HOUSTON -- BP is launching a new nationwide television advertising campaign to update the American people on progress being made to clean up and restore the Gulf Coast region in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident and subsequent oil spill.
The initial advertisement in the series, which debuted Dec. 26, marks the first time since late last year that BP has gone on the air nationally with ads providing such an update.
It comes as the cleanup phase of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill response is nearing completion and the first set of early restoration projects is preparing to move forward.
“We made a commitment not only to restore the Gulf, but also to keep the American people informed of that effort,” said Geoff Morrell, BP America’s vice president for communications. “We’ve made significant strides over the past year and believe it’s a good time to provide a progress report to the nation.”
Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon accident, BP took to the airwaves with its “Voices of BP” campaign, featuring employees committing to the American people that the major oil company would clean up the spill and help the Gulf Coast recover. A subsequent ad campaign, “Voices of the Gulf,” featured local business and community leaders promoting tourism along the Gulf Coast.
Like the original “Voices of BP” campaign, the newest ads once again feature BP employees.
In the first ad, New Orleans native Iris Cross, a 29-year veteran of the company who manages external affairs in Louisiana, reports on BP’s progress in the 20 months since the spill. She reminds viewers of the $20-billion fund BP established for economic and environmental recovery and the $500 million dedicated to scientific research of the Gulf ecosystem. She also reports that all Gulf beaches and waters are open and the economy continues to show improvement, with many areas along the Gulf Coast marking 2011 as one of the best tourism seasons in years.
BP is expanding this new advertising campaign into social media channels, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter with additional custom content.
“We are proud of the progress that has been made this year along the Gulf Coast, but we know our work is not yet done. We are committed to seeing it through and providing updates to the public along the way,” Morrell said.
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