What does a company do when — through absolutely no fault of its own — its brand becomes associated with criminal acts, and it winds up a punch line on late-night talk shows? Think about the damaged reputations of Kool-Aid and Jonestown, Bruno Magli loafers and O.J., Nike Windrunner sneakers and the Heaven’s Gate cult, or Ryder trucks and the Oklahoma City bombing.
These companies were in no way associated with the malfeasance of their customers but their brand reputations became tarnished by association. Such a stain can take years to lift. In the case of Kool-Aid, it’s become synonymous with blind obedience and uncritical acceptance of faulty logic — even though evidence indicated it was another flavored drink and not Kool-Aid that was used at Jonestown. While Bruno Magli temporarily profited from the O.J. publicity with a spike in sales, Ryder sold its consumer truck rental division and changed its yellow trucks to white just one year after the bombing. (Oddly, a link not indicated on the company’s historical timeline.)
The latest to fall victim is Casio. Apparently, their budget model Casio F-91W is the casual sport watch preferred by 9 out of 10 Guantanamo detainees.
Do you ignore the report, discontinue the brand, or turn it into a joke and fight back through advertising or promotions? I could see Casio going for “product consideration by” or advertising on some TV shows and movies that involve law enforcement (eg, "Castle," "CSI," "NCIS"). The espionage-themed “Chuck” or “White Collar” could make it the centerpiece of an entire episode. A true splurge would be to take advantage of James Bond’s periodic change in favored watch brands.
On the other hand, there are companies that don’t mind questionable associations. I would not normally put Disney in that camp, but the company shocked everyone by attempting to trademark the term “Seal Team 6” — the specialized squad that took out Osama bin Laden.
What do you think Casio should do to manage its brand reputation?
Photo credit: Duchess of Erat photostream via flickr
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Posted by: custom essays | October 10, 2011 at 05:22 AM