The Origin of Brands Blog

An Achy Breaky Branding Blunder

She was named Destiny Hope Cyrus because her parents knew she would do great things. And that is exactly what the girl now better known as Miley Cyrus and/or Hannah Montana has done.

Miley has become an international pre-teen sensation and mega-brand for the Disney Company. She is only 15 years old but Miley is predicted to be a billionaire by her 18th birthday. Not too bad, all your typical teenager brings home is average grades and acne.

Miley Cyrus’ Empire includes:
- Hit Disney channel TV show: Hannah Montana
- 2 multiplatinum albums
- Sold-out concert tour and concert film
- Upcoming movie (due 2009)
- Book deal with Disney (reportedly seven figures)
- Merchandise including lunch boxes, bed sheets and MP3 players

Miley Cyrus is a teenager and a billion dollar franchise. That is a tough combination to manage from a business, branding and personal perspective. You have three forces at odds with one another.

Disney

Disney is in it for the short term. Disney’s goal is to milk the Miley brand as fast and as furious as it can. Why? Because of the short shelf life of a pop-princess. A pre-teen act has 3 to 5 years maximum before the kids grow up or their fans move on.

Disney can treat Miley like an ordinary brand. Ordinary brands in ordinary categories can develop, grow and mature over decades. (Like Red Bull introduced in 1987. )But in 20 years, Miley will probably be lucky enough to get a call back on a third-rate reality cable television show.

Miley Cyrus will grow out of her role as Hannah Montana brand before you know it. She has maybe 3 good years left. Nothing can stop time or puberty.

Ideally Disney would keep Miley in a bubble. With a short shelf life, nobody wants any major slip-ups.

Today Miley is incredibly important to Disney. But five years from now, they will have created another star to replace her.

Miley’s parents

While they are happy to make money now, Miley’s parents, who also manage her career, are also wisely keeping an eye on the future. Her Dad (Billy Ray Cyrus) knows all too well the realities of being a one-hit wonder.

Team Cyrus has to be very worried about how Miley can sustain her fame past 18 years old. It is not easy. There are very few Justin Timberlakes and Britney Spears who go from Mickey Mouse Club to mainstream stardom. Most fade into oblivion.

I imagine it was team Cyrus who wanted to do the Vanity Fair shoot. Vanity Fair is an upscale, sophisticated, cultural, adult magazine. It is the magazine that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes gave their first baby photo to. And the one Bono was a celebrity editor of last summer.

The thinking goes like this: Appearing in Vanity Fair would give Miley her own credibility and authenticity with an influential adult audience apart from Disney. The photographer, Annie Leibovitz, is one of the most respected artistic photographers of our time and her images would lend an edgy, sophisticated look to young Miley. Clearly Disney would be against this; they want Miley to always be Hannah Montana and stick to Seventeen magazine at the raciest.

Miley Cyrus

Let’s not forget, Miley is a teenager. And as any parent will tell you, teenagers are not the most predictable or reliable of creatures. But for Miley and Disney things have gone perfectly.

The clean-cut, church-going, modestly-dressed Miley has been a dream come true for Disney and parents alike. But you could have said that about Britney Spears 10 years ago. So it goes to show you, you just never know. And sometimes delayed rebellion is far worse than one can imagine.

Britney jumped from Mickey Mouse club to "baby one more time" to this Rolling Stones cover when she was 17. And we have all seen the photos of her today.

Was the Vanity Fair shoot a good idea?

No. From the very start this strategy was flawed.

A few months ago Miley turned 15 years old. She is at the height of her success. Vanity Fair is the wrong magazine, Annie Leibovitz is the wrong photographer and the back-bearing shot was the wrong photograph.

But that was the point of the picture and it shouldn’t be such a shock. An adult magazine wants adult photos. The shot of Miley is a beautiful, artistic, edgy, mature photo commonly found in the book. Vanity Fair does not publish publicity shots, it is known for pushing boundaries. When you play with fire, you can’t complain when you get burned.

The time to move to Vanity Fair is when Miley turns 21. Then you have a story to tell of her move into adulthood. Managing the transition is not easy. Start too young and it is child porn. Start too old and it is creepy.

Will this hurt her brand?

