So dropping Michael Phelps because he happened to smoke marijuana is Kellogg's way of supporting athletes and making a commitment to their growth. I hate to tell you Kelloggs, this isn't 1955, and today's kids don't eat their wheaties while waiting to work at dad's accounting firm. This is the 21st century where star athletes are under unbelievable pressure to perform. Not just in their venue, but 24/7.
Think about Michael Phelps. He's what 23? He's been doing nothing but training every day for the last six years. He won more medals at the olympics than can fit around his neck. He takes a break and makes one mistake by trusting his friends while he parties. And boom! You turn around and drop him as a bad influence on America's youth. Doesn't say much about your commitment to your athletes. It doesn't say much about your standing behind America's principles. Actually, it sounds more like a company that cuts and runs at the tiniest hint of bad news. Why not admonish the snake who took the photos and sold them? That would have been a stronger move, and one that would have bought you a lot more respect.
What do your actions say about your brand? In my humble opinion, it tells me that you're a brand that only stands by your friends as long as the skies are clear and the sun is shining. Let's just hope your product never has a rainy day.
Oh yes, I would be very curious to know how your executives unwind after a bad quarter? Something tells me it's not all apple pie and freshly scrubbed faces...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Blagojevich - Or, Just How Badly A Bad Image Can Ruin You
Blagojevich - now there's a name to bring up when talking about the importance of reputation management. Not in terms of his recent media campaign, but proof of how quickly and completely a bad reputation can permanently ruin a person's reputation or a product's brand. Brand management? Personal branding? Reputation management? Throw your case studies out the window, because Rod Blagojevich will go down in history as showing the true value of a reputation.
Think about it. Technically Rod Blagojevich hasn't been found guilty of anything illegal - yet. He hasn't faced criminal proceedings yet, and in the United States it is still innocent until proven guilty - isn't it?
The only fact that is concrete, is that he shot his mouth off on several occasions and embarrassed himself and the state of Illinois so badly that it's been the leading headline beneath Obama's win.It's as if the Illinois Legislature has said, "Enough, Rod. Frankly, we don't care if you're innocent or guilty. You've already done so much damage to this state that we really don't really care if you are innocent or guilty. Please, just leave."
They are not even allowing him to present witnesses in his defense. "Thank you Rod, but we just want you to sit there for a moment so we can get this over with."What is this all based on? A brief window in time in which he allowed himself to be, well himself.
Nobody knew who he was before this. But the brief look at his language, his attitude, and that Boss Tweed meets Tony Soprano image he created for himself. In effect, his reputation and his brand.
He, in such a short period of time, created such a reprehensible name for himself that he's now being impeached for it. He could possibly be the first person found guilty, not for doing anything criminal, but for establishing a bad brand.
So if you ever have to ask yourself how important branding is, or reputation management is - well just think of Rod Blagojevich. The guy who created such a bad image for himself, he ruined his career and his future in less than a day. Well, ruined that is unless he wants to do talk radio...
Think about it. Technically Rod Blagojevich hasn't been found guilty of anything illegal - yet. He hasn't faced criminal proceedings yet, and in the United States it is still innocent until proven guilty - isn't it?
The only fact that is concrete, is that he shot his mouth off on several occasions and embarrassed himself and the state of Illinois so badly that it's been the leading headline beneath Obama's win.It's as if the Illinois Legislature has said, "Enough, Rod. Frankly, we don't care if you're innocent or guilty. You've already done so much damage to this state that we really don't really care if you are innocent or guilty. Please, just leave."
They are not even allowing him to present witnesses in his defense. "Thank you Rod, but we just want you to sit there for a moment so we can get this over with."What is this all based on? A brief window in time in which he allowed himself to be, well himself.
Nobody knew who he was before this. But the brief look at his language, his attitude, and that Boss Tweed meets Tony Soprano image he created for himself. In effect, his reputation and his brand.
He, in such a short period of time, created such a reprehensible name for himself that he's now being impeached for it. He could possibly be the first person found guilty, not for doing anything criminal, but for establishing a bad brand.
