"THE BRAND MAN SPEAKS":
The voice of the brand strategy consultancy, The Portnoy Group Inc.
The Brand Man Speaks is a dialogue about the consuming world in which we live and a guide to successfully navigating it. The goal is to educate people and companies about branding, the most powerful yet misunderstood business tool.
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I just came across the new TV ad for Spirit Airlines promoting their usual low low no frills fares. The unusual element is they are "using" the Tiger Woods car crash in an animated way to sell low fares titled "Eye of the Tiger".
In bad taste or is Tiger open for such abuse of sorts?
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
The recent car "incident" involving the biggest richest branded athlete Tiger Woods is the first real test of the golfing greats ability to manage his brand (worth billions) under extreme stress beyond the course.
Brand Tiger Woods has become the biggest athlete brand in history primarily due to his squeaky clean beyond reproach family man/super athlete identity. There have always been rumors here and there about women coming on to Tiger...quite frankly I am amazed he hasn't been the target of more damaging rumors earlier kudos to his extremely well oiled PR and management machine.
But now comes the real test. Had the incident occurred during "normal" hours of the day or even evening I would bet silence without deviating from "full speed ahead" would have made this matter disappear and Tiger would be completely unscathed. However, the time frame of 2:30AM (or thereabouts) really won't allow this matter to be just ignore and pushed aside. Everyone knows it was a very odd hour to be out and about and to be "unnerved" (for a guy with nerves of steel) enough to smash his SUV leaving him unconscious within a few feet of his own home spells big trouble.
Tiger is going to have to come clean one way or another with the public or at least with authorities. Unwillingness to talk in our culture equals hiding something.
A brand like Tiger's worth more than 1 Billion Dollars has a lot to lose so his crisis management team must not make any mistakes.
As with other athletes, sponsors have so far said they are behind their man. However, I believe, many will reduce their use of Tiger, even eliminate it, for a period of time hoping for a positive resolution soon. The longer nothing is said and public opinion creates its own spin on the events, the more damage to the brand and the more likely sponsors are going to suspend their relationship with him or even drop him altogether.
Since Tiger was so "clean" this event only magnifies the circumstances and every move is being watched and monitored by the press and public alike. We, the public, want to believe in his fairy-tale life and career and unlike some other athletes or entertainers who get into trouble, we really do want everything to be ok with Tiger and for him to still be the gold standard among athlete/celebrities. If anything, we can accept that he is human, as long as we are told some of the truth versus nothing that is believable right now.
One thing in his favor; he didn't (it appears so far) do anything illegal just possibly (if rumors pan out about an affair) something questionable to negatively impact his perfect very moral family values posture.
Come Clean Now Tiger, show us you are human, seek forgiveness and get back to what you do oh so very very well...play golf.
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
The economy has had an enormous negative impact on bookings at hotels and resorts throughout the US. Especially hard hit have been hotels that cater to corporate groups as business travel has been reduced dramatically across the board.
A recent report indicates this may not be the only or primary reason that hotels that live off corporate business are sufferings so much. Blame the AIG fiasco last year at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point, CA. While banks were being bailed out to the tune of billions, AIG executives were partying like it was "1999" at the St. Regis, running up a nearly $500,000 bill. Needless to say the negative publicity this event generated was unprecedented in corporate travel circles.
Since that time the St. Regis Hotel and Resort filed bankruptcy as bookings dropped to such low levels that the facility could not pay its creditors. But the mess hasn't just impacted the St. Regis.
It turns out the word "Resort" in a hotel's brand name or in the parent company's name may now be a kiss of death to that hospitality operation. Apparently, due to the AIG backlash, corporate travel groups are told to avoid bookings at ANY facility that uses the name "Resort" to avoid the possibility of communicating corporate partying vs. real work.
This has hit the top end hotels mostly but even properties with few frills are feeling the impact if their corporate parent's name includes the "Resort" word.
Hotels in South Florida, which has been a popular US destination for corporate retreats and meetings in the past, are complaining heavily that because so many of them are called resorts or affiliated with resorts they are no longer being considered by corporate travel planners.
Will this lead to the dropping of the word "Resorts" from hotel brands? It could if this AIG backlash continues for much longer. One travel planner indicated he was told he couldn't book any meetings with an organization that had the word "resort" in its brand name--- indefinitely. Wow! If that is true for lots of other travel planners that is very bad news for "resorts" and the hospitality industry in general.
