The company’s Community Outreach organiser Iris Cross strolls down the Alabama coast and tells the camera, “I’m glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy.”
But unfortunately for BP, the shots of people enjoying those beaches include anti-BP demonstrators.
Even though the group of protesters is only visible in the distance for a matter of seconds, it’s a blow to a company that has reportedly spent more than $100m on advertising to try and rescue its reputation in the wake of the spill.
It seems the protesters were just as surprised as BP to find themselves making a cameo. One activist wrote on he Alabama Gulf Coast Area Citizen Advisory Panel’s website: “At the time we were protesting BP during the 40th Annual National Shrimp Festival [and] we had no idea that they were actually shooting a BP commercial.”
The protester added: “Therein lies the irony of finding our protest in their latest commercial … the oil is still here, and so are we.”
You can spot the group 47 seconds into the commercial below.
