Winnie the Pooh on Rebuilding Brands

Yes, I find brand lessons in everything, including Winnie the Pooh.

Recently, I had a lot of fun rediscovering the charm of this cuddly bear character with my two-year old daughter.

We watched The Wishing Bear from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh series. In this particular episode, Pooh thinks he has wished Christopher Robin’s wishing star out of the sky. Feeling terrible about losing the star and afraid of disappointing Christopher Robin, he dresses up like a star.

Just before Pooh is catapulted into the night sky by a tree branch, with Tigger’s help, a distressed Piglet asks Pooh: “Oh Pooh, why must you go so very up?”

“Because otherwise I’ll let Christopher Robin down,” replied Pooh.

The words that caught my attention were “so very up.”

Isn’t that the truth? When a brand disappoints and has sunk to a low point, much like a Toyota or a Tiger Woods, the only way back is to aim high and go above and beyond to rebuild trust.

That means doing more, a lot more. You have to go “so very up” to fight negative perceptions and restore confidence and trust.

In the future, Toyota must do a lot more to reinforce that their name is indeed synonymous with quality. Based on all we know from the past, this is not a low quality, dangerous brand. Toyota has always led in the quality and reliability category.

But perception is everything. And so now Toyota must aim even higher. Exceeding expectations is tough enough. Exceeding the exceed expectations measure is even tougher.

Tiger Woods, for his part, must do a lot more to demonstrate that he’s worthy of respect. His code of conduct must be pristine, and he must, in my view at least, be even more accessible and transparent than ever before. If he wants people to believe in him again, then he must show them the real Tiger Woods and not just the brand or persona in front of Tiger Woods.

It’s not business as usual for brands that need to recover and rebuild from a crisis. When you’ve let consumers and fans down, “so very up” is your new destination point.

Troubled Toyota

Photo credit: angusw on Flickr

I feel compelled to share some thoughts on Toyota’s brand troubles.

Jim Lentz, president of U.S. Toyota sales, acknowledges that the situation is embarrassing, “but it doesn’t mean we (have) lost our edge on quality.”

Maybe not. But here’s the problem. First we learned of the accelerator problem. And now we’re hearing about braking problems with the Lexus and Prius. If we just had the accelerator issue, consumers might be willing to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt. But with other problems coming to light, consumers may now question who Toyota really is.

Is Toyota the auto company who can be counted on to build reliable, high-performing vehicles? Or is Toyota a brand that’s no more trustworthy than any of the other big brands?

Toyota has always ranked exceptionally well in the perception of value category. The current crisis now threatens to undermine that precious asset.

What’s the lesson?

Well, for starters, you can never let up on guarding your reputation.

As I’ve said many times before, brand building is a marathon event (probably more like an ultra-marathon). It’s tough, takes a long, long time and there’s no shortcuts. You build your brand mile by mile by mile.

But if you let up for a moment, if you slip, if you fail to do what you need to do, if you let your customers down, brand value that’s taken decades to build can be destroyed in an instant.

Guarding your brand’s reputation must be an obsession. It’s a total commitment.

Through all of the media reports on Toyota’s troubles, one of the ideas put forth is that the Japanese auto manufacturer had gotten complacent and overly focused on growth.

In fact, you can go back as early as 2005 and 2006, Toyota was talking then about the need to fight complacency and re-focus on quality even as it pursued growth across the globe.

Wasn’t it the Japanese who taught us that the relentless pursuit of quality and continuous improvement is key to growth?

For Toyota, the worst may not be over. We’re hearing reports that Toyota knew about the accelerator problem for over two years. And according to a U.S. House of Representatives committee, the sudden acceleration problem has been linked to 19 deaths in the last decade.

I think this is the most troublesome part of this story… that Toyota may have hid from its own problems. All of the sudden, it’s not just reliability and quality issues, it’s a question of integrity.

My view: Toyota will need to work hard, very hard, to bounce back from this crisis. They need to earn back the trust they’ve lost, and they need to rebuild the perception of high value.