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
I just felt compelled to write a short piece on what appears to me and many others to be an rapidly approaching end of any type of civility in this country....maybe the world....that reminds one of the decline of the Roman Empire....
Between Serena's unsportsmanlike/unladylike behavior at the US Open that cost her the match, Kanye West's selfish and inflated ego stage stealing from Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Awards to Congressman Joe Wilson's outrageous outburst during a Presidential speech to congress, ("You lie")....what has become of us, our cultural...more importantly our future? We are in deep trouble and it doesn't look too promising for things to get better.
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
When Chicago became home to the tallest building in the world (now eclipsed by buildings in Asia) it was an important milestone for the windy city giving it great cache and bragging rights over New York. Retail giant Sears was the building's primary tenant and since the 70s when the huge building was opened it instantly became a notable US landmark: The Sears Tower.
Now the building's owners are changing its name to Willis Tower to reflect its new largest tenant, Willis Insurance out of London. And a great debate has ensued.
Ballparks, stadiums and notable buildings make a bundle when they sell rights to name their structures to high paying sponsors or building tenants. Names change often in this world as one company's fortunes decline another takes up the helm with new naming rights and signage.
In the case of the Sears Tower, the brand ID for this impressive structure that just opened an observation deck of glass hanging off the top of the building, is key to its stature. It has been called the Sears Tower since day one and changing it now seems a bad move. The Sears Tower is more than a sponsorship or important tenant name (Sears has NOT been a tenant for over a decade or more). It is a name tied to the building itself; its Brand ID. Sears is still based in the Chicago area and although not the major retailer of the past, it still is a important retail player US wide and closely tied to its Chicago area roots.
Additionally, the name Willis just seems flat doesn't roll off the tongue and somehow in my mind will diminish the iconic nature of the "Sears" Tower.
I have read the name change is a done deal but does that mean it is a good idea when it comes to tourists and Chicago's brand? It will take a long time for people to "forget" the Sears Tower brand and ask to be taken to the Willis Tower. Further, naming the building after an obscure English insurance company no one in the US knows about or cares about also seems foolhardy and anti-American, no?
Fans of the Sears Tower are taking their case to the world via Facebook and other social media to try to generate enough negative support for the new name to try to force the building's owners to not change the name. They also are seeking landmark status for the building and its name (although the building is not old enough for such a status as those things go), hoping a government decree will make it impossible for Sears to be replaced with Willis.
Some have said changing the name of the Sears Tower would be like changing the name of the Empire State Building or Eiffel Tower...it just wouldn't be done no matter how much money was put up for the rights. What do you think?
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
As the world prepares to mourn and celebrate the death of musical talent extraordinaire, Michael Jackson, millions of people have started to share how he impacted their lives and the lives of a generation. Me included. Not since Elvis does the world have an entertainment legacy brand that will be much greater after death than during life...as long as it is managed well, (let's hope, since so many people have had their hands in his life I imagine more will want a piece of him in death).
I grew up with the gloved-one's music finding it irresistible and mesmerizing...finding it impossible not to learn nearly all the words while marveling at his dance skills...(which I sadly tried to but unsuccessfully mimic). I along with millions got to know Michael from a far until I had a short very personal experience a few years back.
Before Lionel Richie became a client, I had the opportunity to meet him for the first time with some friends over brunch at the celeb packed restaurant The Ivy. Lionel arrived very late to our small gathering on the cell phone intently listening to "someone" at great length. Even after Lionel sat down with us...some 15 minutes later...we still hadn't been formally introduced because he was still on the phone.
Noticing our growing discomfort with what appeared to be the "rudeness" of staying on the phone as food arrived, Lionel put the phone on mute and handled it towards me...but saying first..."it's Michael he wants my advice and I have to listen". Michael? I inquired. Michael Jackson he responded. And with that Lionel handed me the phone for a very brief time. I listened as the King of Pop sadly and soulfully expressed his love for people and how he was misunderstood. This was the time of his first court case for child molestation and those close to Michael like Lionel were making themselves available to be there for him in his time of need....as many wouldn't listen to him as the world began to shift their opinion of the K.O.P. from honor and worship to disdain and disgust.
Lionel, who had co-written and produced "We are the World" the hugely successful charity song with Michael, was very worried about him self-destructing at that time, understandably. There were so many people in his life trying to tell him what to do, we all talked about how difficult it might be for him to get out of this situation unscathed. He settled out of court with his accuser but public opinion was not favorable.