So if you ever have to ask yourself how important branding is, or reputation management is - well just think of Rod Blagojevich. The guy who created such a bad image for himself, he ruined his career and his future in less than a day. Well, ruined that is unless he wants to do talk radio...
Friday, January 23, 2009
Keeping One's Personal Brand Strong
As John Stewart said "If you ever wondered what Barack's 'Shut the F**k up' face looks like, just watch him when Joe Biden started to joke about the slip up with the oath of office."
It's also one of the best examples of someone protecting his personal brand. In effect, by taking the initiative to repeat the oath, by reigning in his second in command, and by maintaining a no-joke demeanor throughout his campaign and the initial days of his presidency, he has sent a solid message out to the world - "we do not take this job lightly, we understand how serious this office is, and we are not going to allow anyone to undermine us in tackling the tasks ahead."
It is refreshing to see, and is a lesson to everyone out there in terms of what it takes to protect one's brand in today's media world.
It's also one of the best examples of someone protecting his personal brand. In effect, by taking the initiative to repeat the oath, by reigning in his second in command, and by maintaining a no-joke demeanor throughout his campaign and the initial days of his presidency, he has sent a solid message out to the world - "we do not take this job lightly, we understand how serious this office is, and we are not going to allow anyone to undermine us in tackling the tasks ahead."
It is refreshing to see, and is a lesson to everyone out there in terms of what it takes to protect one's brand in today's media world.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Just glad we could help you live out the recession in ease....
Speaking at the FBR Capital Markets conference in New York in December, Walter M. Pressey, president of Boston Private Wealth Management, a healthy bank with a mostly affluent clientele, said there were no immediate plans to do much with the $154 million it received from the Treasury.
“With that capital in hand, not only do we feel comfortable that we can ride out the recession,” he said, “but we also feel that we’ll be in a position to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves once this recession is sorted out.”
Well, ain't that wonderful? I mean, it must be nice to have all these kind people help you out, and ensure you could ride out the storm in comfort.
And don't think he's alone. At the Palm Beach Ritz-Carlton last November, John C. Hope III, the chairman of Whitney National Bank in New Orleans, stood before a ballroom full of Wall Street analysts and explained how his bank intended to use its $300 million in federal bailout money.
“Make more loans?” Mr. Hope said. “We’re not going to change our business model or our credit policies to accommodate the needs of the public sector as they see it to have us make more loans.”
I truly can't even comment on these two statements - on a human level, on a brand level, or on a "never in a million years...." level.
I ask, if We the people can give the money away, can't we call the loan in early? Why not put it up for vote?
“With that capital in hand, not only do we feel comfortable that we can ride out the recession,” he said, “but we also feel that we’ll be in a position to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves once this recession is sorted out.”
Well, ain't that wonderful? I mean, it must be nice to have all these kind people help you out, and ensure you could ride out the storm in comfort.
And don't think he's alone. At the Palm Beach Ritz-Carlton last November, John C. Hope III, the chairman of Whitney National Bank in New Orleans, stood before a ballroom full of Wall Street analysts and explained how his bank intended to use its $300 million in federal bailout money.
“Make more loans?” Mr. Hope said. “We’re not going to change our business model or our credit policies to accommodate the needs of the public sector as they see it to have us make more loans.”
I truly can't even comment on these two statements - on a human level, on a brand level, or on a "never in a million years...." level.
I ask, if We the people can give the money away, can't we call the loan in early? Why not put it up for vote?
How Much Time.....
Well, now that Barack Obama has become President of these United States, how much time does he have? How much time is the American public going to give him until they start ripping him apart for not returning us to pre-depression and pre-disaster times?
At this point, he's got a great approval rating. His numbers are up, which means the Obama brand is flying strong. As of January 14th, most American's throught he was the Man. Which is good. But he hasn't done anything yet. Which means he's been able to convince most of us that he is capable of incredible feats of governance and management merely on his presence and his words.
Don't get me wrong. I love the guy. I think he's the only hope for America now, and well into the future. This is less a commentary on him and his capabilities, and more a comment on We, the people...
