Got Any Better Ideas for BP?

Top Ten Ways BP Can Improve Its Image

10 .Change "BP" from "British Petroleum" to "Bunnies and Puppies"
9. Scrap the snotty British accents
8. Cry on "Oprah"
7. Take a page from AFLAC. New mascot: wise-cranking oil-soaked duck
6. Find Bin Laden
5. Start making cookies. Who doesn't love cookies?
4. What's wrong with our image?
3. Switch from "Drill Baby Drill" to "Help Daddy Help"
2. Instead of their image, maybe they can focus on fixing the damn leak!
1. For goodness sakes, get Iron Man to do something!

The Late Show with David Letterman

Grass Roots Publicity

Have you ever written a letter to the editor of your local newspaper? Have you ever called in to a talk show? These are two low-cost ways to get the attention of the public and journalists.

Also, are you using social media to your advantage? Don't just write a press release. Put it on your website, your blog, your LinkedIn account and your Facebook page. Then tweet a link to it, and send an email to your friends who are also followers on Twitter to re-tweet.

Join organizations and contribute to the monthly newsletters or magazines. Volunteer. Build relationships and a database. When you have big news, send a postcard or letter to your database.

The point is, you can do many things to publicize your cause, product or service that some people would call just staying in touch with your friends or network.