When the brand loses its identity

By now you've likely heard of the passing of Anna Nicole Smith. Loved her or not, she definitely made an impact on this world--a world that seemingly had a love-hate relationship with her. I remember well the first time I spotted her in an advertisement for Guess Jeans wondering...who is that bombshell?

There will not doubt be much coverage of her death over the coming weeks, most notably as to the cause (illness? drugs? too many diet pills? foul play over her pending lawsuits?). But I can't help wondering what, if anything, the brand she's most aligned with--besides that of her own--can or should do. See, Anna symbolized many things. But Trimspa seemed to only equal one. Undoubtedly, Anna built the Trimspa brand.

And the Trimspa brand has seen its share of trouble including multi-million dollar lawsuits over false advertising claims. As marketer I don't know the answer, I just pose the question: What to do when the brand's spokesperson dies...when the spokesperson is the brand?

When you go to Trimspa's website, here's what you'll find: "Today, Anna Nicole Smith’s grief stricken and tumultuous personal life came to an end. Anna came to our Company as a customer, but she departs it as a friend. While life for Anna Nicole was not easy these past few months, she held dear her husband, Howard K. Stern, her daughter, Dannielynn Hope, her most cherished friends, beloved dogs, and finally, her work with TRIMSPA.

Anna knew both the joy of giving life, and the heartache of losing a child. We pray that she is granted the peace that eluded her more recent days on earth, and that she find comfort in the presence of her son, Daniel. -- Alex Goen, CEO and Founder, TRIMSPA"

Rest in peace, Anna (btw, it was Georges Marciano from Guess Jeans that brainstormed her 'Anna Nicole' stage name with her).

Comments

[Lewis Green]

CK,

Here is my take on Anna Nicole Smith, the marketer: 1) I think Trimspa is in trouble, and 2) I think they would be in trouble even had Anna Nicole Smith lived. Hitching your brand to an out-of-control train is a wreck waiting to happen.

At bizsolutionsplus, I take a different look at Anna Nicole Smith's untimely death by asking: What makes her death headline news?

[Bob Glaza]

I'd never heard of Trimspa and the website didn't give me much info - other than 7 people mourning her death. For all the headlines round the world, I would assume more comments. Looks like they might have been sinking for more than a day or two.

[CK]

Thanks Lewis. Well said on the train wreck but Trimspa was obviously up for that gamble since they signed-on Anna after she was already in her reality show (in which she was a wreck, I only saw 1 episode). Apparently she sold a lot of pills for them.

But what should--or can--they do now? I'm stumped for answers...

[Stephen Denny]

You pick a spokesperson on their strength with your customer base -- ANS clearly scored with the diet pill "I don't have to work out or watch what I eat so now I can watch more Springer" crowd. Good for them.

The problem erupts when the target and spokesperson don't fit -- or worse, when they seem to fit and then we find out they, ah, *don't*... (The first person to record "Circle of Life" for Lion King? A certain gloved, moonwalking former child star. Enough said. Suffice it to say that Disney felt the guy who ended up performing it was a step UP. Wow.).

[Cam Beck]

The answer to the question depends entirely on the quality of the product. I'm not sure at this point it can be answered definitively. Assuming there was no question about it, I'd say the way TrimSpa handled it was pretty classy. That was a nice note. A hefty donation to a cause that helps cure whatever ailed their spokesperson wouldn't hurt, either.

Wendy's had to go through this when their founder and greatest spokesman Dave Thomas died. I'm not sure they really regained their stride from a marketing perspective, but they treated the death of their founder with respect, and I have a healthy affection for the brand even today.

Of course, Dave Thomas was an exceptional and inspiring story anyway, which makes it a bit different.

[David Reich]

I agree with Lewis. And the fascination with her death -- as there's been with her out-of-control life -- is symbolic of how pop culture so often trumps real news. Something is wrong.

To me, enough said on this poor soul.