Martha's missteps and smart moves
By SAMANTHA ETTUS
Scripps Howard News Service
22-JUL-04
This week I can't stop thinking about America's most-talked-about person-turned-brand, Martha Stewart. Martha's saga has amazed us all _ fans, foes and friends alike have been awed by what has unfolded in this two-year legal marathon.
Now that the end is in sight, she has provided us with an excellent brand case study. Whether you like her or hate her, the fact remains that Martha was charged for lying about a crime for which she was never charged. It was this lie that did her in, and turned what could have simply been a bout of very poor personal judgment into an incident that threatens the entire empire she worked so hard to create.
The question that Martha must be asking now: What did I do right and what did I do wrong? Well, Martha, after watching your company and your trial closely, here is a recap of your smooth moves and ruinous missteps:
Brand Power-full:
1. You wore your trademark strength and positive attitude from the pretrial proceedings through your sentencing.
2. You stuck close to your daughter, Alexis, reminding us that you are a mother first. This softened you in our eyes and made it possible for us to relate to you.
3. The Martha Talks Web site: Bravo to you for using the power of the Web to rally fans and monitor public opinion. Over 6 million unique visitors have been to the Martha Talks site (www.marthatalks.com); that speaks volumes!
4. Since the trial, your personality and confidence have returned in spite of the verdict. Reappearing in public at events and with friends reminds us of your popularity in the first place, and affirms your claimed innocence, as the guilty tend to hide from the public eye.
Brand Power-Less
1. Not taking a deal to avoid serving time in jail.
2. After the verdict, you wrote a statement on your Martha Talks site claiming, "I have done nothing wrong." The backlash to such a bold statement was negative and you were forced to delete that sentence. Once again, good old-fashioned hubris stood in the way of your better judgment.
3. When you made your weekly appearance on "The Early Show," host Jane Clayson asked you about the charges, as any good reporter would, and you retorted that you would like to focus on making your salad. This complete disregard for the reality of your situation made you an easy target for the repeated barbs of the late-night talk shows, and further isolated you from the public.
4. Hiding from the public eye during the first year following the accusations. Note to Martha: hiding makes us suspicious.
5. Bringing your Hermes Birken bag to court. Flaunting your wealth was a senseless act that simply served to bring the greed issue back to center stage.
6. Your friend, Rosie O'Donnell, is the worst advocate you could have. When she tried to support you publicly on "The View," she compared your position of injustice to that of high-profile figures accused of murder and rape. With a friend like Rosie, you have a built-in enemy.
7. Using terms like "absurd" and "ridiculous" to describe your plight is itself absurd and ridiculous. Showing some respect for and acknowledgment of the gravity of the charges against you can only help your case.
So what to make of all this? Though your actions have amounted to more brand mistakes than brand boosters, your empire will thrive regardless of your personal outcome.
Chalk this up to a bit of good fortune; your two-year fiasco was well-timed, occurring after you had already created significant value for your investors independent of your persona; your company brand had already transcended your personal brand.
And finally, one last piece of advice for you, Martha: Though jail will surely be terribly unpleasant, mindless and humbling, think about the effect on your company of dragging this out for possibly another year or longer with an appeal that you will likely lose.
You received the minimum sentence. Give your company a break; call this good fortune, serve the sentence and move on. Even if your appeal is successful, your detractors in the court of public opinion will always place a scarlet "G" on your hand-knit sweater.
Remember: The most dependable road to the top is to treat your brand as your greatest asset.
(Samantha Ettus, president of Ettus Media Management, is a leading voice on personality-driven brands. Her first book, "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do" (Random House), will be published in September. Send comments and questions to Samantha(at)celebrityassets.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com) |
