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Does Martha Stewart Have Soul?
Branding: Bring Back The Jingle!Did you grow up in the '70s and '80s? If so, you probably have a slew of campy jingles from various TV commercials filed away in your ..... DOES MARTHA STEWART HAVE SOUL? By Stephanie Yeh and Raymond Yeh
Whether you think Martha Stewart deserves more, less or no jail
time (more than 43% of respondents in a recent USA Today poll
thought she should spend more time in jail), the diva of
domestic grace is using her time behind bars to boost her PR
value sky high.
By going to jail early, sending out heartfelt web letters asking
people to donate money to the American Cancer Society charity
instead of mailing her money and gifts, and even offering to
assist underprivileged women start businesses, Stewart is
walking a very public "road to redemption."
While we can't really blame Stewart for making the best of a bad
situation, we have to wonder what kind of legacy this will
create for up-and-coming entrepreneurs and business leaders, not
to mention the American public as a whole.
Stewart's story already had enough rags-to-riches romance to
make her a top role model. Add to that her new seemingly humble
persona and her place as a societal icon is all but guaranteed.
But is what she's modeling good or bad or America?
Let's break down exactly what she's demonstrating, then you can
decide for yourself:
Arrogance is Acceptable as Long as You're Successful
Stewart is guilty of the sin common among most celebrity
leaders: hubris. She no doubt began believing everything her PR
department put out. She's been labeled "power mad," "mean
spirited," and "cruel" in the press, but the media-happy public
was willing to accept her and buy her products as long as she
was a wealthy public figure.
LESSON: It's perfectly acceptable to buy products from a
power-mad, mean spirited, cruel leader as long as she's popular
and the media likes her.
You Can Recover from Any Fall With a Show of Humbleness
Stewart is making a very public show of humble pie, but
let's take a deeper look at the motivations behind her actions.
First, she volunteered to enter prison even when she didn't have
to. Sounds humble, but why did she really do it? She says it's
so she could "be back to work before the spring planting season"
(USA Today, September 15, 2004).
She also offered to help underprivileged women start their own
businesses. But this was in fact really a means for her "she
could shorten her time in jail by offering to serve part or all
of her sentence," as reported in the July 19 issue of USA Today.
Finally, she has asked people to stop sending gifts and to start
donating to the American Cancer Society. Considering that
Stewart recently earned a healthy $8 million from sales of
Omnimedia stock (her own company), we have to wonder whether it
wasreal giving or just a public show of humility.
The net result? Stock climbed to a four-year high this month and
has climbed more than 70% since Stewart went behind bars.
LESSON: If you stumble, turn to your PR department for the right
"humble" moves to make. It will get you the sympathy vote and
keep your stock value high.
Publicity is Always Good There is no such thing as bad
publicity. Stewart made more headlines as a jailbird than she
ever did as the guru of gracious living. She has had more
opportunities than ever to put her message forth, and attracted
the attention of an entirely new consumer base.
Aside from the curiosity seekers, Americans are a forgiving lot.
Says Rob Stearns of the business school at Arizona State
University and author of Winning Smart After Losing Big,
"Americans will forgive high crimes and misdemeanors and
impeachable offenses, but they won't forgive arrogance." With
her well-oiled PR department and public acts of contrition,
Stewart has this angle covered.
LESSON: When the media turns its spotlight on you, use it to
your advantage to increase your customer base and brand
recognition.
In the aftermath of tragedies like Enron and Tyco, and in a time
when we need ethics, values, and soul more than ever, Stewart
demonstrates that almost any lack of personal and corporate
values can be forgiven if your PR department is good enough.
Stewart has shown us that success and fame are to be envied and
sought after, regardless. She demonstrates that being a money
hungry "control freak" behind bars is more newsworthy than
anything that actually improves the human condition.
While Martha Stewart isn't to be blamed for the general
condition of the media, we suggest that she will emerge from her
jail time more hardened and media-savvy. But will she be more
socially responsible (notice that her website
www.marthastewart.com teaches people how to spend, shop, and
consume more graciously than ever but remains mute on
good-citizen topics like giving and donating)? And because she
will be more of a role model than ever, what kind of values or
the lack of them will she pass on to the next generation of
business and public leaders?
About the author:
Stephanie Yeh has spent many years in the business world
consulting with major corporations around the world. She has
also coached numerous corporate executives and small business
owners on business strategy and management. Contact her at
syeh@theartofbusinessbook.com access her work at
http://www.theartofbusinessbook.com.
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