Week 10: Brand Meltdown
Martha Stewart was a model American housewife in the late 1990s. She started her career by running a catering business and writing cookbooks, but American women viewed her expertise as far more than just cooking. Martha is well known for her home decorating, hosting, cooking, crafts, gardening and other stereotypical housewife activities. She held a TV show emphasizing these strengths for a short period and also sells a home goods line at Macy’s.
Martha Stewart worked diligently to foster this personal brand until her reputation was tarnished in 2004 when she was found guilty of felony charges of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators. She spent five months in prison followed by two years in supervised release as a result.
Martha has attempted to make a comeback and redeem her brand through many facets. She began the Martha Stewart show which ran for about two years and was in a one season show, the Apprentice. She has also expanded her company, Martha Stewart Living, to new areas such as flooring and craft items. However, her attempts to be as successful as before her incarceration have not been fruitful. In 2011, New York Magazine reported that her company, Martha Stewart Living, had only made a profit in one of the previous eight years.
Martha Stewart had developed a very strong gender identity. She cultivated her micropractices to be in-line with the expected view of the perfect housewife even through her divorce with her husband in 1990. She still wrote newspaper columns, a magazine, and cookbooks at that time which were advice and helping women to be the best wife, mother, and chef. Martha kept on her “happy face” and represented the ideal woman even through her incarceration. She never allowed herself to breakdown in front of media or the public eye. She did not allow her time in prison to “break her” and she even held a job in the months that she was there. While her imprisonment tarnished her brand, her actions and attitude in the public eye never faltered.
Development of a personal brand is easy to do; however, ensuring that personal brand is how you wish to be represented requires a lot more work. For example, it is easy to be branded as the person who always sleeps through class, but it might be much more difficult to stay awake and attentive if you are quick to nod off. Furthermore, if you want to be branded as a leader, but are afraid of talking in front of groups, it is possible to be branded that way, but it will not be as easy as if you are a extrovert who people naturally follow.
In developing a personal brand it may be easy to be defined by your work, your strengths, or your weaknesses. Any unique difference which defines you may brand you. Do you know your personal brand? Are you happy with how it defines you? Do you recognize your actions which define it?
