Upheavals

Sorry seems to be the easiest word

[Update: Seems even Tiger Woods must break his silence and respond, even if it is only to announce that he is walking away "indefinitely".] Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 12/12/2009

The concept of “badwill”

If a strong brand adds value to the physical costs of a product, does a bad brand reduce the asking price? The instinctive answer of course is yes. But does it actually materially affect the asking price to the point where anything associated with that brand can only ever reach below what it needs to be worth? Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 23/04/2009

The reputation contradiction

24/7 Wall Street, an online financial news Web site, has published a list of the brands it believes could be dead by next year: Budget rental cars; Borders books; Crocs footwear; Saturn vehicles; Esquire magazine; Old Navy apparel; Architectural Digest magazine; Chrysler brand cars; Eddie Bauer; Palm; AIG; and United Air Lines. You can read their rationale for why here. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 22/04/2009

The perils of association

Seems Harvard Business School’s brand is under fire after several of its previously illustrious alumni experienced a sharp decline in credibility. Questions are now being asked about the currency of Harvard Business School teachings and whether it has adequately prepared some of America’s most powerful decision makers for the sharp change in the financial weather. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 13/04/2009

It’s not a name change, it’s just a synonym

From a brand point of view, I’ve questioned for some time the sense of investing bail-out money in poisoned brands, because while the funds may bring some relief ostensibly to balance sheets, and enable the payout of outrageous “bonuses”, they do nothing whatsoever to salvage the reputation of the company. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 25/03/2009

What a difference a word makes … apparently

According to this article, the financial bail-out simply needed a name change to succeed. The problem it seems was in the use of the word “bail out”. If the Administration had just used the word “rescue” instead, getting the package through Congress the first time would have been a walk in the park. Bush, it seems, should have opted for a movie trailer approach or gone for the David vs Wall Street approach. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 13/10/2008

Airbrushing

In a world of choice, it’s tempting to retouch your brand story to make it more appealing. It’s tempting to say your clothes are made in one country, when in fact some of the garment is made somewhere else. It’s easy to state that you have a rigorous environmental policy when in fact it’s still under development. It’s simple to say that your food has the perfect mix of whatever, when in fact your machines are not calibrated to tell you exactly how much of which ingredient will end up in a randomly sampled pack. It just takes a moment to add a qualification you don’t have and to say it’s from an impressive institution – because you know you’re that good anyway. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 19/05/2008

Guesswork is not a great communications strategy

Just been in Sydney with Mike, speaking to investor relations managers about what to do now that the old annual report has all but died in Australia. The figures we’ve seen show opt-in figures (people choosing to receive a physical copy of the annual report) of as low as 6%. Andrew, one of the other presenters, had figures of around 9.5%. But that still leaves 90%+ of investors saying no thanks – we’ll look elsewhere. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 8/05/2008

Coping with the outrage

Whilst everyone is shocked and sickened by what has come to light in Austria, I agree with Simon Anholt that the Austrian government is perhaps over-reacting by calling in the consultants to fix its image. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 2/05/2008

Can you depend on Lonely Planet?

It’s one of the most trusted travel brands in the world. But now it seems Lonely Planet may be neither as lonely nor as planetary as one might have been led to believe – that’s if author Thomas Kohnstamm’s account is anywhere near accurate. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 15/04/2008

Sensible to the max

Thumbs up to the Automobile Association in New Zealand for recognising that what looks like Max Mosley’s whole new take on ‘get your motor running’ might not make him a brand-aligned choice to attend their transport and environment summit in June. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 9/04/2008

A post-rational economy? In places, perhaps.

A poll by online magazine brandchannel.com has resulted in Apple being named the brand with the biggest impact on consumers globally. Microsoft by contrast was the brand most readers wanted to argue with, and the one they most wanted to revamp. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 1/04/2008

Tibet or taboo?

Mixed messages indeed from the world’s major corporates as Olympic sponsors find themselves associated with a political situation in Tibet that’s becoming a little uncomfortable. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 25/03/2008

Tipping point?

