadcasting tool.
But who is to say using Twitter as a broadcasting tool is bad (see some Dell accounts). In fact, I do not find Twitter is good for interacting (prefer phone, e-mail, etc.)
b — The Twitter info: “… when you look at how BP is listed by other Twitter users, it is often categorized by the words “oil spill,” whereas previously it was listed under “energy” and even “green energy.” ” is interesting.
This could be damaging as soon as Google gets better in indexing Twitter search results. Worst is that it might not take very long and people will change back again putting BP under “green energy”?
I think social media is simply over-rated in how important it will be for many large companies’ and their brands. For instance, remember the recent Texas Oil Refinery disaster BP had:
===> 3 lessons for bloggers: Fashion, BP and the FTC ==> http://commetrics.com/articles/sheer-transparency/
Surely was damaging but after a while, who cared, car drivers needed gasoline at cheap prices…. rest is history.
WHAT THE DISASTER SHOWS
Consumers and voters have short-term memories and, most importantly, want to pay as little as possible at the gas pump.
Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has always been risky with the chance/probability for environmental disaster like this one.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989. Alaska’s coast is still recuperating from this disaster. Did it it stop us from drilling in coastal waters, no.
Will the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico change anything? Not likely.
Yes, BP will suffer and this will be costly but will it change things in the long term for oil companies? Not sure, unless we stop drilling in coastal waters. But then we could no longer use our gas guzzlers to drive to work.
Are we in Texas and elsewhere now all willing to ride the bus instead? No way José
Torben, thanks for this nice post.
I got me thinking and I wonder how much worse it will still get before we can fight this oil slick successfully, thereby stopping it from washing ashore. But it looks as if it is too late already.
BP has not been doing a good job using social media. Many companies in crisis have had the same problem, but none have bragged about responsiveness and innovation as much as BP has. Since BP clearly has no social media strategy and no clue how to use Twitter, we are collecting ideas for them at: http://bit.ly/benQw2
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