If you think Marketing is tough, wait till you read this!

Here is an interesting issue that is going on around Lake Michigan and BP’s plan to expand and upgrade its refinery there.

Let’s look at some of the facts, then allow me to share my take on it:

1. BP received permission from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be allowed to include in its daily discharges into the lake 54 percent more ammonia (above the current 1,584 pounds) and 35 percent more sludge (above the current 4,925 pounds)
2. This is the first time an exemption has been made and a company actually allowed to increase its discharge into the Lake
3. After this increase, BP is still less than 50% of the levels as defined by federal environment guidelines
4. BP (a UK company) plans to invest US$3 billion to upgrade its plant
5. Purpose of the upgrade is to allow the plant to process Canadian crude, which requires more extensive processing as opposed to crude oil from the Middle East
6. BP has voluntarily reduced total suspended solids in its water discharge by 40% in the past four years

There are many more facts involved and it is rather complex (read BP’s summary here). But the simple marketing man that I am, sees only a problem that is commonly faced by us in our world too. Our clients want the best work from us, year after year, improvements, innovations, creativity; at less and less cost. Then, when we propose a paradigm shift, a creative inspiration, which will help generate more marketing impact; they stare at us as if we have desecrated their marketing shrine.

Frankly, I do not see a simple solution to the issues surrounding BP’s situation at Lake Michigan. However, at some point in time, the facts have to be considered clearly and calmly. All issues are important. Lake Michigan is important. The world’s wellness is important. USA energy needs are important. Oil refineries are important (no refineries, no oil; no oil…?). When we are children, we think and speak as children. We like this. We hate that. But when we grow up, we reluctantly realise that there is a new word besides “yes” and “no”. We learn about “maybe”. Trade-offs. But trade-offs can be made in two ways. One way is to make you feel good. The other way is for the overall balance of what is good. It is a sad but true reality of life.

I would rather see a company step up and be transparent about its practices, then for them to pretend to toe the line and then try to “fudge the numbers”. But if every company that comes forward and talks the issues through gets treated like a welcomed target, there can be little incentive for other businesses to “expose” themselves. In the end, there will have to be a compromise. But if everyone chooses to work together to make things better, a compromise is not necessarily a lose-lose scenario. And in this case, both BP and the authorities will certainly have to come to some sort of compromise.

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[tags]BP, environment, pollution, lake michigan[/tags]