Summary

No brand is immune to crisis.
WILL YOU BE READY?

"A brand isn't just what you say--it's what you do. Post understands that and fearlessly shines a light on what actions can make a difference."
--Seth Godin, author of We Are All Weird

"Karen Post is more than merely a game changer, she creates the rules for winning every time with a 1.000 batting average, no mean feat. Brand Turnaround will completely reverse your field and create the home team advantage every time."
--Alan Weiss, Ph.D., author of Million Dollar Consulting and The Consulting Bible

"I hate to tell you--it can happen for any company: a brand disaster. Karen Post explores what a brand catastrophe means and, most important, how to survive when it strikes. Brand Turnaround is a great life jacket for every company preparing for the unavoidable disaster before it strikes."
--Martin Lindstrom, bestselling author of Brandwashed

"Karen Post provides great lessons, not only for entrepreneurs, but for all of us as we build our own personal brands. Brand Turnaround is a must-read for all 'students' of entrepreneurship."
--Rebecca J. White, Ph.D., James Walter Distinguished Chair of Entrepreneurship; professor and director, University of Tampa Entrepreneurship Center

"What separates GREAT brands from the sea of others is that they embrace failure and learn from their mistakes. Brand Turnaround embraces this philosophy and offers insightful, practical, and relevant advice on how to leverage the lessons of failure and turn them into moments of learning and ultimate competitive advantage."
--Julie Cottineau, VP, Brand, Virgin USA, and founder, Brandtwist.com

"An amazing book, chock full of quickly read, easily understood, and immediately actionable ideas to turn around brands."
--James Belasco, Ph.D., author, professor, and entrepreneur

About the Book:

Ford, Xerox, and Domino's. Each of these high-profile brands faced a widely publicized meltdown that threatened to put them out of business--and each one is going strong today. Why? They took charge with conviction, creativity, and smarts.

Brand Turnaround examines these and other brands--big and small--to prove that with the right plan and leadership any brand can recover. Karen Post, a leading expert on branding, provides practical insight and methods you can use to transform your brand when it seems the world is crashing down around it.

Post has researched the brand-recovery strategies from a diverse mix of more than 75 brands--from Ford, JetBlue, and the Red Cross to Robert Downey, Jr., Arianna Huffington, Michael Vick, and Martha Stewart. She details the brand-damaging events and examines the steps each brand took to return to glory--then applies the best practices into a powerful, seven-step process you can use to keep your brand moving forward through any storm:

#1: Take Responsibility
#2: Never Give Up
#3: Lead Strong
#4: Stay Relevant
#5: Keep Improving
#6: Build Equity
#7: Own Your Distinction

Brand Turnaround has the tools you need to develop a game plan within hours of the incident to prevent the problem from spreading; to create a company culture designed to handle situations quickly and effectively; and to manage emotions during the toughest days.

Scandals. Recalls. Natural disasters. Major and minor crises are daily events in today's world of business. Don't get caught blindsided when it's your turn. Whether you run a family business or sit on the board for a major corporation, Brand Turnaround has everything you need to prepare your organization now--and keep customer loyalty and profitability rolling through any future challenges.

Choice Review

Post, a marketing specialist, looks at several severely damaged brands and how each returned to prominence against what many experts said were insurmountable odds. This insightful book contains both reactive and proactive strategies for dealing with events that threaten the very existence of a brand. The book brings to mind marketing guru Philip Kotler's view that marketing is very much about managing products in the face of varying states of demand, among them negative demand (customers actively avoiding a product) and faltering demand (declining demand that will continue if not dealt with in a timely fashion). Building on best practices culled from the experiences of more than 75 brands that recovered after a major crash, the author presents seven "game-changing" strategies for resurrecting a once dominant brand. The book is not only a primer on how a brand can survive life-threatening circumstances, but also a plan for achieving an even loftier standing than its predisaster position. In some way, change will be required for a turnaround, and Post stresses that organizations that embrace change as a means to achieve superiority are the ones that will have the best opportunities for competitive advantage. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers, especially practitioners and undergraduate and graduate students. N. A. Govoni Babson College