Oil giant BP (British Petroleum) said Wednesday that it spent more than $5 million a week on advertising since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill—more than three times the amount it spent on advertisements during the same time last year. BP told the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee that it spent a total of $93 million on advertising from April to the end of July. The company said the money was intended to keep Gulf Coast residents informed on issues related to the oil spill and to ensure transparency about its actions. Representative Kathy Castor (Democrat from Florida) requested the report on BP's spending and said Wednesday that she was disappointed that the oil company has spent more money “polishing the corporate image” than on helping Gulf Coast states recover from the April 20 explosion and resulting oil spill. BP said it spent $89.5 million in grants to four Gulf Coast states—Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana—to promote tourism after the massive spill leaked several million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Scott Dean, a BP spokesman, said large companies such as BP spend hundreds of millions each year to communicate their activities and products. BP's advertising campaign—in which U.S.-based employees vowed to clean up and restore the Gulf Coast—appears to be having some effect. An Associated Press poll shows the company's approval for handling the oil spill more than doubled from June and August—rising to 33 percent from 15 percent in June. The poll shows that 66 percent of those surveyed continue to disapprove of BP's performance, down from 83 percent in June.
