“It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute,” according to Will Rogers.
Or as Warren Buffet put it, “A great reputation is like virginity – it can be preserved but it can’t be restored.”
Volkswagen’s emissions debacle has been the biggest proof point of this principle in marketing. VW is one of the most beloved brands associated with some of the most memorable advertising in history. Yet it’s hard to imagine in what form the brand will recover.
There’s a great article from Edward Boches in Adweek that recalls Volkswagen’s 1960 “Lemon” ad to discuss how fall the brand had fallen.
“This Volkswagen missed the boat. The chrome strip on the glove compartment is blemished and must be replaced. Chances are you wouldn’t have noticed it; inspector Kurt Kroner did…”
“We pluck the lemons; you get the plums.”
Edward Boches’ article concludes, “Too bad Kurt Kroner wasn’t still around.”
I think that’s a really interesting metaphor for any brand to consider: where do you draw the line on what is considered a Lemon?
In any organization, we’re faced with constant decisions and compromises. Most of these decisions aren’t as severe or consequential as emissions deception. Most are in the territory of a blemished chrome strip. But I think if we allow enough blemished chrome strips, it becomes easier to make other compromises.
I once heard someone from Innocent Drinks define a brand as “made up of thousands of nice, little touches”. All of those touches are from everyone in the organization who touch and shape the brand and make it what it is.
We all have the opportunity to be Kurt Kroner.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on building (and preserving) a brand’s reputation and the values that guide what’s considered a Lemon.
Kevin McFarthing says
Hi Tom – very good article. It’s always good to think of a brand being owned by its consumers, not its producer. It leads to a different mindset, meaning that actions then require a different kind of permission.
Kevin
Woody Savage says
Your brand analogies in your cartoons are always very much “on target”. I just recently wrote a book on Streetcar Advertising in America. The book can be read online at http://www.streetcaradvertisinghistory.com The reason I mention this is that a surprising number of our consumer products we enjoy today owe their existence to streetcar advertising in the early 1900’s! It is a testament to how powerful a brand can be if you MAINTAIN and NOURISH it!
Charlotte M. Conroy, MBA says
Tom, this is a great showcase of the power of a brand and how companies large and small must ensure all strategies and messaging positively and accurately represent all aspects of their mission. As companies encourage sales professionals and many cross-functional team members to engage in social selling, the reputation of a brand could be one quick post, comment, or share away from the need to rebuild and re-position the brand.
-Charlotte
Partha Sarathi Dutta says
Flexibility is the key.. easy to adopt with market demand! 🙂