It certainly didn’t help. But it is unlikely to do any long-term damage to the Miley Cyrus brand because:

1: There is nobody else out there for teens to adore. The lack of competition is the best thing she’s got going for her. Hillary Duff is in her 20’s. The Cheetah Girls are in their 20’s. And her biggest competition Jamie Lynn Spears (Nickelodeon star and Britney’s sister) got pregnant last year at just 16 years old.

2: The photo of Miley was shocking but not pornographic. It caused so much attention not because of its raciness, but because it was the opposite of her brand image.

Like I said, being the opposite and looking grown-up was probably the intent of Team Cyrus, but the photo obviously went too far. Although other girls have gone farther, quicker, parents thought that Miley would be different and wouldn’t try to grow up so fast like most other pop-stars.

3: She was not on the cover. Not being on the magazine's cover and being mostly covered is Miley's saving grace. This will allow the controversy to blow off relatively quickly as long as she doesn’t hitting the clubs with Paris Hilton or doing cocaine with Amy Winehouse. And her parents don't book her the cover of Maxim magazine.

Miley immediately issued a statement saying she is “embarrassed” by the photos; so she is likely to get sympathy. Her managers and parents on the other hand will get hell.

While it is good for Miley she is not on the cover. It is bad for Vanity Fair. All this free publicity and they are unlikely to reap any rewards or much of a spike in newsstand sales.

The Future?

While it lasts, Miley needs to enjoy the Hannah Montana ride. Her future is uncertain. If she is like the Olsen Twins, she won’t make it into adult stardom. If she is like Lindsay Lohan, she will make it and then throw it all away by doing drugs. If she is like Madonna, she will be as famous 25 years into her career as she was when she started. The secret to Madonna’s success is that she starts a trend, she fades from view and then she returns reincarnated. Hard to do, but when it works, it is pure magic.

Do it like JetBlue

In case you missed it, JetBlue suffered a major brand crisis this past week after an ice storm hit the Eastern United States and the airline failed to properly respond due to a communications meltdown. Nine planes sat on New York’s JFK tarmac for six hours or more. Nearly a quarter of its flights had to be canceled even days later and service to 11 cities was shutdown entirely.

While other airlines cancelled flights ahead of the storm, JetBlue rolled the dice and came up more than short. An all-out consumer revolt, a media frenzy and a stock collapse has since ensued.

JetBlue is a strong brand founded by a charismatic leader (David Neeleman) and is focused on low prices. Once flying high, the JetBlue brand has come crashing down to earth. The JetBlue brand, which was used to being cited as a favorite among passengers and stock analysts alike, has suddenly fallen from grace.

So what should JetBlue do? Exactly what they are doing. In my opinion, their response will become a textbook case for how to solve a PR problem. Much like the Tylenol case in the 80’s. "We'll do it like JetBlue" is bound to be the rallying cry of future brand leaders.

Here are the steps to follow so you can do it like JetBlue if your brand faces a similar PR crisis:

1: Admit your mistake and apologize publicly immediately.

Brands need a strong spokesperson to pull this off. Sending out a press release will just not do. You need a well-known leader the public trusts to make the media rounds and eat crow.

David's first move was to talk with The New York Times. The front-page story that ran quotes David as being “humiliated and mortified” by the breakdown in airline operations. Brilliant! Since then he has been speaking to almost every media outlet in town. Brilliant! The public likes nothing better that seeing and hearing an apology straight from the horse’s mouth.

2: Do something.

After a few days of hearing how sorry David is, the apology can wear thin and feel more like he is trying to save his stock options than the brand’s credibility with consumers. So after saying sorry, the brand needs to do something big.

Today JetBlue has done just this by rolling out a customer bill of rights that promises to compensate customers for delays. Brilliant!

3: Don’t advertise at all.

The worst mistake companies make is trying to use advertising to save the company’s reputation. After an E.Coli outbreak, Taco Bell ran full-page ads saying “Taco Bell food is safe to eat.” Yeah right, thinks the public.

Advertising is great for getting a message out to the masses quickly. But advertising lacks credibility. So it is not an effective way to educate or reassure consumers of anything.

The best thing to do is halt all advertising until the crisis cools down. Any ads that run during the crisis will just remind people of your problems without changing any minds. Even if the ads simply say your are sorry, they will unlikely ring true.

4: Give it time.

The best medicine for any PR crisis is time. Over time people are more than likely to forget about whatever has happened. Over time, if you don’t mess up again, people are willing to forgive. Over time what is left is your brand message in the mind. If you have a strong brand, you will survive just fine. Tylenol did and so will JetBlue.

