Gary Elliott, VP Global Brand and Marketing Communications for Hewlett-Packard Company, during his presentation at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference, appropriately began his speech by tackling the elephant in the room: the leak scandal. He believes that while the actions of those few involved are not excusable, the brand and company is healthy and must deal with the issue and get beyond it. I give him credit for having the guts to get up in front of this massive room of mareters and bluntly face the issue. He then effectively moved on to tell his otherwise positive, compelling story (which still is working itself out).
Now, lets focus on the positive. Here’s Elliott’s can’t-go-wrong recipe for brand freshness and health:
- Stay genuine
- Engage employees
- Use media valued by your customers
- Design and innovate
- Partner well
- Be flexible to take advantage
- Connect with your communities