After that time Michael seemed to become a Howard Hughes type and the world became further confused by his behaviors and his popularity waned. Additional litigation and money woes didn't help his image either.
But alas on the eve of his highly touted come-back tour he leaves us for good. Now, despite his many behavioral and money issues, which will never go completely away, the world has shifted its opinion and now is taking the time to celebrate the genius that he was and the impact his work has had on the world for the past 50 years.
Thank you to Lionel Richie for giving me a memory like no other.
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
I have periodically written about a "brand" I started called; Club CLT. It stands for Cheaters Liars and Thieves. I have added names to the list of people who have stood out as major offenders, mostly corporate types who have benefited greatly at the expense of regular people and our nation as a whole.
Today I add the entire senior management staff at insurance giant AIG now that we know they were awarded millions in bonus money even as the company took billions in bail-out aid from the US Government (actually American Taxpayers).
Now we also learned today that many recipients left the company immediately after receiving a million dollars or more in bonus money.
ALL THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE ARRESTED FOR STEALING AND DO JAIL TIME..all the them. Desperate measures are appropriate for CLT Club members.
We need to fire the senior management of any of these companies that get bail-out money...and hire the talented unemployed who for no fault of their own are on the streets. This country must be full of talent begging to work for a lot less money and do better work. It's these very same senior managers that screwed up these companies in the first place...aren't we just putting the wolf back in the sheep's' den?
Do you agree? What do you think?
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
Kellogg's one of the country's leading cereal makers has turned a bad deal into a good one benefiting thousands of really needy people.
Kellogg's terminated their endorsement deal with Olympian Michael Phelps after Phelps admitted use of illegal drugs at a party last year. The incident was photographed and featured on the Internet.
Kellogg's had already produced millions of boxes of Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes brand cereals with Phelps mug on the front of the boxes. They pulled the product when they dropped him as a celebrity endorser. What to do with the tons of cereal? A really good thing.
Kellogg's donated all the cereal to a food bank in San Francisco where product was happily accepted including with Phelps' face. The food bank has said that they rarely get cereal products donated and this unfortunate situation had a silver lining for them.
Good move on the part of Kellogg's even if it was partially a PR stunt. In this economy food banks are really hurting and the donation of quality food to a deserving facility outweighs any self serving activity by the company.
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
Reports indicate that IBM has offered employees who are likely to be laid off shortly by Big Blue the "opportunity" to move to India and become part of the company's out-sourced work groups. IBM will help with relocation. (How nice of them...)
Various organizations have condemned this news...although IBM will not confirm it but does acknowledge they will be laying off workers shortly.
Imagine, IBM once thought to be a stalwart American brand thinks offering thousands of employees the opportunity to leave the US to stay employed is a good thing....I haven't heard anything so ANTI-AMERICAN in a long time.
Maybe if IBM's top executives would take a pay cut many of these folks could not only keep their jobs but also keep them here in the United States.
Let's hope this doesn't really materialize as a result of pressure from Americans and our new President.
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
Continuing an effort I started last year I will be providing on-site commentary on what is billed as the "world's biggest party for art collectors": Art Basel Miami 2007.
You don't know about Art Basel Miami? Blogger Face Hunter (who writes for MySpace fashion) says this event was original started as a cool place for art loving New Yorkers to go to get out of the freezing cold in December, (Yes, it is snowing in New York City today!) and now is an event bringing people from all over the world to Miami for a 3-5 days.
This year there are more satellite art shows than ever as more and more galleries and artists vie for the millions of dollars that will be spent in Miami next week. This event brings a huge concentration of wealthy individuals from around the world.....some celebrities...but mostly highly successful individuals with names most Americans have never heard.
One would expect a huge influx of art buyers from Europe and Russia given the weak dollar, the strong Euro and the vast number of Russian Billionaires (yes Billionaires) that have been created in the past few years.
Private Jet company NetJets (story details here) says it is sending more planes to Miami for Art Basel than were used to ferry the rich and famous to any Super Bowl ever. That says alot about the amount of power brokers going to sunny South Beach for a few days. Hope the super-trendy enclave doesn't sink!
The most notable new art venue this year is Art Miami which will join the namesake event Art Basel and Pulse, Flow, Design Miami, Scope, Photography Miami among others.
Stay tuned for the show.
Watching out for you everyday.
Eli
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