Between BP and Toyota, there are a lot of ads on the TV these days that are all about brand management. That is, they are about reputation clean-up. About making the company's brand viable again.
It's an interesting business to be in. During my recent sojourn in unemployment, I interviewed with a company whose job, among more traditional brand research, is to determine how best to woo the public back. When I worked years ago for a polling firm, we did some of this kind of market research. Not about which brand the public prefers, but the public's perception of a company as one they like or don't like. It's a much harder thing to measure. And also much harder to affect.
I've noticed recently, however, that more and more companies are doing this kind of advertising. It's not just those like BP and Toyota who need to address scandals that are associated with their companies. It's also companies like Microsoft. Sure, they are advertising Windows 7, and sure, some of what they are doing is trying to get people to buy that product. But they approach the advertising by trying to make people feel like Windows 7 is something that the public contributed to. That an average person's ideas were part of the process. In other words, affect the public's perception of Microsoft as a company, not just the Windows 7 product in particular. Jeep is advertising the new Cherokee as not just building a car, but rebuilding a company. Rebuilding the brand.
I wonder whether it's a trend in advertising, or it's just that there are so many companies that need to improve the public's perception of them.
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