Build a strong brand in the mind and if the unthinkable happens just follow these four steps so you can do it like JetBlue and survive too.

A New Yellow for the Wiggles

The Wiggles brand is back on track now that Greg Page officially retired from the kiddie super group on Thursday, November 30th. The ongoing saga has been put to rest as Greg’s mystery illness was finally diagnosed as orthostatic intolerance. (It is a condition which often makes him feel unbalanced and faint while standing because of a loss of blood pressure.) Luckily it is not life threatening, but it is chronic and will therefore prevent him from continuing in the Yellow Jersey. (Read my earlier post for more information.)

In a brilliant branding and PR move, Greg appeared in a video on the Wiggles website and made a ceremonial passing of his jersey to Sam Moran, his permanent replacement. A longtime backup singer and dancer for the band, Sam was Greg’s understudy for the past two years and filled in for him in the 150 live shows Greg was forced to skip due to illness.

Now that the brand is whole again, the future success of the Wiggles seems certain. What put the brand in serious danger was the missing Wiggle, the lack of information regarding his illness and the lack of media interviews with him. Nothing whips the media into a frenzy more that a missing celebrity. If Madonna walks the red carpet without Guy, the rumor mills starts up right away about trouble in the marriage.

The Wiggles can survive a new guy in the yellow jersey but they could not survive a missing guy in the yellow jersey much longer. I’m sure there was a lot of fear and uncertainly over what to do since Greg as lead singer was so instrumental in the success of the Wiggles. Many critics doubted if the Wiggles could survive without him. Even I myself have commented on how disappointed I felt after showing up at a Wiggles concert where Greg was a no-show and feeling like I came to a U2 concert where Bono didn’t perform. Could there be a U2 with no Bono, could there be a Wiggles with no Greg? The answer is no and yes.

What enables the Wiggles brand to continue, perhaps even stronger than before, is the enormous PR attention celebrities command. Powerful brands have endless opportunities for PR. And PR is what helps resuscitate even fallen brands. Everyone wanted to hear from Martha after she got out of jail. Or Mel after he sobered up.

Just look at the headlines the new Wiggle got. It made the FRONT PAGE of the New York Times on Monday. That’s right, not Entertainment Weekly but the New York Times; that is how powerful the brand is. Now that the group is whole again, the guys are wisely making the television rounds promoting Sam and the Wiggles big time. After 15 years together the group had run out of much of its PR potential. So the new Wiggle creates news value for the group and renewed interest in the brand.

Had the Wiggles dragged this out, not made a decision on a replacement and kept Greg away from media any longer, it could have been devastating to the brand. I can’t even put into words the beauty of the passing of the yellow shirt segment. I am personally saddened by Greg’s health problem because I loved watching him. But I am glad the Wiggles are on thier way to a fabulous recovery and that my favorite Wiggle Anthony is still performing!

Learning from the Wiggles

Do you have kids under five? If so, you need no explanation of who or what The Wiggles are. But for those of you who have not changed any diapers in the last fifteen years, I will explain the phenomena that are known as The Wiggles.

The Wiggles are an Australian pre-school sensation now celebrating their 15th year together. There are four members: Greg (Yellow), Murray (Red), Jeff (Purple) and Anthony (Blue). In 2003, they sold out 12 shows at Madison Square Garden in New York. This year they earned $38.4 million dollars with their tours in the United States and Britain helping greatly. The windfall meant that for the second year in a row The Wiggles were crowned the highest entertainment earners in Australia ahead of AC/DC, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.

The Wiggles story began in the early 90’s when Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page studied early childhood education together at Sydney’s Macquarie University. The three began writing children’s songs as one of their music projects. They enlisted the assistance of Jeff Fatt, who played with Anthony in the popular 1980’s band The Cockroaches, and The Wiggles were born.

Kids and parents alike are drawn to the enthusiastic, educational and easy on the ears music of the Wiggles. While hearing Barney makes most parents gag, the Wiggles makes watching television with little ones actually enjoyable. I believe the key to the Wiggles branding success are the “real” guys of the band. They are cool guys who could have (and some did) played in a rock band, but instead took their talent and good looks and applied them to preschooler entertainment.

While Barney and the Teletubbies play down to kids, The Wiggles play up to them. A Wiggles concert delivers a song and rock experience akin to U2 for little ones.

