BP: Coloring Public Opinion?

LOS ANGELES You’d think sinking billions into alternate energy would earn any corporation a “green” thumbs up. But if that corporation is also the world’s second-largest producer of fossil fuels, there’s a lot more explaining to do. And that’s exactly what BP has been doing for seven years in a rebranding effort that touts its alternate-energy initiatives and positions the company as environmentally friendly.

Separate from the retail campaign for its products such as gas stations, BP’s corporate campaign tacitly positions it as the energy company that’s more honest with consumers than other oil companies and one that tries to reconcile their need for fuel with their fear of polluting.

Since