BP's angriest critics open fire with F-bombs

The environmental movement UnF—k The Gulf is only putting into words (well, one specific word) how most of us have felt about the BP oil spill, and their edginess is balanced out by cool ideas like letting donors vote on which charities get their money. So of course, the group is getting death threats from gomers who think actual violence is less objectionable than rude language. Honestly, I can't think of a better word to express the scale of what happened in the Gulf, and if these guys can channel some of that rage into donations, more power to them. They're hardly the most explicit non-profit out there, in any case.

Oil Spill Charity "F-Bomb-A-Thon" from UnF--kTheGulf.com on Vimeo.

Filed under BP, Environment, Kiefaber
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Tar balls put damper on Florida's beach ads

Add Florida's "Our coast is clear" tourism ads to the list of things BP's oil spill has killed. BP paid Florida some $25 million to run a campaign reassuring tourists that the state's beaches remained unsullied by the spill. But now that tar balls are floating ashore, Visit Florida has had to change course again—replacing those earlier rushed ads with even-more-rushed ads that promise only some clear beaches. Compare the ads below. "There are plenty of places in Florida where you can enjoy crystal-clear waters and a great beach vacation," says the revised ad. Understandably, they're also hedging their bets with information about non-beachy stuff to see and do on vacation there. So, if non-beach attractions want to offer discounts once the sand goes toxic, that would help a lot. Can they get a BP subsidy, too?

—Posted by David Kiefaber

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'Beyond petroleum' not looking so slick now

BP's "Beyond petroleum" campaign, launched by Ogilvy & Mather almost a decade ago, has always been borderline ludicrous, positioning the oil company as essentially anti-oil (or at least post-oil). Critics have long characterized the ads as the height of hypocrisy and greenwashing (given BP's relatively small investment in alternate energies compared to its core business, and its pursuit of environmentally controversial projects like its oil sands work in Canada). Now, its purportedly green image has been dirtied once again with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, caused by a sunken rig it was operating. Anger toward the company has been muted so far, with only isolated calls for a boycott, but that may change when the spill reaches the coast. For BP's sake, hopefully there aren't too many overly dramatic, attention-seeking otters around.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under BP, Energy, Environment, Nudd, Ogilvy
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