In an attempt to revive tourism on the Gulf Coast after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, state and national government officials have released BP-funded ads in a campaign to bring visitors back to the coast.
The ads are part of a $78 million deal BP made with Louisiana, which divided the money among every parish in the state. These advertisements inform viewers of the Gulf’s progress and restoration since the spill in hopes to encourage tourism, which is a major source of income for many areas along the coast.
BP has posted a series of campaign videos on the company’s official YouTube channel, many of which have aired on cable television across the nation.
The ads coin this season as the best tourism season in years.
In the ad titled “Great Vacation,” spokespeople from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana show off local attractions and promote their areas as fun-filled, family-friendly vacation spots.
Each ad concludes with the BP logo and a short statement from BP.
“The objective of the ad is to promote tourism, and yet, the real objective seems to be an ad promoting BP’s image,” said Lance Porter, mass communication professor and advertising area head. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t be stamping their logo at the end of it.”
Porter said the advertisement “isn’t a bad deal” from BP’s perspective.
“BP was starting from zero, so [adding the brand logo] really wasn’t a bad move for them,” he said. “But overall, the logo takes something away because it reminds people of what happened [during the oil spill].”
Porter said the ad’s association to BP seems odd.
“It shouldn’t be stamped so heavily by BP if their purpose is to solely bring tourism back to the coast,” he said. “The branding doesn’t help that objective; it only serves to dilute the message.”
Abby Donaldson, international studies sophomore, said her family visited St. George Island in Florida the summer after the spill.
“We were worried it would mess up our vacation,” she said. “We kept checking the month before to make sure it was all okay.”
While on the island, Donaldson said she saw several company representatives arriving on the beach to investigate whether the island was affected by the spill.
“I think there was a little bit of oil washing up, but nothing major,” she said.
Donaldson said she plans to visit Gulf Shores, Ala., for spring break.
Ashley Renfro, political science freshman, said her family vacations at the beach every year, and in August 2010, they visited Destin, Fla., one of the most popular beach spots in the state.
During her stay, Renfro said she heard several locals and fellow tourists talking about the spill and possible oil washing on the shore.
“The sand was dirty, but it wasn’t too bad,” she said.
Trevor McGuire, mathematics graduate student and Florida native, said he didn’t know anyone personally affected by the spill in his hometown of Sarasota, but many areas in the state should be recovering.
“It should be back to normal by now,” he said.
 
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Contact Kate Mabry at [email protected]