Martha Stewart and the MSLO brand
Separating Martha Stewart's persona from MSLO is impossible after years of work joining them at the hip. You cannot tell where one starts and the other stops. But they are two very separate entities. Not that it matters much now. The negative impact on MSLO increases the longer the trial takes. The media has made it clear—the verdict doesn't matter. In lieu of substantive or controversial news in this trial, the media continue to track MSLO performance against Martha's legal problems.Readers were shocked to see the stock up as the trial started. Now
Ad Age compares MSLO's 2003 publishing performance to the trial. There is undeniably a strong connection between the two, more so than anyone at MSLO would like to admit. But there are many factors impacting such a large company. Whether MSLO stock is up or ad pages are down, there are several factors that are responsible.But what else are the media to do? The trial is a yawner. You have to dig to find the latest headlines. Blodget's
Martha Meter hovers at 20 percent. He feels she has an 80 percent chance of being found innocent. The next story we'll see revolves around the big question,
WILL MARTHA TAKE THE STAND? The media are hoping so they can salvage a story out of this trial. And if Martha does take the stand, you can be sure she will not screw up. Her on-camera antics, focusing on her salad, took place well over a year ago. Since then she's had two major interviews and the media training to match. The defense has already decided if she will take the stand and, if she will, they have been training her for the interview of a career.
