Poor BP. As if battling one of the worst environmental disasters and the associated overspill of lost revenue and reputation wasn’t enough, now it is being punished with the indignity of fake Twitter accounts. BP’s name is being dragged through the (polluted) mud, for our amusement. The democratic mob aren’t so much kicking the mighty corporation when it’s down, as throwing sand in its eyes and laughing.
How should BP respond? At the moment, BP is trying to rise above it (the oil on troubled water jokes practically write themselves) and maintain a dignified front in the face of the spoof tweeters while continuing to disseminate their side of the story through their official, but much less followed, Twitter account. Perhaps the team at BP has learnt from Nestle’s mistakes. The Web 2.0 PR disaster-response playbook is being written before our eyes; it pays to take notes.
image credit: Rosaura Ochoa
