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Reach beyond current roster to build membership, loyalty.
Posted on June 24, 2011
You have your tried and true ways of communicating to your members, disseminating the information you want them to receive. But, are you truly achieving your goals?
Case in point, a fellow professional was shocked to learn two organizations he’d previously been affiliated with had important events recently he’d not been aware of.
Had he received word through any number of avenues (Facebook, Twitter, email, evite, a print announcement) he would certainly have attended. Unbeknownst to the organizations, he’d been contemplating joining again. Now he just feels left out having been so involved with the organizations in the past.
So, while there are certain communications that should be only for current members, there are an infinite number of opportunities to reach out to previous and potential members.
Specifically for groups that enlist members, reaching beyond the current roster is an essential move.
Bad image challenges
Posted on June 6, 2011
In business, your image is everything. Essentially, image is the word people use when describing their perception of what you offer and how you offer it (your brand).
So when your image is tarnished, it’s up to you to make it glow again. Sometimes the damage is so great it requires rebranding.
The private security firm Blackwater is an interesting case. Hired to protect diplomats in Iraq, Blackwater guards conducted a mission there that left numerous innocent Iraqi civilians dead and blackened their image forever.
In response, the company will no longer offer classified security services, electing instead to focus and expand on other service lines, and has changed its name and logo. Whether these changes will be followed up with definitive actions by the company to truly change the organization’s image is yet to be seen. Some in Congress believe the company will never overcome its badly damaged image.
Another interesting case is Puget Sound Adventure Boot Camp (ABC), owned and operated by Clem Lafrades and Alfred Ra’oof, Jr.
Initially, the vigorous, women-only, outdoor camps were overseen by certified fitness trainers. Women from Kent, Federal Way and Renton were eager to work out in all temperatures at all hours, propelling the camps toward success the first several years of operation.
However, when one of the trainers left ABC to start a similar camp in the same location and allegedly made negative posts on a web site about ABC and its owners, they had to do damage control.
With their reputation in tatters, but with the knowledge that none of the posts about them were true, they were determined to find a way to overcome the negativity of the situation.
Retaining all that was good about the camps, Clem and/or Alfred also attended or ran more classes in order to build a bond with campers. They increased their advertising, joined networking groups, offered discounts, started allowing men to participate, and more. But the negative posts still haunted them.
So they reassessed their messaging, listened to their loyal customers, and gained insight as to why some women didn’t join even though they were interested.
In the end, they decided to continue subtly rebranding ABC, and to also create a new company, Victory Get Fit Club (VGFC).
As ABC phased into becoming a co-ed camp, VGFC became the women-only club–an offering for women who were worried about joining a “boot camp,” but were excited about getting fit in a club atmosphere, which connotes belonging and friendship.
In assessing their image, they realized there were four key reasons they needed to rebrand ABC and spin off a new brand: damage control; relating the companies more to their core values and mission; taking advantage of the down market; and a better understanding of their target markets.
“Our business took a huge dive (50%+ decrease) due to staffing issues. It took a year of learning, re-staffing, and re-vamping… now we’re bigger than ever and growing! Now that I have defined what the spirit of the company is and am very clear, I will not make the same staffing mistakes or be easily swayed towards other ideas, products, or services that don’t match the spirit and soul of the company, Victorious Lives LLC,” said Clem.
Rebranding is a viable solution to overcoming a negative image, but not always the only or best choice. Blackwater may never recover from a history of malfeasance, regardless of what it does. But, like ABC, businesses can and do overcome negative perceptions by dealing with the issues, assessing components of their business model and branding, and strategically applying relevant tactics.
Real brands–where does the drive come from?
Posted on April 15, 2011
People are inundated with responsibility. They must work in order to survive. But where does the drive come from to not only survive, but thrive?
For some, it’s inherent. They were born that way. For others, the events of their lives not only shape who they are, what they stand for and how they see the world, but also instill in them the need to excel.
Some are happy with the status quo. Others create the status quo; then move on, creating and recreating. Some rely on others for necessities. Others provide their own necessities by their own means and provide for those who can’t or won’t.
It’s the same in business.
An organization can achieve many of its business goals through a minimalist approach–if its goals don’t reach for the stars. The organization can subsist. But, most likely, it will not grow.
But for an organization that wants growth, that wants to excel, that wants to make a difference, that wants to reach the stars, there must be drive.