But today there is some Wiggly trouble going on. I first realized this when I took my two boys to the show here in Atlanta on Wednesday. As the lights dimmed, it was announced that the lead Wiggle, Greg, would not be performing due to illness and a substitute would be filling in. OK, I thought, everybody gets sick. But then the Wiggles commented during the show that Greg was in Australia and hoped to feel better soon. Well, in Australia meant that he was not just sick for one day but likely to be missing the entire US tour. I made a mental note to Google the Yellow Wiggle upon returning to the office.

And here is what I found out from an Australian newspaper:

YELLOW Wiggle Greg Page is reportedly suffering a mystery illness that threatens his future with the children's music supergroup. News Ltd says Mr. Page, 34, is at home in Sydney battling a condition that includes regular bouts of fainting while The Wiggles tour the US with a replacement member. The Daily Telegraph quotes Mr. Page as saying that he's “not really well enough to talk”. But in a statement to fans, Mr. Page said doctors had yet to diagnose his health problem. “I have had numerous bouts of this over the past eight months but they are getting more frequent, and more concerning,” Mr. Page said. “So I have decided that I must go home, rest and seek further medical advice to assure myself that I will be OK for future tours.”

Wow, this is a major problem, not only for Greg Page (who I hope gets better quickly) but for the Wiggle brand. What should The Wiggles do? I think the first step is honesty. When facing a possible PR and brand crisis, getting out ahead of the storm with the truth is the best strategy.

The problem of Greg being sick does not hurt a majority of The Wiggle brand business. The television shows, DVD’s, amusement park rides and merchandise are pretty much unaffected. But the live shows which are the bread and butter of the band are hugely impacted. Can you imagine showing up for a U2 concert and having no Bono on stage? That is exactly how I felt with no Greg. (My kids could not have cared less, running out of popcorn would have been much more traumatic.)

The reality was, the show was fine without Greg. Luckily there are three other Wiggles still on stage and Anthony did a tremendous job of picking up the slack. But keeping Greg’s absence a secret could backfire. I believe parents and kids would be very sympathetic and understanding to Greg being sick. It is not as if he is in drug rehab or jail. But feeling duped by not telling people that he will not be on the tour is a pain many could find difficult to recover from. It is usually the lying that gets you in trouble more so that the act itself. (Just ask Nixon, Clinton or Martha.)

This is always the danger of having a live brand. What happens if something happens to my brand’s persona? If Martha Stewart goes to jail? If Jack Welch retires? If Kobe Bryant attacks a girl? If Steve Irwin gets killed? If Mel Gibson gets drunk? If Greg Page gets sick?

Brand building always involves taking risks. But without taking some risks, you are unlikely to achieve the reward of building a strong brand. It is the price you have to pay to get into the mind of the consumer. So never be afraid to put your eggs in the basket of a person to stand for your brand. Build a strong brand and succeed first. After you are earning $38 million a year you can worry about the what ifs.

Because even if Greg has to retire, the Wiggles brand will likely survive because it is so powerful in the mind. But without Greg the brand would have never gotten off the ground in the first place.

Check out my new post with the latest on the Wiggle brand.

Fight Fire with Fire

When someone attacks your brand, how do you fight back? With advertising? Forget it.

Fight fire with fire. To fight negative PR, advertising never works. To fight negative PR, you have to use positive PR.

In addition to being the tool of choice for brand building, PR is also the way to defend your brand against negative PR.

Why doesn’t advertising work to defend your brand? There are two reasons which both come down to credibility. First advertising itself is not a credible medium. Advertising is a self-serving message from the advertiser. And all consumers know this and treat it with a grain of salt. That is why advertising is only effective if you are reminding people what they already know. Advertising is not effective when trying to change an opinion in the mind.

Second, issue advertising itself not credible. Why pay for something you could get for free, thinks the reader. If the company really had a credible defense the media would cover the story in the editorial pages. Running an ad stating your position says the media refused to run your side of the story. Not a good message to send.

So what about Wal-Mart? There is no doubt that the Wal-Mart brand has been under attack for years by unions, politicians and several consumer groups to name a few of its critics.

The world’s largest retailer has simply become a victim of its own success. Protesters usually target the leader for industry woes. Why go after the little guy when the big fish will get you bigger headlines?

Wal-Mart initially ignored its critics. Being as powerful as Wal-Mart and being isolated in Bentonville, they felt they could. But to keep a brand healthy you need a steady dose of positive PR.

