Is it ever possible to save face when reputation is tainted?
December 20th 2011 11:59
Link: www.theprofitfrog.com
Harvey Norman - too little too late?
We've seen a raft of TV ads for Harvey Norman lately in the lead up to Christmas, and there's something that has started "sticking" in my mind.
I can't help but find myself scoffing and rolling my eyes, thinking, "Your ads are stale, and seem like a knee-jerk reaction to poor retail sales across the board. It's a little too late, and it's all too little."
My view comes from what I have observed as Channel 9's A Current Affair being seemingly obsessed with giving Gerry lots of air time as he appears to firstly grizzle and gripe about the "tough" economy and the fact that he blames issues that others disagree with (eg GST charges not applying to online sales).
After so much time dedicated to hearing him justify the poor performance of Harvey Norman, recent stories indicate that he's taking on the online world and doing all sorts of "with it" things. Next thing, he gets air time so he can tell Australia that he has a whole stock pile of products that he claims he can sell and take on the challenge of the online services.
Here's what I think.
When I now watch the lead-up-to-Christmas ads for Harvey Norman, I see what comes across as desperate advertising as the HN group continues to blame the slow economy, and I notice how in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "You're a sad story, Gerry... all your publicity has now cost you any "Retail King" reputation, because you're now firmly entrenched in my mind as the outdated passe 'grumpy old man' who realizes he hasn't played his cards right..."
I just simply can't feel the same level of envy or awe over what used to be the HN catalogue of higher end product, spurred on by my perception of HN being a much more exclusive retail outlet.
I once approached HN regarding their marketing. I made a few mistakes - gave them too much information, but overall I got the distinct impression of intentional ignorance. That is, I was too insignificant to bring any kind of value to them.
Is your reputation dependent upon your PR and advertising?
Are you open to recognising when it's time to step aside, OR time to at least keep a lower profile and allow someone else within your organisation to undertake "damage control"?
Never be afraid to admit you're out of date, or wrong about your marketing or your method of business. Learn from all sources including forums and social media comments made by potential customers or bloggers.
Sometimes it shows more courage and smarts to step down, move aside, get different PR or work on a new public attitude toward your business.
You need to act smart and work hard to stay current with your PR and your marketing.
(Ask The Profit Frog how... ph 1300 98 36 41)
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