bp : A plan for clear communication in turbulent times
Andrew Rigby
Energy company shows evidence of prior planning when announcing the divestment of Russian assets on its corporate website
The feature
BP announced its intention to exit its shareholding in Rosneft, the Russian energy company, and end other Russian interests in the wake of war in Ukraine.
It did so via a press release, promoted via the main panel which is in immediate view when a user lands on bp.com’s home page. The release summarised the various aspects of the company’s exit from its Russian interests via a series of initial bullet points.
An internal message to employees from the CEO Bernard Looney was also published on on the ‘News and insights’ section landing page of bp.com.
The takeaway
The breadth of material provided on the site, and its presentation, provided clarity at a difficult time. The response time suggested that the corporate digital team had a prior plan for how to handle such announcements, as well as the technical means and processes to implement it all quickly.
As soon as the announcement was released – over a weekend – bp.com promoted the press release via the home page, and the internal announcement was also posted. This showed transparency and an understanding of the importance of the corporate website home page, especially in times of crisis. Many visitors, having never been on the site before, will have gone straight to the home page.
The bullet points at the top of the release are helpful for journalists (and in this case many other interested audiences) who need to get a quick grasp on the company’s actions. This is vital in a fast-moving news environment with audiences bombarded with information from multiple sources.
BPs response shows that the right planning, platforms and processes can lead to a quick and comprehensive announcement on digital channels during a crisis.
