BRANDINDEX
WE return to the woeful tale of the BP brand. How has it fared – and how has it affected other British brands?
Graph one shows the BrandIndex daily tracking data for BP in America, compared to Exxon Mobil.
It shows us that it was the particular company, not the industry in general, that was blamed for the disaster that struck on 20 April. Before the undersea explosion, BP actually enjoyed a much more positive image than its US rival.
EXXON’S REPUTATION SURVIVES
Since then, Exxon Mobil has only declined a little, while the reputation of the British-based oil giant not only sunk to the depths, but shows no signs of the recovery that we normally see on BrandIndex.
MISHANDLING OF CRISIS HURTS BP
The fact that the damage to Exxon flattens out quickly while the other continues unabated
also shows us that it’s the handling of the crisis, not just the accident itself, that is driving
the company down.
The Britishness of the BP brand has been much stressed in the US media – has this affected other British brands?
First we must report, sadly, that there are only two obviously British brands that are big enough to be featured on the US version of BrandIndex: British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic.
BRITISH BRANDS HURT BY SPILL
Graph two shows how they have fared compared to American Airlines. The UK brands have drifted down while AA is higher over the period – though admittedly, this might be chance.
Meanwhile, on the UK version of BrandIndex, we find, perhaps surpringly, that BP has seen its image plummet as severely as across the pond, with Exxon untouched.
The only difference is that there has been a tiny recovery in the past month.
Stephan Shakespeare is founder and chief executive of YouGov