Over at Brand Autopsy, John Moore offers his ever-informed appraisal of Starbucks’ proposed transformation programme arguing that many of the ideas proposed will do nothing to improve US business, one or two may enhance the connection with customers but 4 out of 6 represent opportunities for investment for future growth. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 22/03/2008

The next tobacco?

As a little village of 400 people files suit in the US for damages caused by climate change there are two conclusions: Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 5/03/2008

Personal branding - answering the fame question

Just a quick thought this morning as I dash out to a board meeting. There seems to be an increasing tendency to regard personal branding as the image you want to project. The problem with that of course is that it’s not dissimilar to the myth it took years to break down – you know brand = logo, except in this case, you can substitute logo for clothes or car or manicure. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 28/02/2008

Stuffing the pigeon into the rhombus

I enjoyed Johnnie Moore’s post this morning on classifying people. The dilemma with pigeon-holes of course is that not everyone fits, and some of the best people in industry do defy what’s expected of them. That is literally what makes them exceptional. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 27/02/2008

Branding, branding everywhere …

You don’t have to look far these days to see recruiters calling themselves employer branders. Or image consultants saying they are now involved in personal branding. Or every designer who puts a modicum of thought into what they’re doing suddenly hailing themselves as brand strategists. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 25/02/2008

Made in New Zealand

On this our national holiday, it’s interesting to reflect on what our strengths as a country of origin are, and what they mean to business. Here are my impressions: Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 6/02/2008

Two names – and just one k between them

Do I smell a double standard here? Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 1/02/2008

Interesting time to have a board meeting

Very good article in the Sunday Times Online about Jerome Kerviel. (Thanks to Freakonomics for the point.) Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 30/01/2008

Betting the debt of France – and no-one noticed?

I’ve been watching the Societe Generale fraud scandal unfold over the last few days with interest. I now have one question for the bank – and it’s a very simple one. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 29/01/2008

Superficial sweetener

Disturbing news today that Starbucks is about to start selling a US$1 coffee and free refills in its Seattle outlets. Disturbing because the very last thing a price premium player like Starbucks should be doing is peddling cheap coffee in the search for accelerated turnover. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 24/01/2008

Corporate or crisis – the C in CSR?

The Economist seems to have confused crisis response with corporate responsibility in this piece on managing risks to reputation but it still makes for interesting reading. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 22/01/2008

Does my carbon emission look good in this?

If environmental responsibility is one of those things kicking around your boardroom, it may be worth reading this great piece about the value of carbon labelling, because it brings a lot of what’s being mooted down to earth. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 21/01/2008

On a harpoon to nothing

The Japanese whaling industry may be indignant over the boarding of one of the ships in their fleet by two protesters, but they’ve already lost the war Why? Because from the moment they left port, most of the world it would appear has been urging them to lose. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 17/01/2008

A shudder of faith

If I were a franchise owner right now, I’d be paying very close attention to what’s going on at Green Acres, even if my franchise was in an area that seemed miles away from theirs. Here’s why. The potential dilemma could parallel the one faced by finance companies. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 16/01/2008

Weren’t you the guys who …?

The Green Acres franchise scandal is turning into a major headache for all concerned, and highlights one of the major branding risks in being associated with a franchise. When the brand is strong, everyone benefits. Once the brand is weakened – sometimes, as in this case, for reasons beyond its immediate control – then the shock waves spread right across the business, affecting every franchisee in the process. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 14/01/2008

Interview with Hannah Samuel

Hannah Samuel is a reputation champion. In her new book Reputation Branding, she argues that powerful reputation branding can help people in business create deeper, more meaningful and profitable relationships. In fact, she describes reputation branding as the new business frontier. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 10/01/2008

Earning the right to knol

Knols – a.k.a “units of knowledge” seem to be the next rage, as Google unveils an opportunity for people all over the world to write about a subject in which they are an authority. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 21/12/2007

Responsibly ostentatious – or ostentatiously responsible? Maybe neither. Yet.

