The article in the url below is an interview with Susan Lyne, the (former) CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), who took over the running of the company immediately following Martha Stewart’s conviction and jail sentence in 2004 (Chapter 2: MSLO, p35).
The interview offers some insight into the loyalty of Martha Stewart’s viewers and readers, who allowed MSLO to survive and thrive, in spite of the negative press coverage that surrounded Martha Stewart’s case:
“… what was fascinating to me was that her readers never left, her viewers didn't leave, it was advertisers who stepped back because there was a fear that the association would somehow damage their brand, but the consumers kept buying sheets, watching television, and certainly kept subscribing to our magazines.”
I’m not entirely sure what this says from a CSR perspective. A negative interpretation suggests that consumers are able to separate their personal values from the actions or values of firms and the individuals running them. In other words, consumers don’t care about CSR as long as they keep getting the products they seek (Chapter 2: Do Stakeholders Care? p25). A more positive interpretation, however, suggests that MSLO does a great job of meeting the needs and demands of its key stakeholder groups that are willing to give the firm the benefit of doubt in return.
Take care
Dave
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
http://www.sagepub.com/Werther
VIEW FROM THE TOP SUSAN LYNE, chief executive of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
By JOSHUA CHAFFIN and CHRYSTIA FREELAND
1022 words
18 April 2008
Financial Times
London Ed1
Page 14
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/816bb29e-0ce0-11dd-86df-0000779fd2ac.html
