CorpComms Magazine

Adam Vincenzini, lead social media consultant, Paratus Communications

BP effectively had four options to deal with the @BPGlobalPR Twitter account when it started to gain momentum (and traction with the public/media):

• Do nothing
• Go direct (to the 'squatter')
• Go public
• Go legal

The best solution involved utilising an appropriate combination of these options.

While any legal discussion remained behind closed doors, BP chose to 'go public', using official BP channels including their corporate website, YouTube channel, paid for Google search links, and eventually an official branded Twitter account (@BP_America).

For other brands potentially facing a similar scenario, there are some specific lessons, as well as general guidelines, worth highlighting:

• It is crucial to engage with customers/stakeholders via Twitter regularly - not only when there is a 'need'.
• Make official Twitter accounts verifiable - this can be done by clearly featuring links/icons on official websites and properties or by applying for an official verified account through Twitter (this is still in BETA testing)
• Have resources on hand who know the space/legalities - brands are legitimately entitled to report an account for investigation to Twitter if it is being used inappropriately (you can view all the guidelines regarding trademark infringements and parody accounts via Twitter.com)
• Actively listen - use a combination of online tools, such as Radian6, Meltwater Buzz and real people, who can manually flag up issues as they arise
• Think ahead - brands should 'claim' as many relevant account names as possible on platforms like Twitter (just like you would with a URL)
• Take it a step further - brands should start thinking about emerging platforms now and protecting themselves against such events i.e. brands/businesses should ensure they have claimed their businesses/venues on foursquare now, not when it becomes a mainstream social platform

The public expects brands to be active where they are, and the public (and other influential audiences) are incredibly active in social media. Brands who proactively and openly engage with the public via these channels, on an ongoing basis, will find dealing with the negative issues that flare up a lot easier to manage.

Kirsty Leighton, managing director UK & Ireland, Text 100 International

If you want to know what BP should do about the satirical Twitter page mocking its PR efforts following the Gulf of Mexico disaster, a good place to start would be the advice of the person who set up the page: Do you want to know what BP should do about me? Do you want to know what their PR strategy should be? They should fire everyone in their joke of a PR department and focus on actually fixing the problems at hand - Leroy Stick

In case you were tempted to dismiss @BPGlobalPR as little more than an amusing prank, it's worth reading the full article by Leroy Stick http://streetgiant.com/2010/06/02/leroy-stick-the-man-behind-bpglobalpr/ which offers a damning verdict on the PR industry. Here is a company responsible for an unprecedented ecological disaster, but it seems more concerned with managing its public image than actually finding a solution. The message is very clear: forget about your PR, just do the right thing.

So, this question is much bigger than What do we do about a satirical brand imitator? (to which the simple answer is that you should take the joke with good grace, unless it's blatantly offensive or misleading). The real question here is What do we do when our PR efforts exacerbate rather than improve a difficult situation?

The only real response is transparency. Stop trying to manage the situation, because it's already out of your control and you're only making things worse. Use social media channels to talk to the public openly and honestly about what is happening and what you're trying to do, ask for their feedback and show that you're willing to listen to their concerns.

Finally, heed these words from Leroy Stick: You know the best way to get the public to respect your brand? Have a respectable brand.

James Poulter, digital director, Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster

Who knew that the consumer outrage of one man - Mr 'Leroy Stick', AKA @BPGlobalPR - could throw one of the world's largest energy suppliers into a spin?

In a press release issued to the global media, Stick explained at length his reasoning for setting up the Twitter feed that began publishing satirical tweets on 19 May about the BP oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. It has since has attracted more than 160,000 followers and has made it onto over 4,000 Twitter lists. A Facebook page entitled Stop The Oil Spill, which has attracted less mainstream media attention, has also garnered more than 250,000 'Likes'.

Now of course it is clear looking at either of these pages that they are satirical, however for BP not to respond seems like an error to me. BP failed to use its own (highly US focused) social media presences to deal with these sites. These 'brand-jackings' have attracted worldwide attention and therefore require a series of localised responses, tailored to different regions' vernacular, culture and politics that @BP_America (which, unfortunately, was also hacked recently) and the corresponding Official BP America Facebook page do not really provide.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. In 'traditional' online terms BP has responded swiftly and openly, using YouTube and the BP website to provide engaging and regularly updated content from the Gulf. But this is very much a broadcast approach, which translates into their social presences as well. Big companies need to wake up to the fact that social communications require a personal and tailored response; in a crisis situation the need for this is amplified all the more.

We have to remember that the biggest thing damaging BP's reputation is the oil that continues to flood into the Gulf of Mexico. However, as one of my twitter pals (@walshybhoy) pointed out, their 'social' response has been rather 'crude'.

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