Update: The Guardian reports that the "This Isn't The First Time New Orleans Has Survived the British" ad campaign has been dropped, and the article's author Chris McGreal notes that he received an angry email from Steve Perry of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau blaming the Guardian article for cancellations from British travelers. McGreal quotes an email from Perry bemoaning the cancellations and stating: "You cannot imagine the devastation to Louisiana from (hurricane) Katrina and now of our marshes and wetlands down on the coast from the oil spill as we have now suffered the two most devastating events of modern times." Today Perry confirmed that the ad campaign has been pulled.
The Guardian has a slightly bemused take on the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau's new ad campaign: "This isn't the first time New Orleans has survived the British."
Chris McGreal, the Guardian's Washington reporter, writes that, "The B in BP may no longer mean British, but tell that to New Orleans. The city is using a $5m cheque from the company to launch what might be seen as only a slightly tongue-in-cheek anti-British campaign, aimed at luring tourists who might be discouraged by the approaching oil spill." McGreal cited blogofneworleans.com's interview with Convention and Visitors Bureau Chairman Steve Perry.
"This isn't the first time New Orleans has survived the British" references General Andrew Jackson leading his troops to defeat the British in the Battle of New Orleans, and it's certainly catchy as far as slogans go. The NOCVB must focus its campaign on letting potential visitors know that New Orleans remains the same tourist-friendly location it has always been. Some are canceling vacations in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast over oil leak concerns - a severe blow to the hospitality industry.
McGreal writes that, "BP wrote a $15m (L10.1m) cheque to promote tourism in Louisiana last month. It paid a similar amount to the state of Alabama, and $25m to Florida."
And speaking of cheques and/or checks, there's now a $20 billion escrow commitment from BP to settle claims, along with $100 million for rig workers laid off during the deep water drilling moratorium. The company also announced today it will not pay this year's dividends to shareholders. After that, BP's Swiss chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said, "BP cares about small people."
Much is still being lost in translation.