( CNN ) -- If he was unknown to the American public before , Tony Hayward is fast becoming a household name , answering rapid-fire questions about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in newspaper stories and television shows . On Thursday , BP 's chief executive officer hit the airwaves again . This time , with a carefully crafted message of his own : `` I 'm sorry . '' `` The Gulf spill is a tragedy that never should have happened , '' Hayward says in commercials that began airing on national television. `` ... BP has taken full responsibility for cleaning up the spill in the Gulf , '' he says . `` We 've helped organize the largest environmental response in this country 's history . More than 2 million feet of boom , 30 planes and over 1,300 boats are working to protect the shoreline . Where oil reaches the shore , thousands of people are ready to clean it up . We will honor all legitimate claims . And our cleanup efforts will not come at any cost to taxpayers . `` To those affected and your families , I am deeply sorry . The Gulf is home for thousands of BP 's employees and we all feel the impact . To all the volunteers and for the strong support of the government , thank you . We know it is our responsibility to keep you informed . And do everything we can so this never happens again . We will get this done . We will make this right . '' Hayward makes the same apology in full-page ads appearing in major daily newspapers , including The New York Times , the Wall Street Journal , USA Today and The Washington Post . The ads are part of BP 's efforts to polish its tarnished image , but marketing experts are n't so sure anything will help just yet -- not with thousands of gallons of oil still gushing out of the ruptured BP well . `` At the end of the day , the best PR and advertising in the world can not compete with that live video stream of that oil coming out of the bottom of the sea , '' Chris Gidez , a former oil company public relations man , told Advertising Age magazine . `` PR , advertising , community affairs , social media and communications is not going to solve the problem . '' The beleaguered oil company 's apology is certainly not stopping angry Americans who plan to begin a week of demonstrations Thursday in 50 cities nationwide . It also may be too late for residents of the Gulf Coast , who were already upset with Hayward after he told reporters Sunday that he `` would like his life back '' from the spill . Fishermen and shop owners affected by the spill took issue with what they perceived as a whine from the millionaire businessman . So Hayward issued yet another apology , this time on BP 's Facebook page Wednesday afternoon . `` I made a hurtful and thoughtless comment on Sunday when I said that ' I wanted my life back , ' `` Hayward said . `` When I read that recently , I was appalled . I apologize , especially to the families of the 11 men who lost their lives in this tragic accident . `` Those words do n't represent how I feel about this tragedy , and certainly do n't represent the hearts of the people of BP -- many of whom live and work in the Gulf -- who are doing everything they can to make things right . My first priority is doing all we can to restore the lives of the people of the Gulf region and their families -- to restore their lives , not mine . ''
BP 's top official apologizes in TV ads that began airing Thursday . The ad features a man who says he was "shocked and saddened" by the oil spill, but now wants to help clean up the mess. Fishermen , coastal merchants angered by comment .