Sunday, May 23, 2010

BEYOND OIL: BP's OLD AD CAMPAIGN REVISITED

In light of the catastrophe with British Petroleum's off shore drilling rig, and the terrible environmental issues that have been caused because of it I decided to search for an old campaign that BP ran in 2004. What stuck in my mind the most about those ads is how much BP professed to be so environmentally responsible. The print ad campaign was created by NY ad agency Ogilvy & Mather. It's just too ironic, and certainly worth remembering. I hope beyond darkness that there's light—responsibility too.



Here's the text from the "Beyond Oil" commercial:

Beyond darkness there is light.
Beyond a thorn there is a rose.
Beyond practice there is perfection.
Beyond fear; courage.
Beyond 10 seconds; nine.
Beyond danger; a thrill.
Beyond power; responsibility.
Beyond patience; Fulfillment.
Beyond crisis; a solution.
Disease; a cure.
Beyond pain; joy.
Effort; reward.
Beyond winter; summer.
Beyond darkness there is light.
Beyond petroleum; BP.



For BP, I think it's certainly time for them to think outside the barrel—and hurry it up.