BP to admit $1m-a-week advertising spree
BP is set to come under renewed fire from US politicians this week as it reveals it has spent more than $1m (£644,000) a week on television and radio advertising since the April 20 oil explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
By James Quinn
Published: 10:01PM BST 28 Aug 2010
The company is tomorrow expected to deliver a much-anticipated report to the US House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce committee after it demanded to know how much money BP has spent on advertising and marketing over the past four months.
It is understood the company intends to co-operate with the committee's demands, although no formal response has yet been submitted.
Although the total figure spent during that period is not public, it is known that, in the 18 weeks since the fatal explosion and subsequent spill, the oil giant has spent at least $1m a week on network television, cable and radio advertising.
The American advertisements feature BP employees, mostly involved in the clean-up process, explaining what the company is doing to cleanse the areas affected. But the campaign outraged President Barack Obama, who warned BP: "What I don't want to hear is, when they're spending that kind of money on their shareholders and on TV advertising, that they're nickel-and-diming fishermen or small businesses here in the Gulf who are having a hard time."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7969586/BP-to-admit-1m-a-week-advertising-spree.html