BP - Absolute Worst Public Relations Savvy in History of Human Enterprise

[Point of Order]

This, and all the other BP public image foul-ups, deserves its own thread. BP CEO Tony Hayward took the weekend of to go to a yacht race. A YACHT RACE!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100619/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill

Dude, wtf?

 

[TigerVols]

I heard he took the World Cup ref with him to the race today.

 

[Andy _ Kent]

Of course Obama doesn't come out of that article looking much better than this goof ball.

But yeah, BP is doing things only a Hollywood script writer could dream up in terms of stupidity.

I mean company spokesmen trying to defend Hayward by claiming he hasn't had any free time since the oil rig exploded to spend with his family most certainly fell on the sympathetic ears of the family members of those 11 killed in the explosion and of all of those fishermen now out of work.

 

[MileHigh]

Well, maybe if there were a yacht race on the Gulf today, he wouldn't have had to go back to England.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Couldn't the guy have gone to a JV softball game or something like that to relax?

 

[Point of Order]

Tony Hayward's Sunday to-do list:

* Ocean fishing
* Tanning on a pristine beach
* Swamp boat tour and bird watching in an undisturbed wetland
* Oyster & shrimp seafood feast

 

[YankeeFan]

So what's the standard and who does it apply to?

Obama is allowed to take vacations and go to baseball games, but Hayward can't go to a yacht race?

I'll admit that it's bad PR and that a yacht race sounds just incredibly hoity toity, but once the administration criticizes this move, they've drawn a line in the sand.

Comments like this are going to haunt them the next time Obama plays golf, attends a game, or hosts a team at the White House while the oil is still leaking:

But Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, who taped an interview for ABC’s “This Week,” called Mr. Hayward’s attendance at the race “part of a long line of PR gaffes and mistakes” that he has made.

“To quote Tony Hayward, he’s got his life back,” Mr. Emanuel said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/us/20spill.html?hp

Emanual should have been smart enough to let others criticize Hayward, but he couldn't help himself.

 

[Point of Order]

Dude, a yacht race?!?! Boats, sailors, people enjoying clean seas and an unaffected coastline?!?! Go to the opera, the ballet, a Broadway show, a baseball game. Anything but a damn yacht race and you probably stay off the news.

ETA:

The equivalent for Obama would have been going to vacation in a Haitian resort in the immediate aftermath of the Haiti earthquake -- IF OBAMA HAD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING THE EARTHQUAKE!

 

[MileHigh]

Well, true. Obama went to a baseball game last night.

 

[YankeeFan]

Dude, a yacht race?!?! Boats, sailors, people enjoying clean seas and an unaffected coastline?!?! Go to the opera, the ballet, a Broadway show, a baseball game. Anything but a damn yacht race and you probably stay off the news.

Probably true. But what's the standard now, and who does it apply to?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Dude, a yacht race?!?! Boats, sailors, people enjoying clean seas and an unaffected coastline?!?! Go to the opera, the ballet, a Broadway show, a baseball game. Anything but a damn yacht race and you probably stay off the news.

ETA:

The equivalent for Obama would have been going to vacation in a Haitian resort in the immediate aftermath of the Haiti earthquake -- IF OBAMA HAD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING THE EARTHQUAKE!

You mean Obama wasn't responsible for the earthquake?

 

[Point of Order]

Dude, a yacht race?!?! Boats, sailors, people enjoying clean seas and an unaffected coastline?!?! Go to the opera, the ballet, a Broadway show, a baseball game. Anything but a damn yacht race and you probably stay off the news.

Probably true. But what's the standard now, and who does it apply to?

How about this for a standard: if the company you're the CEO of, that grossly negligently causes the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States, ruining the sea, beaches, wetlands, and economic viability of an entire region, then don't be seen enjoying the very thing you robbed that region of, at least not while the oil is still gushing out at 60k+ barrels a day.

 

[Point of Order]

Dude, a yacht race?!?! Boats, sailors, people enjoying clean seas and an unaffected coastline?!?! Go to the opera, the ballet, a Broadway show, a baseball game. Anything but a damn yacht race and you probably stay off the news.

ETA:

The equivalent for Obama would have been going to vacation in a Haitian resort in the immediate aftermath of the Haiti earthquake -- IF OBAMA HAD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING THE EARTHQUAKE!

You mean Obama wasn't responsible for the earthquake?

Not directly, that was caused by a deal the Haitians made with the Devil to free themselves of French Rule in olden times, but Obama's an agent of the devil so yes.[/PatRobertson]

 

[YankeeFan]

Obama's already received similar criticism.

Now granted he wasn't dumb enough to go to a yacht race, but look at this clip from Jon Stewart:

http://www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-on-oil-spill-2010-6

And it's going to get worse if the oil continues to spill and he's flying around to political events & fundraisers.

That's why I say Rahm should have just kept his mouth shut.

Hayward was going to get plenty of criticism without the White House joining in.

And now they'll look like hypocrites anytime Obama or some cabinet secretary does anything fun.

 

[Point of Order]

Yeah, I hear ya, but not really seeing the equivalence.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Students in public relations will learn about this case for decades. BP can't do anything right.

 

[Batman]

Dude, a yacht race?!?! Boats, sailors, people enjoying clean seas and an unaffected coastline?!?! Go to the opera, the ballet, a Broadway show, a baseball game. Anything but a damn yacht race and you probably stay off the news.

ETA:

The equivalent for Obama would have been going to vacation in a Haitian resort in the immediate aftermath of the Haiti earthquake -- IF OBAMA HAD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING THE EARTHQUAKE!

You mean Obama wasn't responsible for the earthquake?

Not directly, that was caused by a deal the Haitians made with the Devil to free themselves of French Rule in olden times, but Obama's an agent of the devil so yes.[/PatRobertson]

I thought it was George Bush's fault.

 

[MileHigh]

Guessing Heyward didn't think he'd get spotted. But still ... if you're going to take a day off, stay at home and BBQ and watch the U.S. Open in prime time.

 

[Football_Bat]

In fairness, Hayward was relieved of his command on Friday. He wanted his life back, and he got it.

 

[MileHigh]

In fairness, Hayward was relieved of his command on Friday. He wanted his life back, and he got it.

What? No polo?