BP has come in for criticism after it was revealed that the company spent $5m (£3.3m) a week on advertising since the Gulf Coast oil disaster.

Several marketing news sources report that the troubled oil giant told the House Energy and Commerce Committee it paid out $93m (£60.4m) on advertising between April and July.

According to The Independent, BP claims that the money was spent to keep Gulf Coast residents abreast of the latest developments related to the oil spill. It was also intended to maintain ‘transparency’ in BP’s actions.

It is thought that the majority of the money spent on advertising was directed at television, newspaper and magazine campaigns, with a certain amount devoted to the internet.

The figures were revealed after the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote a letter to US Congresswoman Kathy Castor. The Telegraph reports that Ms Castor ‘attacked’ the spending, saying BP should be doing more to help the Gulf coast’s tourism and fishing industries.

“While BP’s advertising campaign ramped up, businesses and the Gulf communities struggled to deal with the costs of the disaster,” Marketing quoted Ms Castor as saying. “While BP’s advertising campaign is being executed like clockwork, business and state claims have languished.”

BP said that the advertising spending was relatively small when compared to the total of $6.1bn that the firm has spent in response to the spill so far.

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