As in life, the drive has to be organic. It has to come from within the souls of those who want the company to succeed. It comes from vision, loyalty and a commitment to the mission.
That drive informs the executive leadership, it becomes a part of the organization’s culture, it wraps itself around the hearts of employees and customers, it grips the sector it’s in and announces itself. In the end, it becomes what eventually is called a real brand.
Your brand strategy can put you “on first.”
Posted on February 3, 2011
Branding is a lot like the old Abbott and Costello movies. Sometimes no one really knows who’s on first. And, unfortunately, that “line” keeps going ’round and ’round UNLESS someone knows how to clarify, simplify and amplify.
Clarifying your brand | it’s about assessment and objectivity. It’s about messaging and positioning. Sometimes it’s about identity, such as logo development. But it always includes figuring out who you are–whether that’ s through external means, such as surveys, focus groups or customer insights–or through internal means, such as employee feedback, ROI, or where the company thinks it’s going versus where it has gone.
Simplifying your brand | it’s about bringing it back to the basics. Taking what may have become unwieldy and turning it into something that makes sense. It’s about looking at product and service lines and determining best practices. It’s about aligning your business plan to your brand strategy (not the other way around).
Amplifying your brand | it’s about making your messaging and positioning work for your brand. It’s about taking advantage of the RIGHT marketing vehicles and capitalizing on publicity, networking, and relationships, advertising, government relations, etc. It’s about doing the right things–for your customers, clients, guests; employees; community; family.
So, in the end, who’s on first? YOU!
Get REAL with social media
Posted on October 31, 2009
Social media is being woven into the fabric of society as a conduit for meaningful exchange between businesses and their audiences.
As a platform for promoting your business, it warrants a deeper understanding of how to engage your audiences through social networking, blogging and other online interfaces.
Networking can be a “push” type of communication, where an entity pushes information out to audiences that may or may not be interested. Adding a “social” element, in which audiences have the option of providing feedback, is one of the most integral ingredients of successful social networking activities. This can be said for blogging and e-mail, which also allows the author to respond to user comments.
Which is why you need to get REAL, an approach to social media I’ve developed to help my clients understand the most important activities they can undertake in this medium to achieve significant results. REAL expands on the tenets of traditional marketing principles, applying them to the online realm.
To get REAL, organizations need to be Relevant, need to know how to Engage their audiences, need to be Authentic and valuable, and need to Listen and learn.
Relevancy
If you aren’t relevant to the needs of those you’re reaching out to, you don’t exist. Regardless of the effort you put into your product or service, or the coupons you throw at customers, or the blogs you spend hours writing, if none of it strikes a chord or if you’re on the wrong sites, you won’t benefit from any of it.
How do you make sure you’re relevant? Just as you would for a traditional marketing campaign, do your market research. Know your audiences. Know where they get their information. Know who their opinion leaders are. Know what’s important to them. Know your own messaging.
One of the most important aspects of Relevancy is to know where your customers are or where they are willing to go. Are they receptive to Twitter? Are they lurking on Facebook? What about LinkedIn or Squidoo? Are they on industry specific blogs? Would they come to your blog?
Engagement
The rules of engagement in social media are ramped up. Here, you have the opportunity to have a dialogue with your audiences. This is a way to build trust and loyalty. And, audiences are quickly coming to expect it. If your online strategy is to simply post information, your audiences will turn to your competitor, who’s engaging their customers in two-way communication.
The key take away is to not only promote yourself, but be receptive and responsive to your audiences.
This could include anything from creating online “clubs” or “friendships.” It may mean showing your interest in their offerings through your public posts on their pages. Or, it may be simply responding that you got and appreciate their comments.
Authenticity and value
People are busy. If they feel your posts are self-aggrandizing, overly exaggerated, smoke and mirrors, and not worth their time, they’ll tune out quicker than you can sign into your account.
It’s OK and welcome to present valid news and updates about your company. Signed a new contract Great! Make sure your audiences know about it. Your employees volunteered at a homeless shelter? Commendable! Make sure your audiences know about it. You’re offering a two-fer? Terrific! Make sure your audiences know about it.
Keep in mind that it’s OK to not post anything for a while if you have nothing substantial to announce. Customers will appreciate the “silence” more than if you were posting irrelevant information. The more authentic you are and the more value you bring to your audiences, the more likely they are to continue to engage with you.