Part of the value of having a strong brand is the ability to weather a storm when things go against you. Toyota will benefit from the brand equity it’s built with consumers, especially Toyota loyalists. But rebuilding the brand equity lost won’t happen overnight. It’s going to take years.

For more on Toyota’s troubles, see Toyota’s Chief Steps Forward to Apologize.

Brand Aid for Haiti

I can’t imagine watching helplessly as my own daughter struggled for survival, pinned down by some steel bar, unable to escape the rubble of a major earthquake. I also can’t imagine hearing her cries, knowing I could do little to help. The very thought is unbearable.

I came across this story on CNN. And, sadly, the story ended tragically. Though freed from the wreckage, this poor girl didn’t make it. Doctors couldn’t save her, devastating her family and all those involved in the rescue effort.

So many heart wrenching, tragic stories are coming out of what was already one of the poorest countries in the world.

While devastating and horrific, these are the stories that inspire us to act, to do what we can to help.

Individuals act. Communities pull together. Organizations get into motion.

Businesses and brands also offer support in various forms.

Consider brand aid for Haiti. Here’s a rundown based on what I can find on the Web of how the world’s top brands are responding to the tragedy. This list is limited to the world’s top 10 brands, based on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands ranking of 2009.

1. Coca-Cola: The Coca-Cola Foundation has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross as well as water and other beverages for immediate on-the-ground relief efforts.

2. IBM: I have not come across any public announcement from Big Blue. However, the technology giant does provide support to the U.S. State Department’s Center for International Disaster Information, which plays a major role in disaster relief and recovery efforts.

3. Microsoft: Initial commitment of $1.25 million, including cash and in-kind contributions. The company is matching employee donations. Microsoft is helping to drive awareness and donations for relief efforts through MSN and Bing. In addition, the company is working through NetHope, a group made up of some of the world’s largest humanitarian relief organizations, which focuses on ensuring that these organizations are prepared to react quickly and effectively to work together during an emergency.

4. GE: Has pledged $2.5 million to support relief and recovery efforts and is running a corporate matching contribution program. GE says it’s working with its partners to assess response efforts and determine next steps to help restore infrastructure and services to the impacted areas.

5. Nokia: Unknown.

6. McDonald’s: Contributing $500,000 and matching donations from Arcos Dorados, the company that operates nearly 1,700 McDonald’s restaurants in Latin America. Total estimated contribution: about $1 million. Funds will go through the International Federation of the Red Cross. The team in Latin America is running a grassroots program that’s expected to generate an additional $500,000.

7. Google: $1 million to the relief and recovery efforts. Google also has a link on its homepage to information, resources and ways everyone can help.

8. Toyota: Has pledged $500,000 in donations to be divided equally among the American Red Cross, Save the Children, and Doctors Without Borders. The auto company is matching any employee contributions to those organizations.

9. Intel: The computer chip giant has made no public announcement as far as I know, but Wendy Hawkins, executive director of the Intel Foundation, notes on the company’s corporate social responsibility blog that over 700 employees made donations to relief efforts within the first 24 hours of the catastrophe. The Intel Foundation has committed to match employee donations and contribute an additional $250,000. Intel, like Microsoft, is also supporting relief and recovery efforts through NetHope.

10. Disney: $100,000 in humanitarian aid to earthquake victims through the Red Cross International Fund.

As I gathered this information, I couldn’t help but wonder about the motivations behind brand aid. I began to question whether these brands are acting out of concern for the larger social interest, or out of self-interest.

At the end of the day though, my feeling is that little value lies in casting aspersions on the intentions behind brand aid. Haitians need all the help the rest of the world can offer.

And even if brands are acting partially out of concern for how their response to a major human calamity is perceived by consumers and other stakeholders, isn’t that a good thing? Don’t we want to them to feel that they’re accountable for their response?

I think we want a world in which companies/brands put people truly at the center. We want a world in which companies/brands embrace new imperatives beyond profits.

