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That’s What Brands Are Made Of
When we think about our brands, we think long-term and short-term. I like to think in terms of reputation and advertising. My rep is based on my long-term behavior, how I handle myself, how I behave, and the trail I leave behind. Advertising is more ephemeral—I might try ways to enhance my visibility and to promote my products and services. Although an ad campaign might bomb, my rep keeps me afloat so I can try again.
Let me explain what I mean with three examples:
- Apple has used some of the slickest ad campaigns and has built a long-term reputation based on its cachet and innovations.
- In last week’s edition, I wrote about TheLadders and CEO Marc Cenedella’s problems with short-term bad news (his highly questionable personal blogging) and long-term reputation (misleading advertising and misrepresentations about TheLadders’ products). That’s an example of advertising and reputation crashing together into a wall.
- Supracor, Inc. is a high-tech company that makes flexible aerospace honeycomb used in wheelchair cushions and hospital burn units, in bulletproof vests, and in F-18 fighter jets. Supracor doesn’t advertise very widely, but it has slowly built a reputation that—unlike its products, which are mostly air—is solid as a rock.
Apple spends untold sums on advertising and promotion. TheLadders—well, it really doesn’t matter, does it, when the product is shown to be unreal? Supracor puts its brand budget almost entirely into its long-term reputation.
Once again, Apple’s factories in China have been in the news. CIOInsights reports on “Apple, Foxconn and the Human Cost of Electronics Manufacturing in China,” citing a TV news show:
“The CBS segment graphically showed the suicide prevention nets at the factory, it showed workers reportedly as young as 12 who worked shifts as long as 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week. It also reported on the death of one worker who died at work after a shift of more than 30 hours. There's no question that these conditions approach the emotional feeling of slavery, if not the legal definition.”
The story emphasizes that FoxConn doesn’t build products for just Apple, but for many consumer electronics companies. Nonetheless, Apple is front and center because Apple has the highest profile and the most news history on workers jumping off buildings.
Founded in 1982 (also in Silicon Valley), Supracor manufactures all of its products in the United States, using only U.S. labor. Perhaps more surprisingly, Supracor uses only American-made, recyclable materials in its honeycomb-based products. And its founder and CEO, Curt Landi, is an outspoken advocate for manufacturing in America. He has been since 1982.
TheLadders’ hollow advertising has cost its customers a lot of time and money. When the company's CEO announced he was considering a run for the U.S. Senate, it was revealed that he has been trashing his own reputation in his blogs for years.
Apple’s advertising has galvanized more than one generation of customers, creating a very loyal “fanboy” community. But the buildings its products are manufactured in are surrounded by “suicide nets,” and the ubiquity of its products is made possible by “workers reportedly as young as 12 who worked shifts as long as 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week.”
Supracor spends its money on its employees, on domestic materials, and on its manufacturing facilities—and its CEO has won awards for doing it all onshore.
You’re not very likely to buy a job from TheLadders. You’re very likely to buy an iSomething from Apple. You might buy a product that contains Supracor honeycomb cushioning material.
Which company do you walk away feeling the most positive about? That’s what brands are made of.
As a headhunter, if I were looking at TheLadders, Apple, and Supracor as job candidates for one of my clients, I’d view them as Dumb, Flashy, and The Rock, respectively. Flashy advertising might satisfy some of my clients, but my own long-term reputation would be best served by recommending The Rock.
Which one is your company? Which are you?
About Nick Corcodilos
Nick started headhunting in Silicon Valley in 1979. His contrarian "Ask The Headhunter" media properties feature his radical approach to winning jobs and to hiring great workers. On CMO.com, Nick shows you how to tackle the daunting obstacles that job hunters and managers face when trying to work together. Join Nick on the discussion board to talk shop and get an edge in the C-suite. In addition, his newest books, How to Work with Headhunters and How Can I Change Careers?, are available as PDFs.
