Martha Stewart's guilty verdict on Friday may have damaged the brand name of her household products beyond repair, even if her moniker is stripped off the labels and namesake company, retail and media experts said.
Nearly 40 percent of Americans surveyed in a consumer poll last week said they would no longer buy Martha Stewart products if the self-made millionaire was found guilty of making false statements and obstructing justice in a stock-trading scandal, according to preliminary results.
Britt Beemer, chairman of consumer research firm Americas Research Group, said 600 out of a total 1,000 interviews for the poll have been tabulated.
Beemer says that when 40 percent or more of consumers say they will no longer buy a brand, those brands are apt to never come back.
"She's very close if not over that negative 40 percent level, which is beyond repair," Beemer said.
He said it was likely that her namesake company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, would change its title to remove the Stewart reference, possibly an acronym like "MSO".
"The only option at this point ... is to have someone come out from behind the curtain and say, 'I'm the person who's really been designing this stuff for the last 5 years'," he said. "The trouble is Martha's ego in the past has never allowed anyone else in the company to have a face."
Steven Addis, chief executive of the Addis Group branding agency, said the company should focus on what Martha Stewart's brand represents -- well-designed, quality goods for the American home -- minus Martha.
"There is lots that can be done, including not using her likeness," Addis said.
Discount chain Kmart, which carries Martha Stewart product lines, has kept her well-groomed image in its advertising, even after she was indicted last June. Kmart commercials featuring the ex-model were on national television Thursday night, the eve of the verdict.
The March edition of Martha Stewart Living, the magazine which has seen advertising drop sharply, carries a photo of a smiling Stewart with garden hose in hand accompanying a letter to readers on spring's green resurrection.
"The era of Martha Stewart as style maven was probably reaching its expiration date anyway," said Robert Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University. "There is something very '90s about it."
Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation Nauru enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island. The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes. Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday. “It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received in Nauru,” it said. “Australia will provide funding to underpin this arrangement and support Nauru’s long-term economic
ANGER: Unrest worsened after a taxi driver was killed by a police vehicle on Thursday, as protesters set alight government buildings across the nation Protests worsened overnight across major cities of Indonesia, far beyond the capital, Jakarta, as demonstrators defied Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s call for calm. The most serious unrest was seen in the eastern city of Makassar, while protests also unfolded in Bandung, Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta. By yesterday morning, crowds had dispersed in Jakarta. Troops patrolled the streets with tactical vehicles and helped civilians clear trash, although smoke was still rising in various protest sites. Three people died and five were injured in Makassar when protesters set fire to the regional parliament building during a plenary session on Friday evening, according to
‘NEO-NAZIS’: A minister described the rally as ‘spreading hate’ and ‘dividing our communities,’ adding that it had been organized and promoted by far-right groups Thousands of Australians joined anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday that the center-left government condemned, saying they sought to spread hate and were linked to neo-Nazis. “March for Australia” rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, and other state capitals and regional centers, according to the group’s Web site. “Mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together,” the Web site said. The group posted on X on Saturday that the rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” The group also said it was concerned about culture,
CRACKDOWN: The Indonesian president vowed to clamp down on ‘treason and terrorism,’ while acceding to some protest demands to revoke lawmaker benefits Protests in Indonesia over rising living costs and inequality intensified overnight, prompting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to cancel a planned trip to China, while demonstrators reportedly targeted the homes of the finance minister and several lawmakers. Rioters entered Indonesian Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati’s residence near Jakarta early yesterday, but were repelled by armed forces personnel, Kompas reported. Items were taken from the homes of lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni and two others, according to Detik.com. The reports of looting could not be independently verified, and the finance ministry has not responded to requests for comment. The protests were sparked by outrage over
RSS