Last week’s AdAge poll posed a fascinating question:

As someone employed in marketing, advertising or public relations, would you work on the BP account in a professional capacity at this point?

The consensus leaned slightly toward “Yes,” 46% to 42%, with 13% responding, “It depends on how much I’d be paid.” But many of those who left comments on the poll’s web page would take on the challenge gladly. Here’s a sample:

The question is not whether an ad agency can turn public opinion in BP's favor, it's whether you can ever tell a compelling enough story about the response to make it OK in enough consumers' minds to fill their tanks at a BP station. If BP allowed me to do an HONEST campaign? Yes, I'd take it on in a heartbeat. It'd be one helluva ride. [PowerFliteGuy]

The commenters who say they would take on the challenge would do so if they have access to management—and management was ready to take their advice. Armed with that, the creative possibilities for transforming the brand are enticing to these professionals.

Last week, Paul tweeted a MarketingProfs article about a study saying that PR, not marketing, is gaining control of social media, because PR is accustomed to communicating through dialogue, not monologue—dialogue being more suited to social media.

Sounds like the dialogue must not only be between the company and its public, but also be between the communications professionals and their management—especially when the brand needs rescuing, and the message is the hardest to communicate.