Is the BP oil spill the world’s worst PR disaster?

BP is currently facing the biggest PR catastrophe of its existence with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but how is it fighting to resolve the situation and repair, not just the ruptured well, but its sinking reputation too?

When the reports first surfaced about the oil spill, most of the headlines were about BP's falling shares and a hike in petrol prices but as the weeks went on and several attempts to block the leaking pipe failed, a state of panic rippled into the UK press from across the pond. Fears about the welfare of marine life, the affect on the tourist industry in Florida and along the coast and the wider environmental impacts escalated to the point that the US President labelled it the "worst US environmental disaster'.

So far, BP's response to the PR nightmare has been to throw money at the problem - £1.1bn to put a figure on it. This includes payouts to Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, 51,000 compensations claims have also been issued to the oil giant, 26,500 of which have already been paid costing £42m.

BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward has faced the worst backlash from the public and government and has been called "the most hated man in America" over his role in the crisis. Yesterday (Thursday) he faced a grilling from a congressional committee where politicians were able to ask whatever questions they wanted. This is just the beginning of his PR battle to win back public trust and in a statement during the conference he states that BP will emerge, "stronger, smarter, safer".

With a permanent solution to the spill yet to be found it seems that BP's PR management team and crisis manager still have their work cut out. What is clear is that committing to pay for the clean-up isn't going to cut it for the public; Heyward will need to commit in the long term to repairing the environmental damage, a battle that could last several years.

Louise