May 25, 2020 • 36 mins
ICONIC Brands and COVID-19: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Episode #1
As the spread of coronavirus accelerated, overwhelmed our medical system and decimated our communities, American business abruptly came to a halt. Two months later, the pandemic continues and even as some businesses attempt to reopen, COVID-19 threatens future closures and thrusts the economy into a near-certain recession.
However, COVID-19 also brought with it was some of our most beloved brands stepping up to make a difference. These companies shouldered responsibilities that go far beyond meeting earnings targets and satisfying shareholders. While at the same time, there were some companies that dodged responsibility and lacked empathy towards their employees. This episode explores ICONIC brands and COVID-19; the good, the bad and the ugly.
- 0:00:51 - Intro: COVID-19 and ICONIC Brands
- 0:04:41 - The Good
- 0:22:05 - The Ugly
- 0:32:22 - ICONIC Points
To learn more about John Avola and Calvin Stovall, visit iconicpresentations.net. All The ICONIC Mindset episodes can be downloaded at theiconicmindset.com. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please subscribe to our show. Remember to select a star rating and/or write a review for The ICONIC Mindset podcast.
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Don't just be, Be ICONIC!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Introduction (00:07):
Welcome to the ICONIC Mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business, idea ormovement iconic.
(00:27):
Now, here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:33):
Hey Calvin.
Calvin Stovall (00:34):
Good morning, John.
How are you doing?
This is going to be our firsticonic mindset podcast.
John Avola (00:39):
This is it.
Episode number one.
I'm excited too.
I'm excited to be partneringwith you.
It's going to be fun.
Calvin Stovall (00:47):
You too.
Sure will.
John Avola (00:49):
So, Calvin, what are we talking about today?
Calvin Stovall (00:50):
Today?
We're going to be talking aboutCOVID-19 and iconic brands.
We're going to be talking aboutthe good, the bad and the ugly,
what the pandemic has broughtout of some of the most beloved
brands that we spend our dollarswith day to day.
John Avola (01:06):
Yeah, that's a timely topic for sure.
I know there's a lot going on.
I think we've all seen some goodexamples, but those bad and
those ugly examples, man, thosecompanies, iconic brands,
they've got to hold thatreputation high.
Calvin Stovall (01:21):
Yeah.
Well, you know, so much hashappened.
We still have a lot going on.
This started in March.
As the spread of the coronavirusaccelerated, it overwhelmed our
medical system and pretty muchdecimated our communities.
All American business prettymuch came to a halt.
Restaurant owners, they laid offhundreds of workers, hotel
(01:42):
chains instituted furloughs andsupermarkets tried to keep up
with the sudden demand fortoilet paper.
You couldn't find toilet paperanywhere.
It was a little crazy, but herewe are two months later and I
think all of us will agree,we've made some progress.
But the pandemic, it continues.
Even as some businesses andcommunities are starting to
(02:05):
reopen, COVID-19 is stillthreatening future closures and
could potentially thrust theeconomy into a near certain
recession.
It is by most accounts, I thinkall of us will agree pretty
much, the threat of ourlifetime.
However, I think on a good note,what COVID-19 also brought with
(02:25):
it was some of our most belovedbrands stepping up to make a
difference.
These good companies, they camein all shapes and sizes, and
they showed the responsibilitiesthat went far beyond meeting
earnings targets and satisfyingshareholders.
I would probably venture to say,these brands sought to disrupt
the bad.
They tipped the balance tocreate change for the better.
Better for the planet, for thecustomers and for their
(02:48):
employees during theseunprecedented times.
There's also an opposite side ofthat coin.
John Avola (02:54):
Absolutely.
Calvin Stovall (02:55):
You mentioned earlier, we have some companies
behaving rather badly.
The brand masks, they came off,no pun intended and their true
colors were revealed.
These bad and ugly companies,some of them dodged
responsibility, demonstrated alack of empathy towards their
employees and some companiesreally lured people into small
(03:16):
hits of dopamine in return forharvesting data.