Wal-Mart has finally got into the game in a big way. I was really pleased to see Lee Scott on the CBS News with Katie Couric on Wednesday. Having Scott interviewed on the hottest new news program on television was a brilliant move and a long time coming. You know you’ve been bad when they start the interview with “in a rare interview with the CEO…”

No CEO should be giving rare interviews. It is a CEO’s #1 job to be giving interviews all the time. The CEO is the spokesperson for the company and its brands. Look at other successful companies, you would never hear the words “in a rare interview” being said about Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Bill Gates of Microsoft, or Meg Whitman of eBay. Because these CEOs know, that PR is part of their jobs, perhaps the most important part. And positive PR keeps these brands healthy despite the occasional attack.

Brand Gibson blows up

Mel Gibson has ignited an atomic bomb of negative PR following his DUI arrest Friday. Causing the biggest branding obstacle is not the drunk driving charge but details of the statements he made during his arrest. A belligerent Gibson shouted obscenities and anti-Semitic remarks to law officers. I was interviewed this morning by Soledad O’Brien on CNN regarding the future of Mel Gibson and his brand.

There is no doubt this is going to be a huge obstacle for Mel Gibson to overcome. The future of his brand is in jeopardy. But the fact is that strong brands tend to survive even the worst crisis. Because the power of celebrity and the ability for stars to get PR allows them to come back. Time is also a necessary ingredient in the healing process.  The most Mel can do right now is publicly take responsibility for his actions, ask for forgiveness, seek help for his addictions and do something to help heal wounds. He is doing all four already.

I would recommend that Gibson wait until the fire storm of stories subside before talking publicly. His two statements have made his position clear. Today’s statement was a fast and wise move to help begin a repair process with the Jewish community who is obviously up in arms and unsatisfied with his first statement which didn’t directly address his comments.

The bigger the star the harder they fall. It is the same old story. We love to put celebrities up on a pedestal and then knock them down. Especially when they project an image of perfection and holiness. Mel is a handsome, successful, family man and a devout Catholic. To be caught up in this scandal goes against that image and has comics, bloggers, community leaders, families and people everywhere buzzing.

Playing against type doesn’t work in the movies or in reality. If Colin Ferrell got drunk and did something crazy the media would hardly bat an eyelash, his image is that of the drunken bad boy anyway. It is what we expect from Colin.

But goodie-goodie Mel Gibson is a different story. Of course he was already under fire from the Jewish community concerning the depiction of Jews in Passion of the Christ and his father had been quoted diminishing the Holocaust. So this offense was the third strike for Mel. And it set off an atomic bomb.

But I wouldn’t count him out. He began the brand healing process early which is the only thing to do after a crisis of this magnitude. What will really save his company at the end of the day is making a good movie. Mel should pray Apocalypto can deliver at the box office this winter and he can persuade the public to forgive him for his sins.

Cristal kicks itself

The story is everywhere. French champagne snob disses hip-hop’s love of their jewel brand, Cristal. A PR nightmare for Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of Cristal. A PR coup for Jay-Z, the well-spoken senior statesman of the hip-hop community.

In case you missed it here is the recap from USA Today:

Jay-Z said: "It has come to my attention that Rouzaud views the 'hip-hop' culture as 'unwelcome attention,'. I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life."

Rouzaud did not return a message seeking comment. But actually it was the writer of the article, and not Rouzaud, who used the phrase "unwelcome attention." After Rouzaud's comments about Dom Perignon and Krug, scribe Gideon Rachman wrote: "Both Dom Perignon and Krug have had their share of unwelcome attention, too."

Call it is the curse of the leader. Leaders get picked on. They are the lightening rod of their industry. “Supersize Me” bit McDonald’s not Burger King. “The Devil Wears Prada,” not Gucci. “Wal-Mart uses illegal workers” What K-Mart doesn’t do the same?

In the Cristal case, hip-hop artists and young celebrity club-hoppers of all kinds have made the ultra-expensive bubbly the drink of choice since the early 90’s.

The job of youth culture is to rebel. And one sure fire way to rebel is to embrace a brand never marketed to you. A brand that stands for almost everything you are not. Cristal stands for rich, old, conservative, white aristocracy.

Club kids drinking Cristal are saying to the world: “We are hip, young, beautiful, rich and we have arrived. We are going to guzzle your expensive champagne and spray it all over us.”

