When in the course of human events it becomes obvious how painfully far a brand's reputation is from its own image, it opens itself up to criticism, scorn and heaps of interest and advice from well meaning observers.
As an American abroad, I have learned a lot about my own country from new friends and workmates here, so it seemed right to share a personal post. (And I know Gordon at least is following the drama.)
Being blessed with absentee voting status in beautiful and enlightened Sonoma County, I just got my mail-in ballot for our Nov. 4 presidential election. I mailed it right back with an equal measure of pride and prayers.
Never was there a brand more in need of a makeover than my own country tis of thee. A wise man once said that voting only gets you a C grade, so there are a bunch of other things people like me are doing. Of course this is just the part where the organization gets a new CEO. The hard work on reputation restoration comes next. Wish us luck
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Full disclosure—I am a longtime brand fan of the Guardian, long pre-dating my residence here in London. People of my progressive political persuasion use their site to get a less biased version of news in American than our own mainstream media seems inclined to provide. And imho it is a newspaper that totally gets social media.
Today, folks at the office were viraling this: Jay Rayner is ..."just starting work on a large piece examining the arguments around genetically modified foods, and I want your help...
"We'd like those of you with something to say about GM foods to tell us what you think now, at the beginning of the reporting process, so that your take on the subject can become a part of the finished article"
How cool is that? Wonder if he will get a bunch of PR folks responding too. Hope they self-identify. You have to assume both the pro and the anti GM lobbies want in on Jay's article. But it is real people's opinions Jay Rayner is seeking and I hope he gets what he needs for a great article. Knowing much less about GM food than I do about open source and social media, my opinion is simply, "Well done Jay".
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To kick off this blog, I should note that I've spent many years happily producing work (mostly digital) for big brands. With the best clients, it's always a privilege to act as brand steward — helping to build a winning image for their products. In other words, I'm both fan and practitioner of advertising and other paid media, on and offline.
But as I morphed from a creative director to a planning director, it was clear how people viewed brands wasn't usually how the creative agency wanted them to. When I joined a different agency, with public relations as the lead marketing offering, I found myself among equally passionate brand stewards. Only they don't deal with image creation. Instead, they are devoted to the care and nurturing of a brand's reputation.
What's the difference? That's what this blog will explore. Fwiw, I think it's like your Google results v your TV spot. Reputation v Image.
What do you think?
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candace kuss
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