Listen and learn
If you could get inside your customer’s head (figuratively speaking, of course) to learn what he was thinking, would you take that opportunity? If you did, would you respond to those insights by validating your findings, then taking any necessary and appropriate actions to meet those needs and wants?
An extension of the Engagement phase is to listen to (or take note of) your audience’s input and learn from it. You’ll gain valuable information about how your customers feel about your products and services, and possibly how they feel about your competitors’ products and services. When warranted, validate this information through surveys or other research, and take action when necessary, remembering to be authentic. Don’t make promises you can’t keep and don’t be reactionary by extending your business in a direction it’s not meant to go in.
Keeping your online presence REAL can go a long way toward helping you achieve your overall business objectives.
Sifting through personal branding to decipher how politicians will accomplish their goals
Posted on October 8, 2009
It’s the season of debates, candidate forums and posturing. Yes, general elections are on the horizon and cities across the nation are experiencing a rush of positioning statements from those who want to represent their citizens in government.
Candidates for office go through an exercise designed to put them in the right light for their constituency. Each candidate, following his/her own belief system, designs a way to articulate matters to win the majority of the votes.
Personal branding is at the core of this messaging. And, while everyone should hone his/her own personal brand to create a positive perception, most political candidates have it down to a science.
As the recipient of these messages, constituents need to do their homework to make sure the branding campaign surrounding the candidate they like most is more than fancy words, an ease of speaking in public, or an over abundance of self-confidence.
Yesterday I was in the audience at a candidate forum for local office. Six candidates of all education and experience levels sat in front of us. While each one had his/her appeal, they all seemed to be saying the same thing, only in different ways.
I’d like to note that I am not endorsing any candidate over the other. And, that I see tremendous value in the attributes each one brings. As well, I applaud each one of them for stepping forward to make a difference for the rest of us.
That said, politicians are politicians, whether this is their first time running or their 10th. They all engage in creating a public persona that can override the question of how they would accomplish initiatives once they are in office.
Of the candidates, five seemed to be at ease and confident; two were incumbents; two were largely forgettable; and, one was seemingly overly confident and flashy.
This last candidate has his message locked and loaded. He has a way of gaining the audience’s attention. He has an easy and intelligent manner. His personal branding is working for him.
But is the audience so easily swayed? Can they step away from the hyperbole and consider his positions on issues and how he would achieve them? Is his real message getting through, or is he banking on his charisma to carry him over the finish line? In different interactions I’ve witnessed this person in, I found him to be self-absorbed. In contrast, in public he’s exuberant and friendly. What’s behind the persona? Is it good for our city?
At the other end of the spectrum is the lone candidate who did not seem comfortable on that stage. She has a singular objective in running for office. She is not as informed as the other candidates on the issues facing the city. She seems intelligent and friendly. She seems genuine. She has a compelling reason to run, but is it enough for residents to choose her over the others?
The two incumbents can be lumped together. They’ve served the same amount of time and are extremely knowledgeable about the issues. (One would hope so, considering their experience!) Both have similar positions on the issues, as well, and they’ve both served their constituency to the best of their abilities.
Their largest competitors are themselves. Being an incumbent at such a difficult time can be a challenging position to be in. They have to overcome not only the opposition, but their own records. And, while these records may be good on the one hand, explanations are hard to iterate during a candidate forum, when all the residents see are troubles ahead and are looking back at “what went wrong.”
The two remaining candidates, who both also seem intelligent and informed, are largely unremarkable in the sense that they are not vivacious, they don’t have the charisma other candidates have. But, is this what we’re judging them on? For some, yes. That’s as deep as it goes. For others, who truly want representation, it’s not.
As we, as residents, make decisions about who is most qualified for these important city positions, let’s peel away the layers to reveal the true value each one of the candidates can bring.
Just because you can get an audience to laugh, doesn’t mean you can get the council to move toward your position on an issue.
Just because you care deeply about one issue, doesn’t mean you are qualified to tackle all issues.
Just because you’ve been in elected office for a dozen years, doesn’t mean status quo is okay.
Just because you are knowledgeable about the issues, doesn’t mean you can make a difference.
