Lately, I’ve been finding a fair bit of amusement and entertainment in some tweets from Donald Trump. One, in particular, is worth pondering and reflecting on!
The Tweet, commenting on the recent Boeing737 crisis, appeared to cite some level of expertise, the president said the best way out of the company’s crisis would be to rebrand the 737 Max planes. “What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name,” wrote the president, using capital letters to emphasize his favorite parts of the very obvious plan. “No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know?”. Hhhmmm, feels reminiscent of “To be or not to be?”.
Months prior to this, I had read that a well known, global pharmaceutical company faced with unrelenting litigation over alarming numbers of drug-related deaths, due to overdose, had begun rebranding the organization by changing their name. Did they too consult with President Trump?
Eureka! Of course… when something nearly catastrophic goes seriously wrong and grievously bad (especially where hundreds have lost lives), let’s just REBRAND it.
Could it work? Potentially, some professional consultants and branding experts may risk their reputations and careers on tackling the daunting task – for a small fee in return of course. But you don’t have to read the Harvard Review or Business Insider publications to surmise it’s unlikely. Perhaps thirty years ago, when the net was not so pervasive and one could hide the flaws in the brand the Organization projects. Today, however, it is unlikely that a simple name change will result in eradicating a reputation, AKA the BRAND, that is already “baked” in the minds of the consumers. Conceivably, it’s even less likely when your organization’s ailing brand becomes fodder headlining on the late night talk shows, such as the case for both Boeing and the drug company. Once it hits the mass media, well, I’m sure you can intuitively conclude the probable outcome.
There are plenty of examples in the graveyard: Comcast attempting to erase its poor customer service reputation by changing its name to “Xfinity”, Blackwater, after numerous human rights violations, rebranding to XE. The list goes on.
To be fair, there are some notable successes: Kentucky Fried Chicken now KFC, Google- once known as “BackRub”… and the fan favorite, WWF became the WWE.
Here’s the deal: a simple name change won’t erase a public’s memory or consumers emotions resulting from a brand promise. Companies that suffer from entrenched ongoing organizational branding disasters do so because their “DNA” is fundamentally broken, in most cases irreparable. At the core exists a misaligned “Raison d’être”. The “why” they exist. The organization typically loses site of the key drivers and relentless commitment necessary to thrive and not just survive: among these-customer centricity, innovation, and overall organizational excellence. Of these, mismanagement as a result of mediocre (at best) leadership, characterized by: lack of employee centricity, positionally powered, politically driven, profit-driven leaders, often in their roles not because they want the jobs or are qualified for them, but rather enjoy recognition and financial rewards of the position or title.
The hallmark of companies that have successfully rebranded themselves are those that have, mostly, strong brands to begin with or at the very least, clearly understand they exist to provide a solution for those they seek to serve. They know that a healthy corporation is necessary to relentlessly meet this objective and they clean house across the board when the health of the organization is threatened by poor leadership.
There is a movement- one worth noting: forward-thinking companies are joining the revolution and transitioning to a more human workplace, cognizant that this is the recipe for employee satisfaction, increased productivity and sustainable organizational health that leads to iconic brands. One of the most profound examples of this is the highly coveted LinkedIn embracing Jeff Weiner’s (CEO) implementation of compassionate management. Need proof- grab a coffee or a glass of wine, relax and enjoy the many posts on LinkedIn from the employees and its customers, praising Jeff Weiner, the organization and the LinkedIn Brand. Even better, read the posts from Jeff Weiner praising his people for all they do. Bravo Jeff! I’m a fan.
Which brings me back to Donald Trump’s tweet. Perhaps we can find the answer in this: could Donald Trump rebrand himself by changing his name to something like John Smith?