A-Rod is fast becoming Mr. April, hitting 6 homers in 7 games, the most powerful start of any Yankee in pin-stripe history. Those of us who suffered through the last few seasons in which A-Rod set the low mark for hitting in late innings with runners in scoring position with two out, can’t help but wonder if Mr. April will show up this October. If he doesn’t, I can guarantee you Yankee fans will boo him just like they did last year. Unfortunately for the A-Rod brand, he simply doesn’t have enough Good Will in the bank to earn our forgiveness…yet. Maybe this season will be different.
Don Imus was recently suspended from his morning talk show for making blatantly racist and sexist remarks about the Rutger’s women’s basketball team. Al Sharpton and Reverend Jesse Jackson among many others have called for his dismissal. Imus has a huge following, perhaps the largest in the country since Howard Stern jumped to satellite radio. He has also done a lot of charitable activities over the years including his ranch for sick children (which has also come under scrutiny in the last couple of years.) Imus, the brand, is in deep trouble. His survival will depend on two factors, the amount of Good Will he has with his audience and the degree of contrition he is able to project in the next few weeks.
Jet Blue was publicly scratched from Business Week’s list of beloved companies after it bungled several days worth of weather delays this winter. Jay Leno has made the airline the butt of many jokes:
The big story, Iranian President Mahmoud … has released those 15 British captive soldiers. He released them after they were held hostage for 13 days. Or, as we call that in this country: JetBlue.
David Neeleman, the CEO of Jet Blue, responded to this crises with honesty, contrition and a product-enhancing action plan. He admitted that the airline had really screwed up. He apologize profusely. He then offered passengers an industry-first bill-of-rights. Jet Blue, the brand, suffered a lot during the last three months but I have little doubt they will recover. Jet Blue has earned enormous Good Will with its customers over the years. Their online reservation system is the easiest in the industry. Their planes are the most comfortable especially now that all have at least 33″ of leg room. They are still the only airline that has Direct TV monitors for every seat. And in my experience, they are the best at getting you where you want to go on schedule with your luggage.
Good Will is essential to the success of all brands from athletes to shock jocks to airlines. It needs to be earned day in and day out by delivering on promises in April and exceeding customer expectations in October. Good Will is not something you can take for granted or hope to gain by the occasional charitable activity. So, A-Rod keep it going and all is forgiven. Imus, you’ve dug a big hole for yourself, only total contrition will save you now. And Jet Blue, keep up the good work, the sky is the limit.