Winner: BP
BP is the tentative winner this week with its bold decision to appoint an American as its new CEO.
Finally, the company seems to be taking steps that make sense. This appointment sends the clear message that BP is shaking up the management that helped get it into the Gulf mess.
But, folks, they’re only a tentative winner for two reasons: 1) the change of leadership apparently won’t happen until October and, 2) it was U.S. officials who announced the news, pipping BP to the post and even leading BP to initially deny the news.
Let’s start with #2. Rule #1 of brand crisis management response is to assert affirmative, positive and undisputed control over your response. A news leak like an oil leak reflects lack of control. So the news of the management change might be welcome, but the way that news got out serves to re-enforce the image of a company that is still at loose ends.
As for the delay in the change until October, fact is this too runs against brand crisis management. If a change needs to happen, then making it happen fast–and being seen by the public to make it happen fast— is very important. Again, BP isn’t doing this.
Still, the shake-up at the top is a big one since getting rid of the current CEO, a walking brand disaster, signals a big improvement. Now BP needs to telegraph its seriousness by taking control of the way big company news reaches the media and speeding up the transition process.
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