The interview that many were waiting for happened. Paula Deen appeared on the Today Show to quell the growing crisis confronting her brand. Over the past week, her crisis response to the revelation that she had used the ‘N’ word over 20 years ago was disastrous. She has lost the Food Network, long the lynchpin ..
If wasn’t for Paula Deen, Men’s Wearhouse would be getting the dubious honor of how not to deal with a crisis and branding strategy gone awry. Last week without warning or explanation, Men’s Wearhouse abruptly fired their founder and company spokesperson, George Zimmer famous for the slogan “You’re going to like the way you look. ..
Major retail companies understand the link between their brand identities and their corporate success. That’s why companies like Nike, Walmart, Volvo, and Coca Cola are so protective of their brands. They have a compact with their customers and continued success depends on fulfilling their brand promise by delivering a consistent brand experience. The same is ..
JC Penney is an iconic retailer dating back 111 years, yet lately it has fallen under hard times. For years it had an unique spot in retailing between stores like Macys and Sears. Lately though it has lost that middle ground and has been unable to compete against Belks, Macy’s and Kohl’s. In a sign ..
Moms who blog wear two hats and that requires some extra effort – not just from mom bloggers, but from brands who want to engage us. Car seats, apps, even mops are all ripe for review, but mom bloggers are inundated today. Tip #1: Talk Mom-to-Mom To catch our eye, point out key features that ..
If it’s broke, fix it – As soon as you realize there’s a problem, fix it. Brand loyalists expect a very specific experience from their favorite brands and when that brand promise isn’t being met, they will go elsewhere (there are many fish in the sea). It’s important to fix problems as soon as you ..
One of the most frequent comments we hear is, “We are a service oriented company and not a product based company and therefore branding doesn’t make sense for us, or it just won’t work.” This statement couldn’t be further from the truth and, in fact, is completely backwards. Service oriented companies are in greater need ..
Does your brand need an extreme makeover? Not necessarily—Just ask the folks at Tropicana Orange Juice. After deciding that the look they’d been using for years was past the expiration date, in January they launched redesigned cartons. The look was so fresh that Tropicana’s loyal customers didn’t even recognize it. They thought it was a ..
The lack of brand discipline is something we notice often when we work with small businesses. It can be very damaging. Exposure of a consistent brand is essential to building name recognition. To achieve it, companies need image guidelines that all of their employees follow; these must include a company font to be used on ..
As a communications professional, one of your most important tasks is making sure your brand’s reputation is spotless. Long ago, this meant selling a good product and avoiding bad publicity. But that was then . . . Thanks to the Internet explosion, online brand reputation management demands so much attention, it’s become a job unto ..