I’d like to know what’s really under all of this? When these candidates say, “Economic development is the most important issue….We need to shop local….Crime needs to be stopped….”, I’d like to know what that means to them in terms of strategy and tactics. How would they attempt to get others to adopt their visions to address these issues? How would they implement their solutions?
The real questions are the hard ones. I hope these candidates step up to answer them.
Honing your personal brand | elevator pitch
Posted on October 6, 2009
Several years ago I was in a position that required me to network on a regular basis to build awareness about the organization I represented. Initially, I found it hard to parse out what my “elevator pitch” was. When new acquaintances asked me what I did, my words came out in a jumbled mess. Should I talk about myself or the organization? Are the two intertwined? Is it enough to simply tell them my role and the name of the company I work for, letting that speak for me?
Months went by and I still wasn’t able to get a handle on how I wanted to present myself. Then, at a seemingly typical luncheon, my boss helped me without knowing it. Being newly introduced to a group of people, it was his turn to talk about himself. What he said* was enlightening to me and helped me understand the value of personal branding.
He didn’t simply say, “I’m the VP of Marketing for XXO company.” That would have been boring and forgettable. Instead, he got their attention, and therefore embedded himself in their memories, by recounting a quick, but telling story about a client who became an evangelist for the company we worked for.
“Well, recently a client told me I’m the cow jumping over the moon,” was the first sentence out of his mouth. Yes, I did wince a bit at that. It was a rather odd thing to say. But, he followed with a light and short story about a photography agency that was having problems with branding itself. My boss and our organization worked with the photography agency to create a unique and differentiated brand. One of the images that supported their messaging was of a cow jumping over the moon. After all the work was done and successes noted, the client wrote my boss a thank you note and pronounced him to be the “cow jumping over the moon,” meaning, of course, that he’d helped them overcome all their obstacles to a strong brand.
What he did with this story and approach to his elevator pitch was to paint a picture that positioned him and our organization as problem solvers, creators of brands, and success makers.
So, the questions started coming. “What else have you done?” “Who are your other clients?” “What’s your role there?” “Can we schedule a meeting to talk about my company’s branding?”
This experience helped me learn that mothers across the universe are right about at least one thing (no, this is not the “clean underwear speech”)–you only get one chance at a first impression.
You have under a minute to grab a new acquaintance’s attention, hold it, and impress yourself upon his psyche. It’s up to you to decide how to go about doing that.
Creating your elevator pitch is one of the first steps in creating your personal brand. It’s how you position yourself much like a corporation positions itself.
Since the way we are perceived impacts our ability to conduct business the way we want, creating our personal brand is tantamount to success.
To create YOUR unique, differentiated elevator pitch:
1) Build on your accomplishments
2) Highlight one or two interesting facts about your experience and successes that are easily told in a short amount of time
3) Be prepared with more details, other examples, your business card and your calendar in case those you are meeting are compelled to find out more about you!
Your elevator pitch can change depending on your audiences and your current situation. It doesn’t have to be a story or anything shocking, and it certainly shouldn’t be out of character for you. But it should be a distinctive expression of what you do that sets you apart from others who share your “space” in the business world.
Examples may be, “I was the first person at my organization to implement Web 2.0 technology, leading to a 45% increase in sales,” or “I patented a product to keep food fresh longer, which also helps me in my catering business,” or “I help more than 65 at-risk students stay in school and achieve a better life.”
For me, I’ve been successful in my own business by leveraging my most recent successes to engage new acquaintances. Whether you are self-employed, work for a multi-national corporation, or are head of your child’s PTA, a compelling elevator pitch will set you apart and move you in the right direction for creating your personal brand and, ultimately, increased success.
*The details of this event have been changed slightly.
Live up to your brand promise and keep customers for life
Posted on September 26, 2009
It’s common to hear businesses say they want “customers for a lifetime.”
But what do those same businesses do to warrant such loyalty?
For Jet Chevrolet, currently Federal Way’s only new car dealership, it’s about integrity.
“We tell (our customers) we are always here for them: Free loaner cars, discounted service and repair work, same friendly and courteous employees,” said Dan Johnson, co-owner.
They don’t just tell them, they live up to it. Jet doesn’t do gimmicks, though they do advertise on radio, TV and in print occasionally. But their primary sales tool is to adhere to their brand promise — standing behind their word.
Companies that understand that a brand promise is the oftentimes unspoken, intangible promise of what their customers can expect from them — in the same way those same customers expect the sun to rise or the stars to come out at night — are light years ahead of other organizations that just don’t get it.
