The PR value of management decisions
The CEO’s of the big 3 automakers recently got plenty of flack when they flew to Washington to beg for a bailout in their private jets. When they came back a second time, they all drove hybrids. Neither was a very smart move in my opinion. The first didn’t value money, the second was both pandering and didn’t show value for time.
It’s important to remember that as a business owner, you are a part of the representation of your brand. There are restaurants that I no longer frequent because the owners were rude or arrogant to others even outside of the restaurant. I’m sure that there are plenty of examples that anyone else can think of where a senior business person’s personal behavior affected your opinion of their products.
My simple rule of thumb is to assume that whatever you do gets published to the Yahoo homepage. I used to use the newspaper, but they seem to lack the cultural relevance anymore. That goes for everything from business deals to personal attitudes. Consumers want to have a real relationship with their brands. Make sure management behavior isn’t a reason they could choose to leave. Living your brand is an important axiom.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:30 am
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