Hey, BP: Stop the Blame Game

How many people can remember the details of the Exxon Valdez oil spill?  It's likely that most can't, at least not without doing a Google search.  Most remember just one thing--that Exxon left a big mess.

With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, BP Global is deadling with its own mess, or that of another company, as its executives told Congress today.  BP claims that the spill was caused by the failure of a key safety device made by that other company.  But what it seems to forget is that the only thing everyone will remember in 5, 10 or 20 years is that BP was utimately responsible.

I do give the company kudos for dedicating the entire home page of its corporate Website to information on the oil spill.  However, its positive communication strategies have been mosty overshadowed by some of its misteps such as the perceived lack of collaboration with local fisherman in the Gulf, as well as scientists that have offered thousands of ideas on how to fix the leak. 

Only time will tell the long-term effects of the oil spill on the people, animals, and environment it has impacted the most, not to mention the BP brand.  In the meantime, I think the company needs to stop the blame game, take full responsibility, and collaborate with everyone possible to fix the problem -- and make sure it's all being communicated effectively.

What do you think?

For more details on today's testimony to Congress, visit: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-05-11-hearing-oil-senate_N.htm