We understand the need for businesses to make sense economically, but the price of entry includes social and environmental responsibility. The price of entry includes acting in ways that fit and reflect consumers’ values.

Consider what McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner had to say when announcing support for Haiti: “While we don’t have McDonald’s restaurants in Haiti, our contribution reflects our commitment to people all over the world.”

Well said.

Toyota’s New Prius Harmony Animation – a Joy Ride (Brand Champ) or a Ho-Hum (Brand Chump)?

The reaction to Honda’s animation, featured in last week’s Brand Champ or Chump, was overwhelmingly positive. The vast majority felt Honda hit the sweet spot with an inspirational piece that connected to consumers’ demands for greater environmental accountability.

So, the verdict from last week: Brand Champ.

This week, I want to know how you feel about Toyota’s new animation, which seems a fitting follow up to last week’s spotlight on Honda.

I leaned toward Brand Champ for Honda, and I’m taking the same position this week for Toyota. This time, I’m leaning strongly toward Champ.

This spot is a 30 second commercial promoting the third-generation Prius. Set to a familiar happy-go-lucky and eco-friendly tune, we see a Prius moving through a clean and beautiful environment.

But this environment is… well… unusual. The landscape is made up entirely of people. That is, the sun, clouds, flowers and blades of grass are depicted as people.

The point: Toyota’s third-generation Prius strikes a balance between the needs of man and nature. You can get everything you want in a car – extra power, more space and fuel efficiency… and the best part is you also make a difference by driving a car with fewer smog-forming emissions. So, a simple message: We get more of what we want in a car, but less of what we don’t want.

For me, this piece was eye-stopping to the point that I really wanted to see it again. The animation has a unique feel to it. Like some of Toyota’s earlier Harmony spots, this one feels organic and artistic… though much more uplifting. The flow of the piece suggests progress and change—for the better. I immediately connected with the message.

Toyota has its hands full with Honda. The latter is launching the competitive Insight hybrid and seems poised to take share away from Toyota, which has seen Prius sales drop quite sharply. This piece, as part of a larger campaign, may just help Toyota defend some of its ground.

Overall, I think this piece is a winner. I felt like I was on a joy ride. Do you agree? Or was it ho-hum for you? Watch it for yourself (see below) and let me know what you think we have here:

1. A brand champ?
2. A brand chump?
3. Somewhere in between?

If the video does not appear below, please see the animation here.

Honda’s Doer Film: Brand Champ or Chump?

This week in Brand Champ or Chump, I turn the spotlight to Honda’s Doer film, a two minute ten second animation highlighting the company’s environmental commitment.

This piece goes beyond what Honda’s doing and speaks to the company’s view that everyone can help reduce impact on the environment. Honda says good things come from “doers,” people who do “things to move us forward, to make stuff better.”

As part of this, Honda offers tips on how drivers can make simple, small changes to their behavior to make a difference to the world around them.

So, is this campaign a brand champ, chump or somewhere in between?

I don’t feel right going with champ or chump. To me, the piece wasn’t mind blowing or awe inspiring. I have to go with somewhere in between, leaning to champ.

I like the simplicity of the little red car and the use of toys in the animation (the artistic quality is fantastic).

But mostly, I like how Honda takes what can be a big and complicated message and makes it easy to grasp. Certainly this piece does a good job speaking to Honda’s green credentials and reinforces to consumers that the environment is one of the company’s brand pillars.

Honda’s reputation has largely been built upon quality and good fuel economy. Toyota, mostly because of its Prius, has nurtured, by far, the strongest image for environmental friendliness. However, thanks to work like the Doer, Honda is closing the gap.

Not awe inspiring, but very good. 

Watch it for yourself and let me know what you think? Is Honda’s Doer film:

1. A brand champ?
2. A brand chump?
3. Somewhere in between?

If the video does not appear below, please see the animation here.

 

Be sure to explain the reasoning behind your choice. And yes, you can cheat like me and say whether you’re leaning champ or chump.