Does his strong brand and strong position buy him the two or more years he's going to need to turn America around and show some results? Will it buy him the 4 years that's far more likely to be needed? Or will most Americans give up after 6 months, when it's time to hit the 4th of July celebrations?
American's love two things - praising the underdog, and ripping apart the leaddog. We do it all the time. So now that Obama's not the underdog any more. Now that he's transitioning to the leaddog position, at what point will we start doubting his ability? How long until we start doubting? Will we have the presence to support him when things don't instantly come up sunny? Or will we go back to our usual and look for someone to blame?
The brand is a strong and powerful force. It's done very well for Mr. Obama and his team. But how long will the brand survive without AMPLE actions to take it, and him, to the next level?
At this point, he's got a great approval rating. His numbers are up, which means the Obama brand is flying strong. As of January 14th, most American's throught he was the Man. Which is good. But he hasn't done anything yet. Which means he's been able to convince most of us that he is capable of incredible feats of governance and management merely on his presence and his words.
Don't get me wrong. I love the guy. I think he's the only hope for America now, and well into the future. This is less a commentary on him and his capabilities, and more a comment on We, the people...
Does his strong brand and strong position buy him the two or more years he's going to need to turn America around and show some results? Will it buy him the 4 years that's far more likely to be needed? Or will most Americans give up after 6 months, when it's time to hit the 4th of July celebrations?
American's love two things - praising the underdog, and ripping apart the leaddog. We do it all the time. So now that Obama's not the underdog any more. Now that he's transitioning to the leaddog position, at what point will we start doubting his ability? How long until we start doubting? Will we have the presence to support him when things don't instantly come up sunny? Or will we go back to our usual and look for someone to blame?
The brand is a strong and powerful force. It's done very well for Mr. Obama and his team. But how long will the brand survive without AMPLE actions to take it, and him, to the next level?
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Darwin Hits Wallstreet
America’s auto industry is not in trouble. There are plenty of domestic plants that are going full steam ahead. The airline industry is not in trouble – just the older airlines that are locked into union contracts and have to maintain outdated fleets. While DHL has stopped its domestic business, companies like FGX are taking over market share and growing. What does all this mean? That Darwin has finally come to the business world. The business dinosaurs are dying. In their place is a new kind of company, running leaner, providing better products at a lower cost, and growing.
On November 17, 2008, Honda officially dedicated its new auto plant that began producing its the fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder Honda Civic Sedan. At a time when U.S. automakers are asking for a bailout, Honda is planning to open yet another plant in 2009 that could eventually reach annual production of 300,000 vehicles and help take Honda’s total North American output close to 1.8 million vehicles a year—roughly the same as Toyota. These are U.S. auto manufacturers, employing U.S. auto workers, and they are growing.
While other airlines continue to struggle, JetBlue has shown an increase same month seats over November 2007 with almost every airport other than JFK. While Delta cut w,000 jobs, and American Airlines and its feeder carrier American Eagle plan to cut capacity 6 percent next year, with an 8.5 reduction in U.S. flying by American itself, Southwest Airlines announced that “October was a bang-up month, almost unexplainably strong,” according to chairman and chief executive Gary Kelly. While DHL announced a pullback from the United States and while UPS announced a price increase to cover its costs, upstart First Global Xpress is expanding its operations and growing as an International shipping company.
It is not that American industry is failing across the board. It is that the older companies that refuse to re-tool, to update their processes, and who refuse to revisit their products and services to make sure they are responding to the changing needs of today’s customers and clients. Take for example, a company like First Global Xpress [FGX]. They entered the shipping industry by looking at how companies like Fedex, UPS and DHL were doing business, and by quickly realizing the Hub & Spoke model these companies employed was a fantastic idea in 1970. However, with new communication platforms, with more airlines carrying cargo to supplement revenues, and with more local messenger services available to work with, the old model was far inferior in providing service and far more expensive than it needed to be.
The result for FGX is growth. Better still, with their less expensive process, they are gaining even greater market share in this down economy. When companies are looking for ways to reduce expenses, FGX is a Godsend. Welcome to the new economy – it may not be as bad in the long term as we all think...
