Marketing Pilgrim's Reputation Channel

Marketing Pilgrim's Reputation Channel is sponsored by Trackur.
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Is Spirit Airlines No Refund Policy Worth the Reputation Damage?

posted on May 3, 2012

Spirit Airlines is in the midst of what could only be described as a reputation dumpster fire.

Here is the quick back story. A Vietnam war veteran, Jerry Meekins, purchased a ticket on the airline to go to Florida to help his daughter out after a surgical procedure she was having. He purchased the ticket to make the trip. Mr. Meekins has battled esophageal cancer for two years (he is 76 years old). In between the time he purchased the ticket and the actual flight date he was told by his doctors that the cancer was now terminal and that he should not fly.

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American Icons Top BrandPower List

posted on May 1, 2012

An icon is a symbol that evokes a visceral feeling when you see it. They’re well-known images that nearly everyone can relate to and generally they represent the very best a category has to offer.

All that may sound very grandiose when talking about advertising, but there are handful of brands that truly are American icons. You’ll find most of them at the top of CoreBrand’s 2011 PowerRanking Report.

To build the list, CoreBrands surveyed 10,000 consumers asking them to rank brand names based on familiarity, reputation, and favorability over other brands. The usual suspects landed on top without too much shuffling in the rankings over the past few years. Harley-Davidson jumped up after a decline but I don’t get why they’re listed in the Hotel & Entertainment industry.

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Social Media Dust Up Highlights Interconnectedness of the Online Life

posted on April 17, 2012

There is plenty of debate as to whether the actions of an employee online, in particular through social media, is the responsibility of their employer. To extend that concept, it is important to consider what impact an employee’s actions and statements on social media can do to their employer’s brand. A recent episode between an employee of PR firm Hill + Knowlton and a fellow journalist highlights these thoughts in ways that will make many folks shudder.

ZDNet reports

Mufadal Jiwaji works, or he did until today, as a graduate trainee at Public Relations firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies. He has been working there since January 2012 so hopefully he might have some idea by now of who H+K Strategies works with as partners and clients.

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Social Media Screw Ups In Any Language Cause Pain for Brands

posted on April 13, 2012

As much as we might hate to admit it, it is important for the social media industry to police itself on many levels and not just allow stupid social media tricks to go by unexamined, or unpunished, depending on your mood.

The latest to grace the Social Media Hall of Shame is KFC Thailand. According to an AP story the folks running the Facebook page for this group thought it was a prudent move to try to sell some chicken as people were dealing with the earthquake and the fears of a possible tsunami this past Wednesday:

KFC Thailand has apologized for posting a Facebook message that urged people to rush home during Wednesday’s tsunami scare and order a bucket of KFC chicken.

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‘Don’t Trust the B-’ Pushes the Boundaries of Branding

posted on April 12, 2012

ABC just launched a new comedy series titled Don’t Trust the B– in Apartment 23. Even without the missing letters, it’s pretty clear to all of use what the “B” represents, especially after you’ve seen two minutes of the show.

Standards being what they are, ABC can’t write in those extra letters and it’s probably just as well. Written out, the title would be very harsh, but with the mysterious “B–”, it’s quirky and cute.

According to CNN, the show’s cast didn’t believe it at first and then they got totally behind the title.

Says star Krysten Ritter,

“If I say ‘Don’t Trust the B– in Apartment 23.’ If it’s ‘Apartment 23,’ I have to explain way more. It makes my life so much easier!”

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Which Retailer Is the Most Relevant? Amazon!

posted on April 5, 2012

What retailer, would you say, is the most dependable? Reflects your personal values? Is a store you’re proud to mention to your friends?

Brodeur Partners asked 2,000 shoppers these questions and Amazon came out on top again and again. They even scored in the top two for “sensory relevance,” which deals with a store’s atmosphere and appeal. Yes, the store that doesn’t even have a “store” came in second behind Target.

Here are the top ten stores:

Jerry Johnson, Brodeur’s executive vice president of strategic planning said in a press release,

“The case of Amazon.com highlights the incredible power of e-commerce in the retail world of today. It shows how technology can move a retailer from specialty online bookstore to one that people view as more practical and value-driven than Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer.”

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Coca-Cola, Subway and Hallmark Are Still Number One

posted on March 28, 2012

It’s tough enough to make it to the top of your field, but staying there for eight years in a row is near impossible. Still, fifteen brands managed to do just that.

The numbers come from the 23rd Annual Harris Poll EquiTrend Study. They surveyed nearly 40,000 US consumers and asked them to rank a random collection of forty brands and the cream rose to the top.

Every brand on this list is immediately recognizable. Each evokes a feeling of stability, of excellence. They also mean more than just the product they represent.

Hallmark makes cards and Christmas ornaments. But the brand brings to mind visions of loving families, heart-felt gifting and a lifetime of memories.