Revisiting BP’s Use of Social Media, 2 Years On
A couple of years ago I started reviewing FTSE 100 companies use of social media.
One of the companies I reviewed was the now beleaguered oil giant BP.
As I said then:
My pre-evaluation expectation of how the company will fare:
I expect BP, who have significant consumer facing operations in the UK, to have a social media-rich web presence. Let’s see.
As the report goes on to reveal, I was sadly disappointed after assessing the bp.com website and finding nothing but RSS feeds and the odd online video. No Flickr, Twitter or similar presence.
However, back then, this was actually a lot more than quite a few of the other FTSE 100 firms I analysed, as you can see from the table. See how UK high street bank Alliance & Leicester fared for an example! The study of social media usage amongst FTSE 100 companies will be resuming in June.
Nearly two years on, it’s interesting to see how quickly things have changed.
BP are reeling from a public relations backlash around the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico but as the unfolding drama around the now confirmed as parody @BPGlobarPR Twitter account proves, having a social media presence does not prevent a public lampooning, especially if you’re a global corporation.
However, having a relatively well managed social media presence puts a company in a position to empower others to defend it in a time of crisis.
Facebook’s recent privacy woes are a case in point.
Despite nearly 23,335 signing up for Quit Facebook Day, tech bloggers from Robert Scoble to Mike Melanson at ReadWriteWeb weighed in in defence of the world’s largest social network, exerting a calming influence over the furore, some might say.
Whilst BP are now providing a livestream (*watch*) of the ‘Top Kill’ technique designed to stem the leak, the saga continues. First you see it, then you don’t, as social media guide Mashable reports.
For an in-depth look at the sentiment around BP on the social web, see this social media monitoring review by Orange8 Interactive.
What do you think? Can BP do enough to placate the social web at this time?
Image credit: WashingtonTimes.com
Related posts:
- Social Media Usage in the FTSE 100: Company Profile – BP
- Social Media Usage amongst FTSE 100 companies – Companies 16 To 20: BHP Billiton to Cadbury ADR
- Social Media Usage in the FTSE 100: Company Profile – Cairn Energy
- Preliminary Results: Social Media Usage Amongst FTSE 100 Companies – Most Preferred Social Media and Multimedia Platforms
- Social Media Usage Amongst FTSE 100 Companies – Real And Imagined