On November 17, 2008, Honda officially dedicated its new auto plant that began producing its the fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder Honda Civic Sedan. At a time when U.S. automakers are asking for a bailout, Honda is planning to open yet another plant in 2009 that could eventually reach annual production of 300,000 vehicles and help take Honda’s total North American output close to 1.8 million vehicles a year—roughly the same as Toyota. These are U.S. auto manufacturers, employing U.S. auto workers, and they are growing.
While other airlines continue to struggle, JetBlue has shown an increase same month seats over November 2007 with almost every airport other than JFK. While Delta cut w,000 jobs, and American Airlines and its feeder carrier American Eagle plan to cut capacity 6 percent next year, with an 8.5 reduction in U.S. flying by American itself, Southwest Airlines announced that “October was a bang-up month, almost unexplainably strong,” according to chairman and chief executive Gary Kelly. While DHL announced a pullback from the United States and while UPS announced a price increase to cover its costs, upstart First Global Xpress is expanding its operations and growing as an International shipping company.
It is not that American industry is failing across the board. It is that the older companies that refuse to re-tool, to update their processes, and who refuse to revisit their products and services to make sure they are responding to the changing needs of today’s customers and clients. Take for example, a company like First Global Xpress [FGX]. They entered the shipping industry by looking at how companies like Fedex, UPS and DHL were doing business, and by quickly realizing the Hub & Spoke model these companies employed was a fantastic idea in 1970. However, with new communication platforms, with more airlines carrying cargo to supplement revenues, and with more local messenger services available to work with, the old model was far inferior in providing service and far more expensive than it needed to be.
The result for FGX is growth. Better still, with their less expensive process, they are gaining even greater market share in this down economy. When companies are looking for ways to reduce expenses, FGX is a Godsend. Welcome to the new economy – it may not be as bad in the long term as we all think...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I Pity The President - or Truth in Advertising
It's election night, and no matter who wins this election, I pity the fool. Why? Because each has made promises that they simply can't keep. I do promise this. Somewhere in the first months of their presidency will come the message "It's much worse that I had thought. That SOB George W. lied to us, and now I can't do everything I wanted to. Even worse, I'm going to need each of you to work even harder in order for us to get back on track."
Why do I say this? Well, let's just look at the larger picture - of what's going on with this country. And no, this isn't a bash on the country. I love it deeply and feel it is still the greatest country on this planet. However, our January 1st is coming up quickly and we are already waking up with one hell of a hangover.
The fact is simple, for the most part our lifestyle is based on a level of consumption we simply cannot continue to maintain. We have larger refridgerators that most of the world can even dream of. We drive larger vehicles than most of us can afford, and that far exceed our fuel resources. We are demanding greater benefits from employers, but we have fewer jobs available to us. The worst part is, none of this is a result of the credit meltdown. It is due to our maintaining a lifestyle that is far out of touch from the rest of the world - and none of us are changing our way of life to fit the resources at hand.
The sad part is, as a nation, we are rapidly finding our horizon point where we will be forced to fall closer in line with the rest of the world. The next President will be the first one that will not have much of a choice but to wake us up to a rather nasty hangover. And no, I don't think he will have a large enough aspirin to ease the sunrise...
Why do I say this? Well, let's just look at the larger picture - of what's going on with this country. And no, this isn't a bash on the country. I love it deeply and feel it is still the greatest country on this planet. However, our January 1st is coming up quickly and we are already waking up with one hell of a hangover.
The fact is simple, for the most part our lifestyle is based on a level of consumption we simply cannot continue to maintain. We have larger refridgerators that most of the world can even dream of. We drive larger vehicles than most of us can afford, and that far exceed our fuel resources. We are demanding greater benefits from employers, but we have fewer jobs available to us. The worst part is, none of this is a result of the credit meltdown. It is due to our maintaining a lifestyle that is far out of touch from the rest of the world - and none of us are changing our way of life to fit the resources at hand.
The sad part is, as a nation, we are rapidly finding our horizon point where we will be forced to fall closer in line with the rest of the world. The next President will be the first one that will not have much of a choice but to wake us up to a rather nasty hangover. And no, I don't think he will have a large enough aspirin to ease the sunrise...
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