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@BPGlobalPR Tweeter Reveals Identity, Insightfully Explains Prank

by Amar Toor on June 3, 2010 at 04:55 PM

@BPGlobal PR
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in April, sending the world to the brink of apocalypse, and a Twitter account under the handle @BPGlobalPR mysteriously popped up a month later, unleashing a spew of satirical jabs at BP, inarguably the most hated company on the planet. The account was fake but that didn't stop it from accruing over 100,000 followers. Now, the man behind the Twitter mask has revealed himself under the pseudonym of 'Leroy Stick.' And though he's an unabashed prankster, he still has some surprisingly serious insight into the popularity of his hoax.

In a lengthy essay, Stick explains the motivation behind the prank, writing, "I started @BPGlobalPR, because the oil spill had been going on for almost a month and all BP had to offer were bulls*** PR statements." Because, he or she claims, others had a similar sense of just how empty those statements were, so his/her brand of satire soon caught fire, since "laughing at it feels better than getting angry or depressed over it." The mystery person also denies that the decision was rooted in any personal interest, or financial interest, citing the $10,000 donation he or she made to Gulf Coast relief efforts.

So what advice does Leroy Stick have for BP's brand? "Offer a great, innovative product and make responsible, ethical business decisions," Leroy recommends. "Lead the pack! Evolve!... Don't dump toxic dispersant into the ocean just so the surface looks better. Collect the oil and get it out of the water!" Finally, Leroy ends on a chillingly resonant note, reminding us all that "This isn't just your disaster, this is a human tragedy," before asking BP to "Allow us to mourn so that we can stop being angry."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves. [From: StreetGiant; via: Geekosystem]

Tags: anger, bp, bp oil spill, BpOilSpill, deepwater horizon, DeepwaterHorizon, gulf of mexico, gulf oil spill, GulfOfMexico, GulfOilSpill, Hoax, leroy slick, LeroySlick, oil, oil company, oil industry, oil spill, OilCompany, OilIndustry, OilSpill, prank, top, twitter

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