The internets have been busy over the past couple months creatively re-branding and correcting the corporate identity of the company formally known at British Petroleum. We have seen some hilarious logo re-design, mock print ads and of course the ever entertaining BPGlobalPR spoof Twitter feed. Not to be outdone online video remix has also played a part in the raging Internet vs. BP brand battle. So we here at PRV have collected a handful of our favorites.

The first of several more honest re-cut versions of the now infamous “Message From Tony Hayward” PR propaganda commercial that BP is trying to infect the internet with by buying up all the search terms relating to the disaster. Listen carefully to the audio editing in the remix below which transforms Tony’s words into something perhaps a little closer to the truth.

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Last week, BP CEO Tony Hayward went before Congress in round one of the oil company’s Congressional hearings. As if the 60 day oil geyser hemorrhaging into the Gulf and the lack of solutions for stopping it weren’t enough, Hayward adds insult to injury by simply re-using his own words that “A Message from Tony Hayward” ad as his opening statement to the House.

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One more remix of “A Message from Tony Hayward” ad – this time with a new overdub of Hayward’s “last words” includes a call to action to revoke BP’s Corporate Charter which you can do here.

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BP’s massive $200 million rebranding campaign handled by Ogilvy & Mather in July 2000 won the PRWeek’s 2001 “Campaign of the Year” award for re-imaging the brand’s identity  to communicate that “BP can be a friend — listening to consumers, speaking in a human voice“. Here, the BP campaign is accurately adjusted to illustrate a more fitting identity correction.

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An emotion-filled anecdote created by editing Hayward quotes with the song, “End of the World” by Skeeter Davis for the organization NRDC.

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News footage and photographs are combined with Disney’s animated feature The Little Mermaid to provide a new meaning to the hit song Under the Sea.

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In “A Whole Day Of Tony Hayward’s Obfuscating In Four Minute”, Ben Craw of the Huffington Post, illustrates how Hayward refuses to answer question and gives intentionally ambiguous responses to House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Because it seems that’s the real role of a leader at BP.

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Have you seen other BP remix videos online? If so please post links in the comments!

Category: news segment
Topic Tags: advertising, BP, corporations, energy, environment, identity correction, oil

I recently helped the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) re-dub Royal Bank of Canada’s new Olympic Flame Trail commercial. The new and improved voiceover better represents the bank’s dirty investments: since 2007, RBC has given about $17 billion dollars in loans to companies operating in the Alberta tar sands – more than any other bank. Not only is it one of the most environmentally destructive energy projects on the planet but expansion of the tar sands is trampling the rights of Indigenous peoples, destroying North American water systems and significantly increasing Canada’s carbon emissions.

Category: tv commercial
Topic Tags: advertising, banks, corporations, energy, environment, identity correction, oil

This remix is somewhat unique because it comes to us from a non-profit organization rather than from an individual artist. The speeches, press conferences, news clips and ads of US political figures, both left and right, are edited to make an official event trailer for Power Shift 09 and their lobby day on March 2nd. The video also represents an example of how political remix video is being used to harness real, on-the-ground grassroots action for policy change. It’s exciting to see organizations using appropriated footage in their campaign videos. It wasn’t too long ago when the fear of using such copyrighted material kept most non-profits from making interesting remixed media. Hopefully the fair-use trend will continue and encourage others to transform corporate media into tools of social change.

The Power Shift 09 website says they “will bring 10,000 young people to Washington to hold our elected officials accountable for rebuilding our economy and reclaiming our future through bold climate and clean energy policy”. The organization advocates for green jobs and investments in solar and wind energy rather than the polluting and dangerous options of oil, coal or nuclear. The event is happening from FEB 27th to MAR 2nd. You can also see their other event promos on the Power Shift youtube channel and regester for the event here. I might just have to find my way to DC myself for this one!

Category: political speech
Topic Tags: activism, al gore, energy, environment, government, mccain, obama, ralph nader, schwarzenegger

A political mash-up video combing McCain, Bush and Obama speeches on energy policy created by the stimulator over at submedia. The video shows all three politicians saying exactly the same positive things about polluting, dangerous and unworkable energy alternatives. Basically all the US presidential candidates have been “drinking the Kool-ad” on nuclear, ethanol and the ridiculous lie of “clean-coal”.

You can also see and remix this video on RemixAmerica.org, a project which invites you to make your own remixes right on their website.

Category: short film
Topic Tags: bush, coal, energy, environment, mccain, obama, oil