You are here: Home / Branding / Can A Tarnished Brand Bounce Back And How?
June 25, 2010 By

Can A Tarnished Brand Bounce Back And How?

This is going to be a slightly different type of post, one where you tell us what you think. In the last handful of years, there are certainly many brands that have fallen from their golden positions. Some fell much harder than others. To name a few that come to mind:

  • BP
  • Toyota
  • CircuitCity.com

Can these brands bounce back? What do you think they should do now?

Keep in mind, there were brands who went through some pretty rough times and come up on top, stronger than ever like Tylenol and for those who are too young to remember ;) Apple.

Why do you think some brands are so resilient?

File under: Branding
Line Break

Author: Ken Chandler (12 Articles)

Ken Chandler

I started my first offline business around 1992 I owned and operated a radio sales and repair shop for about 4 yrs. I have been online since around 1996. I dabbled mostly and it wasn`t till 2006 when I went to my first Big Seminar that I really saw what the internet was doing right at my fingertips. Since then I have started and currently run several service sites online.My personal brand online is not completed yet but I work on it daily in the hopes of establishing myself. I decided to narrow down those that I truly follow and recommend. Armand Morin , Michel and Sylvie Fortin and Jim Howard author of Branded for Success are my main sources of knowledge these days by choice. For inspiration Tony Robbins fills the bill nicely. I have to say that Ed Dale is still a favorite and I love what he has done with the Challenge and the amount of people I know who have benefited .Jimmy D Brown,Jim Edwards are always trusted sources of quality information. I intentionally cut back on those that I follow to reduce the noise and allow me to focus on what is important.This is not to say there are not plenty of good people to learn from. I just think you need to choose a few and immerse yourself in what they can offer. Napoleon Hill- is a must read for anyone in business I think I have a diverse enough background to bring some good things to smallbusinessbranding.com . I look forward to the chance to prove it.

Comments have been disabled for this post.
Sort: Newest | Oldest
Jazz

IBM came back from the dead in the mid 90's. And am pretty sure IBM's position was much much worse than any of the companies listed above. I think If a company needs to bounce back they would require a strong leader who can make tough decisions.

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like
Ken Chandler

I think it is fair to say tarnishment of a brand also lies in the
customer's perception and that can vary and the catalyst doesn't have
to be something big or dramatic like an oil spill or quality control
or product tampering. For me, the lack of software is a significant
issue. I consider with advances made by Apple in other areas that they
have neglected an important area. But I understand this is not their
business focus.

A review of Apple history found in this wikipedia article shows some
areas of tarnishment as seen by some.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.

In this article in Tom Hormby's Orchard things were not always going
as they should and viewed at one point unfavorable
http://lowendmac.com/orchard/07/apple-think-differ...

My personal opinion is Apple has done far more right than wrong when
it comes to their customers and image.The last decade has shown great
strides in these areas.

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like
Billeje

Sure brand can bounce back - Sure the BP Brand are not good at the moment but it will bounce back - Just look at Exxon it is a good value brand today

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like
Ed Roach

Ken, when was Apple's brand tarnished? I go back to the first Mac in '84, and while they were never the top computer company, they could never be put in the same company as BP and Toyota. Apple has never compromised their values just to be on top. I believe that their current success is due to the fact that the public at large have finally got it - and they love it. PC's were always a commodity. Apple was considered more expensive, but their difference was never questioned from my recollection.

I think Toyota is a more in your face brand than BP, so their opportunity for a re-birth depends on them taking the high road and not point fingers like BP. Toyota i think will have a tougher time only because BP doesn't have the relationship with their customers that Toyota does. The public already hated big oil, this just proves their distrust of the oil brand. Toyota has more at stake.

Ed

share
  • spam
  • offensive
  • disagree
  • off topic
 Like