So, as our listeners will heartoday, COVID-19 I think is a
good topic because it did bringout the good, the bad and the
ugly and some of the iconiccompanies and brands that we
know.
John Avola (03:32):
Yeah.
Wow.
Well said Calvin, spot on.
There are plenty of examples ofgood, but there's also plenty of
examples that the bad and theugly.
Iconic companies around thenation, around the world, have
experienced in thisunprecedented time.
But you know, the root cause hasbeen universal.
It's been COVID-19.
We've all been experiencing apandemic and don't get me wrong,
(03:58):
every business has their ownunique situation.
But in the words of one of thosefamous philosophers,"it's not
what happens to you, but it'show you react to it.
This is what matters."
Calvin Stovall (04:10):
Perfect, perfect quote.
Perfect.
John Avola (04:11):
We've seen the news.
We've seen the retail sales evenlast month plunged double
compared to March.
Travel spending is down, iconicbrands are furloughing most of
their employees, and we've evenseen some recent large brands
like Neiman Marcus and JC Pennyfiling for Chapter 11
bankruptcy.
Calvin Stovall (04:30):
Yeah.
I just saw that.
John Avola (04:32):
So Calvin, tell us, how are these brands responding?
Give us some good.
Calvin Stovall (04:37):
Yeah, we need some good news.
Well, I think we have some greatexamples of some brands, I
think, that did a great jobtrying to react to it.
And one of the brands, I thinkthat did an exceptional job at
it was Uber.
I think a lot of people weren'ttraveling, or using Uber because
(04:58):
we had the stay at home order.
But even in that case, if youwere still on the road, Uber was
providing critical servicesduring this period, like getting
essential workers to their jobsand getting food to people at
home, as people were using grubhub and things of that and what
they've done is that they'veinvested a lot of money in their
(05:21):
drivers to try to make sure thatthey're prepared, like$50
million for supplies for theirdrivers, such as face masks,
hand sanitizer and bleach wipes.
But what I thought was alsocool, they've actually provided
financial assistance to driversand delivery people diagnosed
with COVID-19 or ordered to selfquarantine or self isolate by a
(05:42):
doctor or public healthauthority.
I thought that was pretty cool.
John Avola (05:47):
That is cool.
I've heard, and you probablyhave heard the same, Uber has
also done free delivery forfood, free rides for h ealthcare
workers.
They really stepped it up tohelp those in need.
A nd especially those frontlineworkers that need it the most
and need to get into work tohelp those in need.
Calvin Stovall (06:04):
Yeah.
They're making some changes tohow they do business too.
I know we talk about iconicframework.
One of the things I talk aboutis the first quadrant around
purpose and it feels likethey're trying to do some things
to try to flatten that curve.
Starting in, mid-May, only threepassengers are going to be
(06:26):
allowed in each vehicle acrossthe entire product line.
So they're taking someresponsibility around this whole
pandemic and trying to make surethey do the right thing.
John Avola (06:36):
Yeah.
That's what it's all about,right?
You mentioned the first P there.
Tell us about those a little bitmore.
Calvin Stovall (06:45):
Well, I have what I like to call the four Ps
of iconicity.
John Avola (06:49):
There it is.
It's no longer product,placement.
Calvin Stovall (06:54):
It's not.
I know those.
But the four P's of iconicitythat I like to talk about are
purpose, people, passion andperseverance.
Those are the four quadrants ina nutshell.
And I think to be iconic, youneed to hit all four of those.
And as for the examples we talkabout today, I'll try to mention
(07:14):
what P they hit on.
And in this case of Uber, it wasa higher purpose for them.
They wanted to try to not justbe about money and profit.
And one of the cool things Ithought Uber did during this
pandemic, they actually, and youprobably saw it, they actually
created an ad to tell people notto ride Uber, to just try to
(07:38):
stay at home.
So I thought that was prettycool.
John Avola (07:43):
And I know we've talked a little bit about
Chobani as well, the yogurtcompany.
