11 replies to this topic

[Jill]

Just read an interesting article regarding Martha Stewart and whether they can save her "brand" with all the bad press.

Home Making Empire Tries to Dust Off Image

<Snippet>Brand experts are split on whether the image damage is fatal.

<Snippet>Richard Yaffa, CEO of the Leverage Group, a marketing consulting firm, believes recovery is possible because "it is such a strong brand that stands for attainable aspiration for so many consumers."

<Snippet>"The minute they knew about the trouble, they started the art of de-branding the Martha Stewart brand," says Samir Husni, a magazine consultant and journalism professor at the University of Mississippi.

[Minerva]

It will be a challenge, that's for sure. But it's not as though she had a Mother Teresa image even before all this happened. Everyone has been loving hating her for years. If she had molested children or something equally henious then yes, the brand would have to die.

The company was already having some problems. The merchandise is the only area where they had growth - everything else was negative. So maybe they focus on the products, that aren't so tied into HER, and cut back on the other things. I think people will continue buying her products if they are well-designed and low-cost.

-Andrea-

[Haystack]

Americans seem to love apologists, but we haven't seen that from Martha yet. I suppose she won't apologize until after living in denial through all of her appeals, but until she does that I doubt she'll have much luck rebuilding her name.

One exception is the "Martha Got a Bad Rap" crowd. They may go out of their way to buy her stuff (shop at K-Mart?) due to the way she's been treated, but you won't see me buying up her company's stock any time soon.

[qwerty]

At least so far, that's exactly what's happening: while the company stock drops more every day, the sales of her products are doing extremely well. I don't know if it's in support of her or out of fear they'll all disappear soon.

[Jill]

Maybe it's a case of any publicity being good publicity? It IS free advertising and all of the name...

[respree]

Product sales don't seem to be affected. Maybe people don't care one way or another.

Her advertising revenue, however, has been drastically affected. Down 35% in 2003 and another 30% in 2004.

[Minerva]

Someone is selling this on eBay:



The Ball and Chain Martha Pocketbook

[Scottie]

hee hee...

She won't lose the brand because people hated her before she was prosecuted too.. and they still bought her stuff. Because it's pretty good stuff. Her magazine as some good articles and while some of her advice is waaaay over the edge of who-in-heaven's-name-has-time-for-that-or-even-cares, most of it is useful and interesting.

And (because I just can't help it) most American women's dream gift...

Dear Santa,

I rarely ask for much. This year is no exception. I don't need diamond earrings, handy slicer-dicers or comfy slippers. I only want one little thing, and I want it deeply. I want to slap Martha Stewart.

Now, hear me out, Santa. I won't scare her or draw blood or anything. Just one good smack, right across her smug little cheek. I get all cozy inside just thinking about it. Don't grant this wish just for me, do it for thousands of women across the country. Through sheer vicarious satisfaction, you'll be giving a gift to us all. Those of us leading average, garden variety lives aren't concerned with gracious living. We feel pretty good about ourselves if our paper plates match when we stack them on the counter, buffet-style for dinner.

We're tired of Martha showing us how to make centerpieces from hollyhock dipped in 18 carat gold. We're plumb out of liquid gold. Unless it's of the furniture polish variety. We can't whip up Martha's creamy holiday sauce, spiced with turmeric. Most of us can't even say turmeric, let alone figure out what to do with it.

OK, Santa, maybe you think I'm being a little harsh. But I'll bet with all the holiday rush you didn't catch that interview with Martha in last week's USA Weekend. I'm surprised there was enough room on the page for her ego.

We discovered that not only does Martha avoid take-out pizza (she's only ordered it once), she refuses to eat it cold (No cold pizza? Is Martha Stewart Living?) When it was pointed out that she could microwave it, she replied, "I don't have a microwave." The reporter, Jeffrey Zaslow, noted that she said this "in a tone that suggests you shouldn't either." Well lah-dee-dah.

Imagine that, Santa! That lovely microwave you brought me years ago, in which I've learned to make complicated dishes like popcorn and hot chocolate, has been declared undesirable by Queen Martha. What next? The coffee maker?

In the article, we learned that Martha has 40 sets of dishes adorning an entire wall in her home. Forty sets. Can you spell "overkill"? And neatly put away, no less. If my dishes make it to the dishwasher, that qualifies as "put away" in my house!

