BP Gets New Face…Will It Work?

Regular readers will note that we have called on BP to do one thing to give them some PR breathing room: fire or otherwise silence the tone-deaf CEO Tony Hayward.

Well, looks like they have done so in the person of BP managing director Robert Dudley.  Hayward has been shunted to the background in favor of the Mississippi native. He did a deft job handling Meredith Viera’s  pointed questioning on this morning’s “Today Show” on NBC.

A key thing he said is that BP would be “listening” to all parties. A smart move, as this is the first step in making amends:  letting people vent, express their feelings and list what they need to be made whole. This is a good first step in raising BP’s sunken PR ship. He also stayed out of the prickly federal moratorium issue.

The question is, will he make a difference over the long haul?

The Wall Street Journal‘s blog has an excellent rundown of opinions from the punditocracy.

We’ll be watching, and yep, commenting on the PR moves made by all players in this tragic situation.

What do you think? The comments section awaits your thoughts.