Let's talk about some givingback.
Calvin Stovall (07:50):
Chobani.
Wow.
That, you know, they're, they'rea Greek yogurt company.
They're based out of New York.
And these guys donated more than35,000 Chobani products to the
hard hit New Rochelle communityand their home state of New
York.
But not only that, they actuallyhave a partnership with the
(08:13):
governor there and with FeedingAmerica Winchester and the New
York National Guard, they'reactually distributing yogurt,
beverages and dairy creamers tothose in that containment area.
And particularly those who counton the school system to feed
their kids.
John Avola (08:31):
Wow.
And New York's one of thehardest places that was hit by
COVID-19.
They are in the heart of it.
Calvin Stovall (08:37):
Yeah, they're in the middle of it.
And actually what I thought wasone of the coolest things they
did is they redirected the focusof their Chobani Cafe in Soho
and turned it into a temporaryfood pantry where employees are
giving away free Chobaniproducts.
They've been doing this sincethe last week of April, which I
thought was cool.
(08:58):
The cafe is actually open twicea week for the foreseeable
future to give free products andsupport families and food bank
workers.
Incredible.
John Avola (09:07):
Incredible, incredible.
That's what it's all about,building that lasting emotional
connection with your customers.
You know, you're just setting itup, you're in a time of need.
And we talk about that in theiconic framework as well.
It's the importance of beingauthentic, creating those
moments of impact, which we'lltalk more about on this podcast.
And what is Chobani?
(09:28):
It means shepherd, doesn't it?
A shepherd is what it translatesto and live out the name
shepherd and being a shepherd toyour customers, supporting them
in a worldwide crisis.
Truly, truly inspiring.
Calvin Stovall (09:42):
That is inspiring.
They're probably, out of theexamples we're going to talk
about today, John, I think allof them, the good ones are doing
some great things, but I thinkChobani took the purpose, that
first P, and really, reallylived it out from a brand
standpoint.
As you mentioned, Chobani isactually a Turkish word for
shepherd.
(10:02):
And it means giving back.
Nationally, they're sending atruck a day to deliver products
to food banks across the countrywhere it's needed most.
So they've already donated morethan 1 million cups of yogurt
across the US.
John Avola (10:18):
I've got to say it, that's iconic.
Calvin Stovall (10:21):
That's iconic! Iconic for sure.
John Avola (10:26):
In another area too, I've noticed, talking about
giving back and refunding, banksand financial institutions are
also stepping up for theircustomers.
I've seen stories of Bank ofAmerica, Wells Fargo, they're
refunding overdraft fees,deferring mortgage payments.
They're issuing refunds for latefees, suspending foreclosures.
(10:46):
They're even helping withrepossessions.
It's unbelievable to see this.
They're coming back and helpingthose in need, trying to add a
little bit more money intoother's accounts while they are
struggling.
Insurance is another one,Calvin, we can talk about.
Fewer drivers, fewer accidents,right?
Insurance companies are steppingup.
They're giving money back.
(11:07):
Liberty mutual, 15% refund onthe last two months if you're an
auto insurance customer.
American Family Insurance isanother one.
They're giving customers$50 backfor every insured vehicle on
their plan.
It just shows another way thesecompanies, regardless of the
industry, there's an opportunityhere to step up and help out.
Calvin Stovall (11:26):
Oh, that's awesome.
You know, another industry doingquite a good job at that are the
60 of the nation's largestinternet service providers,
including large providers, likeAT&T, Comcast, Cox, T-Mobile,
Sprint and Verizon.
They signed a pledge in midMarch with the FCC to waive fees
(11:47):
and avoid implementing serviceinterruptions for people and
small businesses who cannot payover the next 60 days.
There are also plans to makewifi hotspots available around
the country free as well.
So they're another segmentthat's also doing some great
things during this pandemic.
John Avola (12:06):
Yeah.
And imagine everybody workingfrom home.