Martha tells us she's already making homemade holiday gifts for friends.

"Last year, I made amazing silk-lined scarves for everyone," she boasts.

Not just scarves, mind you. Amazing scarves. Martha's obviously not shy about giving herself a little pat on the back. In fact, she does so with such frequency that one has to wonder if her back is black and blue. She goes on to tell us that "homemaking is glamour for the 90s," and says her most glamorous friends are "interested in stain removal, how to iron a monogram, and how to fold a towel." I have one piece of advice, Martha: "Get new friends." Glamorous friends fly to Paris on a whim. They drift past the Greek Islands on yachts, sipping champagne from crystal goblets. They step out for the evening in shimmering satin gowns, whisked away by tuxedoed chauffeurs. They do not spend their days pondering the finer art of toilet bowl sanitation.

Zaslow notes that Martha was named one of America's 25 most influential people by Time magazine (nosing out Mother Theresa, Madeline Albright and Maya Angelou, no doubt). The proof of Martha's influence: after she bought white-fleshed peaches in the supermarket, Martha says, "People saw me buy them. In an instant, they were all gone." I hope Martha never decides to jump off a bridge.

A guest in Martha's home told Zaslow how Martha gets up early to rollerblade with her dogs to pick fresh wild blackberries for breakfast. This confirms what I've suspected about Martha all along: She's obviously got too much time on her hands. Teaching the dogs to rollerblade. What a show off.

If you think the dogs are spoiled, listen to how Martha treats her friends:She gave one friend all 272 books from the Knopf Everyman Library. It didn't cost much. Pocket change, really. Just $5,000. But what price is friendship, right? When asked if others should envy her, Martha replies, "Don't envy me. I'm doing this because I'm a natural teacher. You shouldn't envy teachers. You should listen to them."

Zaslow must have slit a seam in Martha's ego at this point, because once the hot air came hissing out, it couldn't be held back. "Being an overachiever is nothing despicable. It is only admirable. Never lower your standards," says Martha.

And of her Web Page on the Internet, Martha declares herself an "important presence" as she graciously helps people organize their sad, tacky little lives.

There you have it, Santa. If there was ever someone who deserved a good smack, it's Martha Stewart. But I bet I won't get my gift this year. You probably want to smack her yourself.

Carole G.

[Jill]

Guess Martha got her slap!

Scottie where's that santa letter from?

J

[JamesW]

Silly ol' Martha

What's the point of having an oven when you've got a microwave!? Poor old Martha.

But if Bill can survive then so can Martha. It's quite amusing isn't it really. For me it's similar to imagining Delia Smith being locked up for road rage. But then again, that would never happen to OUR Delia - far too controversial for her!

Cheers

James

[talktomephd]

Hi all – I am a graduate student doing my dissertation for my PhD, and I’m looking at people’s opinions about celebrities, such as Martha Stewart.

I’m wondering if you would take a few minutes to complete a survey, in exchange for a chance to win a $50 prize. All responses are confidential, and this survey is not associated with any organization (it’s just for my own research). You don’t have to sign up for anything, and you will not receive any junk mail as a result of completing this survey.

If you agree to complete the survey, you can enter a drawing to win $50 prize. All you have to provide is your email so that I can contact you if you win – otherwise, you’ll never hear from me again.

It will only take about 5 minutes to complete, and it is easy to fill it out because I’ve got it posted on a website. Just follow the link below:

www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=5346413684

If you start and have to quit, you can come back to it at any time and you will be taken to where you left off. Then you can finish the survey and enter the drawing. (Each household can complete the survey and enter the drawing only once.)

Thank you for your time!
MKT studies

p.s. If you have any questions, you can email me at mktstudies@marshall.usc.edu

[De-linked live link per Forum Guidelines]

Edited by Randy, 25 March 2004 - 02:49 PM.

[qwerty]

Welcome, talktomephd

I got started filling out your survey (anything to escape my research ) but something's a bit unclear to me -- should there be a "not applicable" category for a lot of these questions? For example, #23: "I am sorry now that I supported Martha Stewart." I never supported her, so I'm not sorry that I did, but that's not really what you're looking for, is it?