Why did they choose Cristal? Because it tastes better than Dom Perignon or Krug? How can you really judge taste anyway? Taste is only a perception usually determined by price.

Cristal was chosen because it was the most expensive bubbly; it was the leader in ultra-premium champagne. Leaders are powerful icons and hold powerful positions in the mind.

Getting the youth to embrace a stodgy old brand is not easy. Levi’s has tried for years and failed. Why is Cristal trying to fight it? That’s insane to me.

Making champagne a more popular, more frequently consumed beverage among young people would be good for the category and for the brand. The only way to do that is with PR. And the hip-hop and celebrity crowd has done the work for them already. Just ask Cadillac how PR has helped turn that brand around.

Rouzaud should have been more careful. Rouzaud should have already had Jay-Z on his speed dial way before this incident. Never kick a PR gift-horse in the mouth.

Martha’s Time Out

Welcome back Martha. We missed you. But we knew you’d be back. A woman with your smarts and a brand with your strength couldn’t be wiped out by a measly few months in jail. In fact, your time away is the best thing that could have happened to you and us, the public. It was a much needed time out.

Time outs work wonders for both brands and people. I use them very effectively with my 3 year old son. After being at wits end with my little boy, I make him stand in a corner for a time out at which point I can take a deep breath myself. Afterwards we both emerged refocused and I remember why I love him so much. Like a computer reboot it clears the system and allows to time to forget the bad stuff and look forward to a bright future.

Martha has emerged from her court-ordered time out, better than ever. There have been a few missteps, like Martha’s Apprentice reality show. But overall she is on the right track.

First of all, Martha’s live, syndicated television show is a daytime delight. Live television is the perfect remedy for toning down her image of absolute perfection. Let’s face it, nothing can be perfect on live television and you can tell Martha accepts that. It allows us to see the human side of Martha. And seeing Martha in this new way is marvelous. She is funny, warm, and engaging. And I think with practice she will continue to get even better.

Secondly, Martha has embraced the media. After the scandal she shunned the media and hid out for over a year. But today she is doing countless interviews to promote her brand and image. And Martha is answering tough questions with candor and humility. She’s even poking fun at herself and her situation. All of which have done much to resurrect her image and brand.

The worst scenario would have been a bitter Martha. But it is quite to the contrary. Martha is sweeter, kinder and funnier than ever. She has been able to move on from her situation and get back to business with grace. She has acknowledged her jail time; she has made fun of her jail time. We are now all willing to move forward with her into a new era of Martha.

But there are some problems. Let’s start with the Apprentice. In a word, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart sucks. There is no reason for this show to exist except that NBC needed a show to fill its lackluster line up. Mark Burnett must have snuck Martha some delicious scones into prison in order to get her to sign on to this dud. No doubt Martha wanted to come out of jail with guns blazing. But she has her hands full with the magazines, daytime show and Kmart stuff. And her perfunctory involvement with this show is evident; she obviously can’t stand being on it. It is a lousy show, and now that it will be up against ABC's Lost it is sure to be sunk. The Donald’s over-the-top antics keep his version of The Apprentice afloat, but even then the joke is kind of stale.

The second problem is Kmart. The problem here is the store itself much more than Martha’s foray into sheets and towels. Can’t she just somehow move her stuff into Target? I would much rather see her brand in the bright booming aisles of the chic Target brand. Kmart and new partner Sears are fading stars that do little to help keep the shine on Martha. They need Martha a lot more that her brand needs them. And Martha doesn’t make sense in either of them.

Nobody likes to get in trouble, whether fully deserved or not. But I think Martha’s jail time has brought a conclusion to the issue. Her public time out has done wonders in recharging a powerful brand that is likely to dominate homemaking for some time to come. Women everywhere are cheering your return Martha and embracing your new found humanism. Myself included.

Finger Food

Poor Wendy’s. One crazy woman wrongly accuses the fast-food chain of an unthinkable crime (serving Chili containing a severed finger) and boom the brand has been dealt a major PR and marketing blow.

It is the nature of our world today that information travels faster than the speed of light, even if that information is false. And before you get the chance to set the record straight the brand damage has been done and Leno and Letterman have skewered your reputation.

How can you prevent this from happening? Well the truth is you cannot prevent crazy people from saying crazy things. And you certainly cannot stop the media, the comics or the bloggers from talking about it and propagating it. But like Valtrex and herpes, there are ways of making the outbreaks less severe.