WiFi, internet, phones, cell,it's so important to communicate
with others, friends and family.
FaceTime, you get on online,Zoom those that you love, those
you miss.
It's great to see thesecompanies stepping up and
helping those that need thataccess to reach their family and
friends.
Calvin Stovall (12:27):
Yeah.
That's I think that's awesome.
One of the industries that'snear and dear to my heart is the
hospitality industry as well.
John Avola (12:39):
Oh, yes.
I know you have a lot ofbackground in hospitality.
Calvin Stovall (12:41):
I have a background in hospitality.
I worked for Hilton Worldwidefor a long time.
They've been hit hard.
John Avola (12:49):
I think of all the industries, travel, tourism,
hotels, airlines.
They've been hit.
Calvin Stovall (12:55):
Yeah, restaurants as well.
But even in situations likethis, I think some of the
hospitality, some of our besthotel brands have stepped up and
tried to do some great things tohelp during this time as well.
One of my favorites, of course,I want to go ahead and talk
about, is Hilton.
John Avola (13:14):
I was going to say, we've got to talk about Hilton.
Calvin Stovall (13:17):
You gotta talk about Hilton and start with
them.
But what I thought was verycool, because as you probably
know, one of the biggest thingsthat is going to be a challenge
for the hospitality industry ishaving customers feel
comfortable coming back into aspace, around cleanliness and
people want to feel like thehotels have taken the time to
(13:41):
clean the rooms properly sopeople can feel safe and they're
disinfecting properly and doingall of those things.
And Hilton has done a great job.
They've actually partnered withLysol as well as the Mayo clinic
, to better ensure cleanlinessat these hotels.
And I think this is cool.
I think Hilton recently was inFortune Magazine, as one of the
(14:03):
best companies to work for.
I think it was like number one.
In that segment, I think that'sawesome that they're continuing
to do things to keep that iconicstatus.
But they have a program calledHilton Clean Stay with Lysol
protection and according totheir CEO, Chris Nassetta,
(14:28):
Hilton Clean Stay was developedto meet evolving consumer
expectations during the COVID-19pandemic.
To roll out an initiative likethat and make a promise like
that to customers is a very,very brave thing to do.
John Avola (14:41):
You know, speaking of cleanliness in hotels, a
little personal story there.
I live in Memphis, Tennessee,and we have the Peabody Hotel.
And for a present for my wife'sbirthday, I gave her a night
away from the kids and we were alittle nervous about sending her
(15:03):
to a hotel for a night.
But I'm telling you, she walkedinto the Peabody and it was
clean.
There was actually an individualstationed at the elevator that
was wiping down after everyperson would either use a finger
or elbow to push the respectivefloor.
Everything completely clean.
There were people wiping downthe carts for luggage.
(15:25):
She walks into her room,immaculate condition, everything
is just thorough and well takencare of.
I'm sure there's hotels aroundthe world that are taking those
same precautions to getcustomers back in the door.
There was one other company thatI've been wanting to touch on.
I think we all have turned tosome of our adult beverages, one
(15:50):
of those companies beingBacardi.
I just found Bacardi to be aninteresting story to take a
product that they have really attheir fingertips, what they're
known for, which is alcohol.
But they've been able to turntheir resources into producing
hand sanitizer and they'vecommitted to supply enough
alcohol to produce over 250,000gallons of hand sanitizer.
(16:12):
It's a great story to take acompany that has a product, and
they're being able to amplifytheir story.
They're being unique and they'reusing that to help others.
And that is around supplyinghand sanitizer.
That's cool.
Calvin Stovall (16:29):
Yeah, that don't mean you can drink it.
Don't drink it!
John Avola (16:31):
Yeah, it's not a shot, not a shot.
It might have a Bacardi label onit, but don't drink it!
Calvin Stovall (16:43):
That's funny, man.
But you know, since youmentioned that, I want to stay
on the good a little bit more.
Since you've mentioned that,there's actually another company
called Auto Bell.
