The Big Mistake in the New BP Ad

Juan Cole 06/05/2010

Uh, BP, fire that Public Relations firm you hired to make a new commercial.

They gave you some good advice and some rotten advice.

We wanted some empathy from BP – Check

We wanted assurances that they’d pay out claims. – check, but what the hell do you mean by ‘legitimate’ claims? Is this legitimate enough for you?

We wanted to look at and hear the voice of CEO Tony Hayward, the Simon Cowell of oil spills, for several more minutes onscreen – Not!

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan and an adjunct professor, Gulf Studies Center, Qatar University. He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page