What the Oil Spill Really Means for PR

Posted by Matt Purdue

Too much has already been written and said about BP CEO Tony Hayward’s numerous PR gaffes since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. But far be it from me not to pile on. These are actual quotes from Hayward: 

“What the hell did we do to deserve this?”

"I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest.”

“The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume.”

“I would like my life back.”

While media wonks have been decrying Hayward’s lack of sensitivity for weeks, I think they’re missing the bottom line. The real news here is that no one who really matters cares how obtuse or insouciant Hayward appears to be. In other words, despite all his public relations blunders, he still has his job.

That’s the real disaster for those of us in the PR industry. While Hayward is vilified by commentators, bloggers and the general public, those behind the scenes don’t seem to care about how blithe he appears to the media. On the contrary. On a conference call last week, Hayward called his support from BP’s board “extraordinary.” Meanwhile, Jason Kinney, an oil industry analyst at ING, was widely quoted after the conference call. "This was a rational, level headed, confident delivery," he noted. "There's still a lot of speculation and unknowns, but ultimately BP is committed to rectifying the issue and regaining its reputation in the long run."  

So the question remains: Do the people who sign Hayward’s checks—the board and his bankers—really care about how poorly his public image appears? Do they connect his public relations bungles with the 42% drop in BP’s share price since the explosion? At this point, apparently not. And that—not howlers like Hayward’s--is the PR industry’s real problem.