It's a carwash brand.
I think they are the fifthlargest carwash company.
They've got 86 locations inNorth and South Carolina.
They're in Virginia, Georgia,and Maryland.
(17:04):
They actually shifted theirfocus and moved from washing
cars to providing an essentialvehicle interior disinfectant
service to help just flatten thecoronavirus curve.
They actually were looking intodoing this during the fall, but
when the pandemic happened, theyactually decided to push it up
(17:25):
to March to protect Auto Bellteam members and the driving
public from the outbreak.
So I thought that was prettycool.
Of course they're still washingcars, but Carl Howard, who's
their COO, he said we are nolonger, primarily a carwash.
We are a cleaning anddisinfecting company.
(17:47):
Help us slow the spread ofcoronavirus, serving everyone
from police departments topostal workers, to medical
personnel.
So since they've instituted thisservice, they actually have
disinfected more than 62,000vehicles across their car
washes.
And f or essential workers it'sfree!
John Avola (18:07):
Wow.
That's awesome.
And think about that, getting inyour car and driving with the
steering wheel, changing gears,you're constantly touching
things.
So to be able to walk into a carthat's been fully sanitized and
then hit the front line.
It's a great idea.
Calvin Stovall (18:23):
Yes.
I've been thinking about thisand, in that iconic framework,
when you talk about the secondquadrant, which is people, and
talk about connecting with notonly your customers, but
connecting with your peopleinternally, people that work for
you, this is one of those caseswhere, with Auto Bell, of course
(18:43):
their internal team is going tobe grateful for what the company
is showing and caring, showingempathy for them.
But think about the brandloyalty that some of these
essential workers are going tohave to Auto Bell after this is
over.
It may be customers that mayhave never gone to an Auto Bell,
(19:04):
but might've heard that theywere doing this for free, went
there to get their cardisinfected, check it out, and
they're gonna keep coming back.
And I think that is a level ofconnectedness that brands need
to try to have during thispandemic, because you could
potentially create brand loyaltythrough just trying to help
(19:26):
people.
You know what I mean?
John Avola (19:28):
That's right.
And gaining new customers at thesame time.
I know you're not going out forthat, but it's an extra benefit
of now having a return customercoming back in when this all
settles down.
Calvin Stovall (19:40):
Another good brand that I think demonstrated
a good job as showing compassionand empathy with their employees
...
as you know, as we were talkingabout the hotel industry.
Marriott CEO, Arnie Sorenson,says they they've laid off a lot
of people.
So on March 20th, he actuallyspoke directly to his employees
(20:02):
in a remarkably candid videomessage.
He had just completedchemotherapy and had no hair.
So nonetheless, he chose to do avideo so that he could deliver
the news face to face to histeam.
Even after the company'sbusiness had been cut by as much
as 75% in many of the markets,he knew that cutting his staff
(20:25):
was going to be inevitable, buthe committed to doing it face to
face, demonstrating compassion.
So they actually furloughed twothirds of his 4,000 employees at
their corporate headquarters.
Which is pretty much a lot ofits US workers.
John Avola (20:41):
Wow.
Wow.
Man.
Inspiring story though.
Calvin Stovall (20:44):
Yeah, it is.
And, I know we talked bigbrands.
I mean, we can go on alwaysthinking big brands are iconic,
but you could be a small brandtoo and do some solutions.
John Avola (20:57):
Yeah.
You were telling me the otherday about a dumpling company?
Calvin Stovall (21:02):
Yeah, these guys called Cali Dumpling Delivery.
They actually, for a flat fee of$10, the service will deliver
hand folded dumplings onTuesdays and Thursdays.
You put your order in 24 hoursin advance and all the profits
go to employees in thehospitality industry who have
lost their jobs.
(21:23):
And the company has been able tohire back 10 of their people so
far.
And they've sent checks andgroceries to 40 others.
John Avola (21:31):
Small little dumpling company, on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, is giving alltheir profits back to frontline
workers.