Taking it a step farther, those companies that not only get it, but also deliver on it, are bound to make an indelible impression on their customers. Sometimes these customers become so loyal, they act as unofficial brand ambassadors by blogging about their positive experiences, recommending the company, and yes, becoming lifelong customers.
At Jet Chevrolet, the brand promise is a part of the company culture. The auto dealer instills the essence of the brand promise into every employee so every customer interaction is as positive as possible. “We try and never say no. We do our best every time,” Dan said.
Jet Chevrolet is a family operation, owned and operated by Dan, his brother Jim, and their mother, Barbara Johnson. They’ve been selling new Chevys and all brands of used cars in Federal Way since 1981, when they bought the franchise from Dick Balch. They think of the company as a family, citing that they have employees who’ve been with them for more than 20 years.
They are proud of the service they provide and how they support the local high schools and community. But times are tough, so they are equally proud of receiving validation in the form of a “good” letter from General Motors, stating Jet Chevrolet has been identified by GM as one of its key dealers for the Chevrolet brand. “Unfortunately,” said Dan regretfully, “five or six other dealers in the area were not so lucky.”
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in Federal Way over the last 28 years. Lots of other dealers have come and gone, but we have survived because of our honesty and integrity. We always put the customer first. Over 70 percent of our monthly business is repeat or referred customers,” Dan said.
In light of the dubious financial position auto dealers across the country currently find themselves in, Jet Chevrolet has had its operations budget increase. But they are trying not to pass that on to the consumer.
“People don’t seem to shop in Federal Way, not sure why,” said Dan, bringing up an issue that has plagued businesses in the city for far longer than the recession. But they let consumers know they’re here by continuing to hone their message of honesty, integrity, longevity of business, great crew and employees, knowledgeable sales, service, and parts staff. That includes pleasant lot attendants and runners. “Everyone is empowered to take care of the customer,” he said.
Creating and adopting a corporate brand promise is frequently an overlooked necessity to providing a stellar brand experience for your customers. If your organization hasn’t already done so, take time to develop and ingrain your brand promise into your customer experiences to propel your organization toward being a genuine brand.
I’m challenging you to make Federal Way a better place to…
Posted on September 10, 2009
…shop, live, work, play, exercise, raise children, start a business, buy investment property, enjoy a vacation, retire, go out to dinner, buy a car, volunteer….
I’m proud of the city I live and work in, the place my children call home, the place where I see everyday people making extraordinary sacrifices to help others.
But let’s face it, our city has a negative reputation.(See my previous post that has the survey results about the city’s image.) In part, this is the result of network news programs focusing on Federal Way’s bad news while ignoring all the good news that comes from within. That is not the only cause of our image problems, but it is a big part of it.
As far as the news’ impact on the situation, the problem can be broken down as thus:
1) From what I understand, part of the police department PIO’s (Public Information Officer) job is to disseminate press releases whenever there is a “newsworthy” event, such as a shooting, gang activity, bank robbery, etc. Since my background is strong in media relations, I understand the goal is to get in front of the news in order to mitigate the damage. In other words, be transparent by proactively telling the media about the issues so they don’t feel they are being misled, ignored or that the city is trying to hide anything. It’s a good approach for many situations, but not all. In this case, it turns the media away from other cities that have as bad, or worse, crime rates than Federal Way and puts the focus on us because we’re providing easy access to sensational news stories.
The fact is, Federal Way has the second lowest per capita crime rate in the state, and it’s been on the decline for the past several years. You wouldn’t know that by watching network news.
Nor would those who want a free pass to engage in criminal activity.
2) Once a city gets a negative image, it’s hard to stop those who are less than stellar in their approach to ethics from moving in to take advantage of the situation. Luckily, Federal Way has a phenomenal police department. Police Chief Brian Wilson (now Interim City Manager) and Interim Police Chief Andy Hwang, are forward-thinking in their approach to crime prevention and detection.
However, the damage to our reputation goes beyond crime sprees. A poor image has a domino effect. In time, it results in less money coming into our retail establishments from outside city limits, and more money from inside going outside. It results in fewer businesses starting in our city and more businesses leaving our city. Fewer commercial properties are bought and leased. Fewer residential properties are purchased. It hurts our tax base, our tourism and our ability to continue fun and exciting offerings. It’s hard on our schools, and it requires more charitable offerings from secular and non-secular organizations. There is a high transient population, oftentimes meaning children are moved from school to school.