Yesterday I was reading an article by Brian R Richards on “consumanism”. According to Richards, “central to the incredible rise of eco-living is the rise of ethical consumption”. "Consumanism", he says, “is increasingly influencing purchasing decisions and consumers have no qualms about punishing companies that don't fit within an ethical framework.” Good point, well made – and one familiar to those who read this blog regularly as a drum I also like to bang. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 20/12/2007

Blow-fishing your presence

Sometimes the competitor you are most aware of is not as big as you think they are. Awareness literally makes them loom larger than they actually are. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 19/12/2007

Delivery can be a state of mind

In another great article in the Telegraph this week, Paul Farrow seems to be asking why so many people put their trust in famous financial brands. The trouble, he says, is that these brands often fail to deliver once you've been hooked in. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 5/12/2007

How far is too far when your promise is local?

I’m a little curious about the recent announcement by Yellow Pages Group to outsource its Directory service to the Philippines next year. It seems more than a little ironic that a company that proclaims itself proudly to be the country’s “find it” brand will soon require New Zealanders who can’t find someone to get that information from somewhere thousands of miles away and from an agent who has probably never been here. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 29/11/2007

How easily can you relocate a flower show?

Would the New York Marathon still be the New York marathon if it was held in Budapest? If they moved the Chelsea Flower Show to Paris, would it still be the same? Where is the franchise strength in such an institution? Is it in the place itself or in the brand? Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 23/11/2007

You don’t always have to yell to be heard

Sometimes the best way to get attention is not to ask for it – especially when everyone else is begging. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 22/11/2007

Accuracy flies out the window

In the heat of battle it can be easy to forget that there is a difference between lure and attract. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 14/11/2007

Trust: comparing Facebook with Nielsen

According to the just published Nielsen report “Trust in Advertising”, consumers around the world still trust each other more than they do the dazzling array of new media advertising channels. In fact, they still trust traditional advertising media to a surprising degree. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 10/11/2007

How do you define responsible?

Another survey, another result – but this one yielded an interesting dilemma. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 5/11/2007

Reputation in real time

Online is quickly changing the rules on how we manage corporate and brand reputation. Only now are we really starting to understand what it means to manage your reputation in real time. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 1/11/2007

Buy New Zealand Made needs to make up its mind

As the scandal over Gap’s accidental use of child labour in India was breaking, I was, ironically, watching a documentary called China Blue - the story of a very young woman’s life making jeans for Western markets. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 30/10/2007

Grate expectations

Grenville Main made the point the other day that New Zealand was so busy getting the All Blacks ready to win, we forgot to prepare them - or us - for how to lose. Again. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 14/10/2007

Anyone for shark-fin soup?

There is definitely an upside to right and proper regulation. Because while low barriers to entry might encourage market competition, they can also foster low standards and outrageous behaviours. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 12/10/2007

Is Carbon lite the next consumer catch-phrase?

Interesting piece by Stefaan Simons, a professor at University College London, last week on the BBC’s Green Room feature, in which he discusses the fact that carbon offsetting schemes may well pay for the guilt we feel over carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but do little to change behaviours and will not help save the planet from the very real problem of rising emissions and global warming. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 11/07/2007

Paris on the podium?

So The Learning Annex has announced recently that it wants to pay Paris Hilton a million dollars to talk about branding at an upcoming convention. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 3/07/2007

Branded and blonded – two different approaches to personal branding

Three articles I read today combined to provide some interesting insights on the difference between on-brand and in character in the realm of personal branding. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 13/06/2007

Not for profits?

Started out to prepare a presentation on brands for a not-for-profit that unfortunately didn’t eventuate. One of the questions I was keen to ask them was this. How sensible is it for any sector – especially one that is this competitive and philanthropically-driven – to define itself by what it is not? Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 16/06/2006

I really don’t give a flying cred …

In the United States recently, I was amused to see notices at airports proudly proclaiming that America West Airlines and US Air were joining forces to form the largest low fare airline in the world. Nice, I thought – for you – but I wondered why they bothered telling me, because, as a customer, I failed to see what their credential had to do with my travelling experience. Read on

category: Reputation | posted: 3/03/2006