The worst thing about the Wendy’s situation is that if one thing been different I think the whole mess could have been handled quickly and effectively.

What is that one thing? If Dave Thomas were still alive.

Dave Thomas was one of the best CEOs, PR spokespersons and advertising pitch people all rolled up into one. He was honest, sincere, straightforward, likeable, smart and well spoken.

Had Dave been around, I imagine he would have hit the TV talk shows immediately and inoculated the brand against the PR destruction that one woman attempted to cause.

The public finds it easy to hate big corporate giants. Photos of severed fingers can quickly fuel anger and dampen chili sales. But the public believes in people. And Dave is the type of guy people like to cheer for. I think Dave could have quickly convinced the public that he would personally get to the bottom of the problem. And help ease the panic and fears caused by the story.

But instead of hearing from Dave, we saw Wendy’s conducting an employee finger check at the restaurant where the chili was sold. Overall the team at Wendy’s did a mostly acceptable job of handling the disaster. Unfortunately what they really needed most was Dave and unfortunately he is no longer around.

Wendy’s has been unable to replace the irreplaceable Dave Thomas. While it is risky to place too much of the brand in one persons hands it is also dangerous not having a well known personality to represent the brand especially when trouble occurs.

Without a high profile leader, brands can end up like big ships in the water with no captain at the wheel being thrown off course by rogue waves.

In the wake of this PR disaster, I believe Dave Thomas would have been able to set the Wendy’s ship right back on course with his charming smile and reassuring words. Something that even the best written press release could never do.

Can Martha make a comeback?

Can Martha make a comeback? Of course, there is nothing people like more than knocking someone down and then giving them the chance to get back up and prosper.

Martha, her brand and her company, have taken some serious hits in the last two years. The very public scandal and her subsequent silence and lies have wreaked havoc on Martha the brand and woman.

But going to prison and disappearing for five months is just what this brand doctor would have ordered to prepare for a brand turnaround. Let’s look at Martha’s to do list for a successful brand comeback:

Martha’s things to do:

1. Drop lawsuit appeal.

Continuing to proclaim your innocence is pointless. I understand you wish to somehow “clear” your name. But the legal consensus seems to be that your appeals will not be successful. Get over your need to have a perfect, unblemished record, besides you have served your time in jail already. The public will be much more sympathetic if you admit you made a mistake, did your time, feel remorse and want to move on with your life. When you start doing media interviews, you don’t want to be talking about your legal appeal, you want to be talking about the exciting new things you are doing in the future.

2. Pick one high-powered exclusive media interview.

You will need to do one high-profile interview to jump-start your comeback. It will be incredibly important to show your human qualities of remorse, humility and likeability. We need to see that Martha is a real person, who can laugh at her mistakes while at the same time be kind and genuine. But who to grant the interview? Katie Couric in prime time would be my first choice.

3. Resuscitate Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Readers and more importantly advertisers have shunned Martha’s flagship magazine. Making this star shine again should be your top priority. Creating new ideas, writing articles and appearing in photo shoots should all help you to get your magazine get back on track.

4. Get back on syndicated television.

Martha, you can be warm, persuasive and personable on television. You need a new show to highlight those qualities while delivering solid home, cooking and decorating advice. With the high profile team you have so wisely put in place at your company delivering a top quality show should be doable.

5. Cancel the Apprentice.

Martha, what were you thinking? Obviously Mark and Donald took you out and got you bombed on sushi and champagne to get you to agree to this crazy idea. A Martha Stewart Apprentice makes no sense at all. The concept of the show is to be a cruel, backstabbing aristocrat tormenting a bunch of spoiled kids who want to be just like you. The Donald somehow pulls it off since he is such a cartoon of himself. But this is the wrong image for you. Besides the show’s concept is wearing thin and the ratings are sinking with this third season anyway. While people might want to see you initially, I don’t think the format will showcase your best side. Ditch it!

6. Renegotiate with Kmart.

Now that Sears and Kmart are one company, why not push to move the Martha brand into Sears and get out of the troubled and image tarnished Kmart stores. Or even better yet, help the company create a new brand to replace Kmart which could feature Martha and be a better showcase for her brands. Clearly Kmart today does not live up to Martha’s standards. And the store’s format is not succeeding anyway in competition to Wal-Mart and Target.