The "Make it Happen" Challenge.

Get ready to "Make it Happen", the crowd-sourcing challenge to see if my big ideas can come to fruition thanks to the rich community of creatives, writers, artists, designers, inventors, scientists, architects, pharmacologists, techies, provocateurs, ethicists, military contractors, etc.

MIH Brief 008

OBJECTIVE:

Create a social-media campaign that helps repair the damage to British Petroleum's image and reputation.

Check this out for more background, but to surmise, British Petroleum have had a lousy May. Nothing seems to be going right for them, other than the whopping profits they're raking in of course.

But leaving aside the billions of dollars added to the credit side of their balance sheet, the last few weeks  has been a pr disaster for them. Okay, it's been a bigger disaster for the wildlife and fishermen of the Gulf Coast, but BP as a global brand is fast leaking credibility. Okay the leak is not as fast as the thousands of gallons of oil pouring into the coastal waters off Louisiana as we speak, oh look another dead turtle, but as someone once said, "image is everything".

A classic pr or advertising campaign will almost certainly come across as too corporate or manipulative and will probably fail, albeit not as badly as BP's current attempts to contain this mess. What is needed is something a little more organic. A comprehensive social media campaign seems like the perfect strategy for cleaning up their image.

THOUGHT STARTERS:

  -  A grand gesture of self-punishment is a good first step in trying to win back an outraged public. In Japan they call it Seppuku and it involves disembowelment. Thankfully for BP this isn't Japan, but can we create a "self-punishment" campaign via Facebook that essentially offers users a satisfying incentive to become fans of British Petroleum, e.g. If BP can get ten million fans then its CEO or even better board of directors will be publicly soaked in crude oil.

  -  Bribery is another effective way to reverse negative public opinion. Twitter seems a logical platform for BP to engage and "give back to the community". Is there an opportunity for a treasure hunt via a twitter campaign? For instance, a number of BP stations around the country could suffer major "cash leaks". Hundred dollar bills will literally pour out of these BP stations for people to grab. Information on the times and locations could be hidden in specially coded tweets.
  -  BP stations could also be the venue for an engaging Foursquare campaign. For example, if you check in to a certain number of BP stations you are entitled to free gas. Or perhaps we can create another treasure hunt a la Jimmy Choo's Foursquare campaign.
  -  Sometimes the best way to improve public relations is to just beg for forgiveness. Is there any merit to BP creating the Facebook group, "Please don't sue us, we're really, really, really sorry." How could we get more people to join without bribing them?
  -  To preempt the expected hit to the Gulf seafood industry can we create a blog campaign using high-profile "influencers" to speak out against shrimp and lobster.
  -  Oil companies are notorious for "buying favorable decisions" from regulators. Lately this has involved sex and cocaine parties and it has proved very successful. Is there an opportunity for BP to throw a few sex and cocaine parties to win over a skeptical public? Invitations could be sent out via Facebook, twitter etc.
  -  The name British Petroleum sounds very toxic right now. A new name and logo may help clear the air, if not the sea. Perhaps there is an opportunity for a crowd-sourcing campaign. What better way to engage the public than get them to come up with a new name for you. Let's just hope there aren't too many rude ones.
 
MANDATORIES:

  -  All messaging must carry the disclaimer, "Although British Petroleum aren't to blame for this setback we are willing to take full responsibility."
  -  Illegal immigrants are NOT entitled to any free gas or cash giveaways.

Good luck and make it happen, people!