Doing the right thing at the right time
Posted By: Alethia, 21 July 2011
The recent demise of NOTW initially seemed like a stroke of genius in terms of portfolio management. NI’s brutal culling of its toxic brand appeared a clear statement from a strong management; its willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice a breathtaking signal of commitment to integrity and basic decency. In addition, NI’s portfolio of brands is potentially strong enough to mitigate the commercial impact (denials of a Sunday Sun can be viewed as an attempt to make NI’s strategy a fraction less transparent).
But is it a case of too much, too soon?
Thinking that a quick kill would satisfy the demand for resolution has failed to understand both the intensity and extent of social outrage. Without NOTW to vent spleen against, attention has been turned to the other titles in NI’s stable, with the result that the whole UK portfolio is now taking the heat. Events may show that the brand should have been allowed to exist a while longer to soak up the inevitable (and deserved) waves of negativity that need to run their course before subsiding.
So what seemed like decisive action could just end up as hasty, confirming that when it comes to brand management, timing is everything. What would make Murdoch act in such haste? Bet Rebekah knows.....
About Aletheia
Aletheia is Truth's commentator on the things we find interesting. She was the Greek goddess of truth. But her meaning is more subtle than just "facts". In philosophy, Aletheia represents how the world is disclosed, or opened up; how human beings understand things, as part of a background of meaning gained from culture, society, and our perceptions of the world around us; and how this changes as the world changes. This is what Truth is all about.