From a communications standpoint, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward’s statements today on BBC television were absolutely perfect. This is an amazing PR case study and one thousands of communications professionals can learn from. To see it as such in no way diminishes the horror BP has unleashed in the Gulf, or the role that Hayward may have played in letting that happen.

Hayward said he won’t step down over the spill, although many sources believe he may be forced to.

According to the AP, he said:

“We are going to stop the leak. We’re going to clean up the oil, we’re going to remediate any environmental damage and we are going to return the Gulf coast to the position it was in prior to this event. That’s an absolute commitment, we will be there long after the media has gone, making good on our promises.”

This is, in my mind, a masterful statement. First, it goes as far as any public company reasonably could at this point in a crisis. It would be nice to hear how much money was committed to the effort. It would also be nice to hear something like “we’re sorry,” but that’s just not going to happen. But he has certainly outlined a roadmap that’s pretty darn strong compared with others announced by executives and public officials in similar situations. Did we hear anything like this from FEMA officials in the days immediately after Katrina?

He’s also made his leadership position clear. He’s implying responsibility for the spill by clearly articulating a commitment to the cleanup. He’s said he isn’t going to step down, and I wouldn’t either. To do so would obviously be an admission of failure, but it would also be a failure to accept responsibility for his and the company’s mistakes. He is saying, in essence, I helped screw it up, I’m going to stay (as long as I can) and try to make things right. Finally, and this is a very interesting bit and perhaps the most controversial of his statement, he takes a not-so-subtle shot at journalists, saying “we will be there long after the media is gone.”

There are almost as many predictions as commitments in Hayward’s statement. It will be interesting to look back on this six months from now.

Tags: BP, Tony Hayward, FEMA, Katrina, Gulf Oil Spill, cleanup