A “boycott BP” movement in social media is getting stronger while the Gulf of Mexico 2010 oil spill continues. Some are even trying to hurt BP’s reputation with a fake Twitter account. Also, BP oil leak parody t-shirts are selling like crazy. Analysts are saying the oil business is seeing little effect on its profits even with the BP public relations nightmare.

Article Resource: BP Facebook boycott and BP Twitter - PR setback won't hurt profits

BP boycott spreading to social media

BP boycott organizers say buying gas from other brands would hit the oil business where it hurts, short of the expense incurred dealing with the disaster. More than 11,000 signatures were collected on Wednesday by Public Citizen after launching a BP Boycott Pledge on its site. With more than 75,000 members, a Facebook group called Boycott BP suggests that people take their cash advances somewhere else for gas. Of course some may just get it because it is convenient. Also, the Facebook boycott isn’t making any difference. The Washington Post surveyed customers at BP gas stations across the Washington region. Individuals thought that filling their gas tank wasn’t something big enough to complicate with political or moral questions.

BP Twitter account goes rogue

The BP Facebook boycott may not be as effective in killing BPs reputation as the bogus BP Twitter account @BPGlobalPR. Wednesday the Los Angeles Times reports that the fake BP Twitter page had 42,000 followers. You will find only 5,700 on BP’s real Twitter account, @BP_America. The fake BP Twitter account has raised a lot more than $3,000 for the nonprofit Gulf Restoration Network through the sale of $25 BP T-shirts colored black and green to represent money and oil. Integrated on the Twitter page are fan favorites such as:

Catastrophe is a strong word, let's all agree to call it a whoopsie daisy. The good news - Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct. I'm sorry, are people mad at us for drilling in the ocean?!? Maybe God shouldn't have put oil there in the first place. DUH.

BP gas station owners take the hit

The BP boycott and BP T-shirts may affect small business BP gas station owners more than the global petroleum behemoth. CNNMoney.com reports that BP doesn't own the 11,500 gas stations that carry its logo within the United States. BP gas stations are owned by independent people. Those BP gas station owners pumped an average of more than 42-million gallons of gas per day last year. An oil company executive explained to CNN that BP, one of the largest oil trading companies within the global market, can sell petroleum products wherever it needs to. Just because American’s don’t purchase gas doesn’t mean that somebody else won’t. BP, which generated sales last year of about $240 billion, told CNN it has seen no effect from any boycott efforts.

Additional information at these websites

The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/25/AR201005...

Los Angeles Times reports

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/05/bpglobalpr.html

CNNMoney.com reports

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/26/news/companies/boycott_BP/?npt=NP1