May—Martha Movement Month
Ahhh, sweet alliteration. Lots of Martha news to catch up on. Here's a recap:
* Martha Talks...a lot: Martha's
Web page is translating traffic stats into a show of support. Response to the site includes "more than 32 million hits since it was launched last June; nearly 150,000 supportive emails to date - more than 40,000 of which have flooded in just since the verdict was announced on March 5." This won't get her a new trial, but it is smart to substantiate her support using these metrics.
* Speaking of Retrial: Fortune details Martha's
secret plan to try and stay out of jail. "Stewart's lawyers hope to save her from prison time by convincing a judge that her company--and its jobs--would not survive her absence." This is a tricky strategy that conflicts with MSLO's current efforts to distance themselves from Stewart and messages sent to stockholders that the company CAN survive without Stewart.
* Brand is Alive: Whether or not the company can survive prison, it has survived the trial. Despite her legal wrangling, Stewart's retail and furniture products continue to
sell well. In fact, K-Mart has settled some
issues between the two camps and signed on through 2009.
* She's an Earner: On May 7, 2004, we'll see how much of an impact retail and furniture sales have made to offset the poor performance of MSLO's Martha-branded media offerings. MSLO releases its
quarterly earnings for
first quarter 2004. This announcement is one key benchmark of how MSLO has fared through the trial and before Stewart's pending prison sentence.
