By Nate Lang
Martha Stewart first appeared on television screens in 1993 with her debut show Martha Stewart Living. She later became a staple media as the queen of the domestic arts, followed by a public image downfall and subsequent image repair. The newly released Netflix documentary, Martha, documents her journey (Cutler, 2024).
I grew up in a Martha-centric household, so I was interested to learn more about her. But being in a Martha-centric household also carried some ill ease and minor tensions. You see, her name was banned from my household for a time after her disappointing fall from grace when she did some prison time in 2004. The shock and disappointment that was exhibited in my home, however, was only a fraction of the hurt felt by the millions of adherents Stewart had inspired, nurtured and encouraged with her practical homemaking skills over the previous decades. Martha Stewart, the revered queen of domesticity, went to prison for obstruction of justice and lying to investigators (after they initially tried to get her for insider trading). Her image and reputation as a picture-perfect Americana homemaker were traded for the image of an American felon; her adherents fell away, and her billion-dollar empire collapsed.
Photo by Alyson McPhee on Unsplash
But that wasn’t the end of the story, interestingly. Fast forward 20 years, now to 2024. Martha is more popular and relevant than ever, engaging with audiences of all ages on a variety of social platforms! How did this happen?! Her history as an inmate appears to now be a faint shadow. Was this the work of an ardent, skillful PR person, publicist, or savvy PR team?!
This is Martha Stewart’s crisis public relations masterclass and the takeaways I got from the Netflix documentary.
Don’t Hide from the Truth
In 2004, Martha was convicted and put into prison around charges related to insider trading. She took a call from her stockbroker while on vacation and agreed to sell a stock that soon thereafter tanked, making her and people like her (who happened to get out of the stock early) somewhat richer than they were before (even if it was only in the tens of thousands of dollars). While the insider trading charge didn’t stick, she was charged with obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. After about five months of prison confinement, five months of house arrest, and two years of supervised release, she completed her time. She then needed to start rebuilding her public image --- and was successful! What did she do?
Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash
For one, she never shied away from the truth of the incarceration. In fact, she “took it on the chin” in good humour, all the while noting that she felt it was hypocritical for authorities to make an example of her. She did not hide her past. She showed that transparency is a key element in image repair, even if being transparent was embarrassing or unpleasant. Martha and her public relations team, led by Susan Magrino, bounced back with honesty and humility.
While most people have never been to prison, everyone can relate to adversity, and no one likes being in a bad situation” (Chan, 2024, para. 8).
Eventually, in 2005, after her release, Martha started a TV show and she gained a huge jump in popularity. She squarely faced the public and greeted the camera with a big smile, wearing the popular knit shawl she was photographed in on the day she left for prison. (The shawl had become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon as she strode into the prison with it.) Instead of hiding her difficult past, she faced it with a smile. And people respected her for it.
Martha showed us how transparency was the best approach for re-engaging with her publics and re-building their trust. She set an example that when things don’t go your way in life, you can always admit it, smile and start over.
Photo by Tabitha Turner on Unsplash
Try Something New/Gain New Audiences
Prior to Martha’s going to prison, the Martha Stewart Living brand’s primary audience had been the traditional and business-savvy woman/man interested in creating beautiful surroundings at home or in the office. In fact, Martha was unique in making home efficiency and beauty “an issue”. Prior to her initial rise, the domestic arts weren’t really considered arts. But she took the seemingly mundane – cooking, cleaning, gardening, sorting – to new heights. While others had cringed at the idea of making homemaking a profitable venture, and investors had balked at the concept, Martha knew that beauty and comfort in everyday life was important to both herself and to a great many others. She became hugely popular, and a cultural icon, but those audiences faded away with her 2004 conviction.
After her release from prison, Martha decided to try something new and seek out new audiences. In 2015, the “perfect” Martha, queen of household comfort and efficiency, decided to participate in a celebrity roast! The event was a roast on Justin Bieber, hosted by Kevin Hart. On first blush, Martha, Justin and Kevin have nothing in common – nothing. But Martha took a chance. She chimed in with mean comments, as is common with these types of events. What she did was tap into the underlying sentiment that Martha had a “mean streak” – and she played it up. She shocked the press with her humor and daring wit and won over a whole new audience from a whole new generation. She was re-inventing herself.
Additionally, at this roast, she met American rapper Snoop Dog. They teamed up and launched their own series Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party in 2016 on VH1. The series involved Martha and Snoop sharing and cooking recipes with each other and a plethora of celebrity guests, to good success!
Embrace the Digital
Deemed as the “original influencer” (Cutler, 2024), it’s no surprise that Martha embraced social media as she rose to popularity again. She saw the power in it, and she had never been afraid of innovation in the past. Digital media is a prime tool for storytelling. Storytelling is key in public relations practice, as it creates connection. Martha is now successfully telling her story through most social platforms from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and a podcast. Through the power of social media, Martha is doing what she had always done from the time she started her brand – teaching audiences how to become their best selves.
Martha Stewart is a PR success story through her use of transparency, audience awareness, and storytelling. She and her team turned a crisis into a redirection and, in the end, helped rebuild her brand, gaining new audiences. She was able to reinvent herself to become relevant again.
We, as public relations practitioners, can look to Martha as an example of revived brand reputation management and excellent crisis communication. The Martha Stewart brand has re-emerged, true to its core value of constant self-improvement and striving to live life to the fullest. Martha did this both on a personal level as she re-built her own life after prison, and on a professional level, as she resurrected her brand image. In the famous words echoed by Martha, herself, throughout the decades, “That’s a good thing!
Nate Lang is a first-year public relations student at Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada
References
Cutler, R. J. (Director). (2024). Martha [Film]. Netflix.
Chan, G. (2024). How Martha Stewart Created A Masterful Empire Through Personal Crisis, Forbes.
Photo by Natalia Ventskovskaya, unsplash.com
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