[Photo: from a painting by Julian Bedel ]

That the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a catastrophe is unquestionable, but the reaction of the American people — particularly those not directly affected — is unprecedented in its vehemence. BP’s maladroit handling of its public relations following the spill certainly exacerbated the public’s anger, but to understand where the sheer vitriol of the public’s reaction came from, other factors must be considered. Some have speculated that the reaction to BP following the oil spill was perhaps in part due to public feelings of betrayal. Before the spill, surveys had found that consumers regarded BP as relatively environmentally friendly, a belief the oil spill has violently shattered.

BP re-branded itself in 2000 from “British Petroleum” to “Beyond Petroleum,” and started using a new logo resembling a sunflower (with obvious green connotations) as part of a broader campaign to give the company a more environmentally-friendly image. BP’s rebranding was done by Landor, a UK branding company, after the company’s merge with Amoco in 1998.  The concept behind the rebranding was to help BP “break away from the petroleum sector.”* The campaign was successful and BP’s sales increased substantially. The brand recognition of BP in the US rose, and surveys showed consumers regarded it as the most environmentally-friendly oil company. However, the oil spill has shown the reality behind the marketing – the effort put into the “Beyond Petroleum” campaign had not actually been matched by a real commitment to the environment, or a change in the way BP operated. BP’s environmentally-friendly image was a “greenwash”: an attempt to make a company appear environmentally friendly using branding and PR, without any policy changes to back these claims up. People choosing a product because of its environmental claims often feel they are making an ethical decision, so if they find the claims are greenwash they can feel personally betrayed — something BP is now learning the hard way. For more information about greenwashing and how some companies have managed to create environmentally-friendly brands, see our article “Going Green” in the Papers & Articles section of the FORMA Cultural Branding website.

* For more information about Landor’s branding work for BP, check out their case study.  Identityworks also covered the brand transition in a report featured on their site.  In the report, Identityworks quotes BP’s CEO Sir John Browne regarding the company’s “new look”: “For us the fundamental values of the company are about innovation and creativity … about being environmentally creative and green … about being progressive – looking always for improvement and positive change … and about a constant drive for performance. Replacing the Shield [previous logo] was not an easy decision. We see the opportunity to represent the company in a compelling, modern way as part of good business in a fast-changing world.”  Identityworks’ writers added that the new look was “a brilliant platform for promises of lower emissions, solar power, and the tagline ‘Beyond Petroleum.’” Obviously, these new promises were only to last so long in the eyes of BP’s customers.

** Image taken from a painting by Argentine artist Julian Bedel.  The work was inspired by natural oil in Patagonia.