BP updates Gulf restoration activity in new TV ad

National campaign provides progress report on Gulf recovery and restoration

BP is launching a new nationwide television advertising campaign to update the American people on progress being made to clean up and restore the Gulf Coast region in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident.

The initial advertisement in the series, which will debut on December 26, 2011, marks the first time since late last year that BP has gone on the air nationally with ads providing such an update.

It comes as the cleanup phase of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill response is nearing completion and the first set of early restoration projects is preparing to move forward.

“We made a commitment not only to restore the Gulf, but also to keep the American people informed of that effort,” said Geoff Morrell, BP America’s vice president for communications. “We’ve made significant strides over the past year and believe it’s a good time to provide a progress report to the nation.”

Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon accident, we took to the airwaves with our “Voices of BP” campaign, featuring employees committing to the American people that we would clean up the spill and help the Gulf Coast recover. Our next ad campaign, “Voices of the Gulf” - This link opens in a new window featured local business and community leaders promoting tourism along the Gulf Coast.

Like the original “Voices of BP” campaign, our newest ads once again feature our employees. In the first ad, New Orleans native Iris Cross – a 29-year veteran of the company who manages external affairs in Louisiana - reports on our progress in the 20 months since the spill.   She reminds viewers of the $20 billion fund BP established for economic and environmental recovery and the $500 million dedicated to scientific research of the Gulf ecosystem. She also reports that all Gulf beaches and waters are open and the economy continues to show improvement, with many areas along the Gulf Coast marking 2011 as one of the best tourism seasons in years.

BP is expanding this new advertising campaign into social media channels, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter with additional custom content.

“We are proud of the progress that has been made this year along the Gulf Coast but we know our work is not yet done. We are committed to seeing it through and providing updates to the public along the way,” Morrell said.

Further information:

Contacts

Tom Mueller, BP Press office, Houston, (281) 366-1236, tom.mueller@bp.com

Note to Editors:

Ad Facts:

• First ad in the new series will run nationally through early 2012
• Like the other TV ads since the spill, this newest ad was produced by Purple Strategies of Washington, DC
• Ogilvy & Mather, New York, produced the digital ads
• Ogilvy Public Relations, Washington, DC, created the social media support campaign

BP’s Commitment to the Gulf Coast Region*

Commitment to the Cleanup

• $14 billion - Amount spent by BP on the response
• 66.5 million - Work hours invested in responding to the spill
• 47,000 - Workers employed at the peak of the response
• 1.3 million - Air, water, and other environmental samples taken
• 4,350 – Miles of Gulf Coast shoreline surveyed
• 5 – Miles of beach (around 1/10 of 1 percent) remaining under active cleanup

Commitment to Help Restore Economy

• $20 billion – Funds set aside for economic claims and natural resource restoration
• $7.4 billion – Payments for individual, business & government claims
• $179 million – BP funding to Gulf States for tourism promotion
• $82 million – Amount paid or committed for seafood marketing & testing
• 2011 – Year in which many Gulf communities enjoyed record tourism

Commitment to Support Environmental Restoration & Independent Research

• $1 billion – Amount committed for early restoration projects
• $56.2 million – Cost of first eight proposed early restoration projects
• $500 million – Funds committed for independent scientific research over 10 years
• $164 million – Funds already awarded for that independent research

BP’s Commitment to America

BP is the largest energy investor in the United States

• BP invests more in the U.S. than in any other country.
• Our capital investments in the U.S. from 2006 - 2010 totaled more than $50 billion, excluding $10 billion spent on Gulf response in 2010.
• Over the last five years BP’s reinvestment in the U.S. has substantially exceeded profits earned here.

BP is a major contributor to America’s energy security

• BP is the second largest producer of oil and gas in the U.S.
• BP is the number one producer of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
• BP produces nearly one million barrels of oil equivalent every day in the U.S.
• BP is America's seventh largest producer of natural gas.
• BP Alternative Energy (AE), with its low-carbon energy portfolio of wind, solar, and biofuels, has the most diverse alternative energy portfolio among oil and gas companies.

BP is a major source of American jobs

• Our direct U.S. workforce exceeds 23,000 people, making us the second largest oil and gas employer in America.
• BP’s business activity supports an additional 210,000 American jobs

* Approximate figures as of 12/1/2011