The document summarizes PR responses to the 2010 Gulf Coast oil spill from various entities. It discusses the initial explosion and spill, crisis communication best practices, and analysis of responses from BP, the White House, state governments, and Gulf Coast tourism organizations. Key issues included BP's PR blunders, criticism of underestimates of the spill from the Obama administration, Governor Jindal taking a leading response role, and efforts to mitigate impacts on Gulf Coast tourism.

1. PR Responses from the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Lisa K. Lundy, Ph.D., APR Associate Dean, Sponsored Research & Programs Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University The good, the bad, and the ugly

4. Can we say CRISIS?

5. Crisis Communication Effective crisis management can reduce the time it takes to complete the crisis life cycle, prevent a loss of sales, limit reputational damage, preclude development of public policy issues, save money, and protect lives, health, and the environment.

6. Keys to Effective Post-Crisis Communication Be quick and try to have initial response within the first hour. Be accurate by carefully checking all facts. Be consistent by keeping spokespeople informed of crisis events and key message points. Make public safety the number one priority. Use all of the available communication channels including the Internet, Intranet, and mass notification systems. Provide some expression of concern/sympathy for victims Remember to include employees in the initial response. Be ready to provide stress and trauma counseling to victims of the crisis and their families, including employees.

7. How did BP respond?

8. BP PR Blunders “I’d like my life back.” “I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest.” Attempts at Image Repair BP's YouTube Page

9. Images of the BP Response

10. The Cost of Crisis BP spent more than $93 million on advertising between April and July, 3 times more than the previous year As of Sept. 1, BP had spent about $6.1 billion on the oil spill Provided $89.5 million in grants to aid tourism efforts in FL, AL, MS and LA

11. Analysis of BP Response “As one of the biggest companies in the world, you'd have thought they'd have a plan for everything. That doesn't seem to be the case.” Danny Shipka, assistant professor, Manship School, LSU “It's a public relations disaster. Hayward has worked so hard to right the ship over the last three years, and now this. Everything he did is now meaningless.” FadelGheit, oil analyst, Oppenheimer & Co

12. How did the White House respond?

13. Obama and the Oil Spill President Obama made his first trip to LA about 12 days after the explosion Some asked if the spill could be “Obama’s Katrina”

14. News Headlines “Barack Obama under fire for grossly underestimating Gulf oil spill” The Guardian “Obama team criticized for Gulf Coast oil spill estimates” USA Today “Spill Panel Finds US Was Slow to React” Wall Street Journal

15. On May 21, President Obama established the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling by executive order “For the first ten days of the spill, it appears that a sense of over-optimism affected responders. While it is not clear that this misplaced optimism affected any individual response effort, it may have affected the scale and speed with which national resources were brought to bear.” -National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

16. "To the people here in the Gulf, we are going to be standing by your side. And to Americans all across the country, come on down and visit."

17. Analysis of White House Response PBS News Report

18. How did other governmental entities respond?

19. Analysis of State Response After “Governor Jindal named himself State On-Scene Coordinator,” his actions “slowed decision-making and caused problems in the response efforts.” – National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

20. LA Seafood Board Active on Twitter and Facebook http://twitter.com/#!/LaSeafoodBoard http://www.facebook.com/#!/LouisianaSeafood

21. How did Gulf Coast travel & tourism respond?

22. Tourism Spots Alabama Gulf Coast Florida Gulf Coast Mississippi Gulf Coast Louisiana Tourism

23. Research Grants

24. Covering the Oil Spill LSU researchers, working with the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting at the University of Rhode Island, are working to improve the accuracy and coverage of science news relating to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Science Foundation, or NSF, chose to support the group’s work with a rapid response grant, allowing a three-state sequence of workshops and evaluation.

25. Thank you!