So, here’s my challenge to you–everyone of you, from residents to business owners, from elected and appointed officials to housewives and househusbands, from high school students to senior citizens and all that come between–do something about it.
As a resident, if you don’t already, you can write editorials; start or join a group that results in positive activities; get together with neighbors and have neighborhood parties; join one of the city’s commissions; blog about the good things about the city; smile and say hi to those you pass on the streets; shop locally; volunteer; start a neighborhood watch; send positive story ideas to the network news; pay attention to local politics and participate when it makes sense for you. You get the point.
As a business owner or representative, if you don’t already, you can join Federal Way First to increase local shopping for increased economic development; you can collaborate with other businesses, the Chamber and/or the city on forward-thinking initiatives; as a community steward you can support positive community activities; you can “adopt” a student and/or senior; you can allow your employees (and yourself) time to volunteer in the schools (as a Mentor, perhaps), at the senior center, the Multi-Service Center, Boys and Girls Clubs, at a church, etc. You get the point.
Be creative! Offer solutions where you might see problems. The main thing is to take positive and responsible action, working collaboratively when possible, to turn the reputation of our city around for the benefit of all. We know we live in a terrific city. Let’s make sure everyone else knows it, too!
Bad image: Is rebranding the answer?
Posted on August 28, 2009
In business, your image is everything. Essentially, image is the word people use when describing their perception of what you offer and how you offer it (your brand).
So when your image is tarnished, it’s up to you to make it glow again. Sometimes the damage is so great it requires rebranding.
The private security firm Blackwater is an interesting case. Hired to protect diplomats in Iraq, Blackwater guards conducted a mission there that left numerous innocent Iraqi civilians dead and blackened their image forever.
In response, the company will no longer offer classified security services, electing instead to focus and expand on other service lines, and has changed its name and logo. Whether these changes will be followed up with definitive actions by the company to truly change the organization’s image is yet to be seen. Some in Congress believe the company will never overcome its badly damaged image.
Another interesting case is Puget Sound Adventure Boot Camp (ABC), owned and operated by Clem Lafrades and Alfred Ra’oof, Jr.
Initially, the vigorous, women-only, outdoor camps were overseen by certified fitness trainers. Women from Kent, Federal Way and Renton were eager to work out in all temperatures at all hours, propelling the camps toward success the first several years of operation.
However, when one of the trainers left ABC to start a similar camp in the same location and allegedly made negative posts on a web site about ABC and its owners, they had to do damage control.
With their reputation in tatters, but with the knowledge that none of the posts about them were true, they were determined to find a way to overcome the negativity of the situation.
Retaining all that was good about the camps, Clem and/or Alfred also attended or ran more classes in order to build a bond with campers. They increased their advertising, joined networking groups, offered discounts, started allowing men to participate, and more. But the negative posts still haunted them.
So they reassessed their messaging, listened to their loyal customers, and gained insight as to why some women didn’t join even though they were interested.
In the end, they decided to continue subtly rebranding ABC, and to also create a new company, Victory Get Fit Club (VGFC).
As ABC phased into becoming a co-ed camp, VGFC became the women-only club–an offering for women who were worried about joining a “boot camp,” but were excited about getting fit in a club atmosphere, which connotes belonging and friendship.
In assessing their image, they realized there were four key reasons they needed to rebrand ABC and spin off a new brand: damage control; relating the companies more to their core values and mission; taking advantage of the down market; and a better understanding of their target markets.
“Our business took a huge dive (50%+ decrease) due to staffing issues. It took a year of learning, re-staffing, and re-vamping… now we’re bigger than ever and growing! Now that I have defined what the spirit of the company is and am very clear, I will not make the same staffing mistakes or be easily swayed towards other ideas, products, or services that don’t match the spirit and soul of the company, Victorious Lives LLC,” said Clem.
Rebranding is a viable solution to overcoming a negative image, but not always the only or best choice. Blackwater may never recover from a history of malfeasance, regardless of what it does. But, like ABC, businesses can and do overcome negative perceptions by dealing with the issues, assessing components of their business model and branding, and strategically applying relevant tactics.
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