Calvin Stovall (21:36):
Yeah.
I thought that was awesome.
That just demonstrates beingiconic is not about size.
It's about what's your purpose.
John Avola (21:44):
Let's give them some love.
What's the name of that companyagain?
Calvin Stovall (21:47):
It is called Cali Dumpling Delivery.
They're actually located inIrvine, California, but that
totally demonstrates that youdon't have to be a huge brand to
make an impact and show that youcould be iconic.
So I thought that was wonderful.
John Avola (22:04):
Calvin, is it time?
Who is just not getting it?
Calvin Stovall (22:07):
The ugly.
I found a statistic before we gointo specific names, that
somebody did some research, andI can't recall the source, but
it says 71% of customers say, ifthey perceive that a brand is
(22:28):
putting profit over people, theywill lose trust in that brand
forever.
And I think that's the perfectexample of when you're ugly.
John Avola (22:38):
Listen to this, based on that quote.
So there's a company, WeWork,it's a company that rents remote
workspaces.
If you need a space to work, yourent a cube or a particular area
of the building.
And talking about profit overpeople, WeWork has decided to
(22:59):
shut down, doors are locked, yetthey're still collecting rent
from their tenants.
The company is doing all theycan to avoid refunding the
tenants.
They're even instructing theirstaff on how to claim that its
services are essential whenthey're getting these calls for
refunds so that they don't haveto refund those tenants.
(23:21):
So I'm not even sure if that'slegal, don't want to go there,
but to your point, profit overpeople.
Do you think when theircontracts are up, the
individuals that have beenrenting workspaces for WeWork
are actually going to renewtheir contracts?
Absolutely not.
No they'd rather work from homeor make do with what they have
(23:42):
or find a competitor.
But, in a national pandemicwhere you're forced to close
your doors and you're stillcharging people for space that
they cannot physically use,that's profit over people.
That is not acceptable.
Calvin Stovall (23:56):
And even just like WeWork, they're charging
people, trying to charge themrent.
During a time when cash strappedfamilies are forced to stay at
home and stretch the limits oftheir internet plans, a company
called SuddenlinkCommunications, they're
profiting off of data overagecharges while people are forced
(24:17):
to stay at home.
So they're another companythat's putting profit over
people.
Now, once this is over, do youthink they're gonna stay with
Suddenlink Communications?
Probably not.
Another company is PetSmart.
PetSmart's been in trouble too,and have some upset workers.
(24:39):
They were putting their peopleat risk by reopening their dog
grooming salons, which they callessential.
They had something so you canget your dogs ready for spring
with a new doo.
Come on, man.
John Avola (24:58):
Come on now, PetSmart.
That's not so smart.
Huh?
That's not so smart.
Calvin Stovall (25:06):
What about our friends at Hobby Lobby?
John Avola (25:09):
Oh man.
Hobby Lobby.
You had to bring up Hobby Lobby.
It's unfortunate, but it seemsthey're always in the news.
One thing after another.
There's even a Wikipedia pagethat serves as a log for the
scandals that Hobby Lobby hasbeen involved in over the years.
Calvin Stovall (25:31):
That's bad.
They actually stayed open andthey got criticized.
They didn't want to pay theiremployees.
And they stayed open because theCEO said that his wife prayed
about it.
John Avola (25:43):
I heard the same thing.
She said she received word fromGod in a dream to stay open
during COVID-19.
Calvin Stovall (25:53):
Now I'm a spiritual man.
But I think in this case, youdon't want to make people worse
when they're at risk.
John Avola (26:00):
Spreading the virus may be the opposite of what we
should all be doing right now.
Calvin Stovall (26:05):
Exactly, exactly.
Some of the other companies,like O'Reilly's Auto Parts, some
of their employees were upsetsaying they stayed open because
they felt like they were sellingessential items, but their
employees were upset becausepeople were coming in buying
things that were not evenessential.
Like, why are we staying here?
(26:26):
Again, one of those situationswhere you gotta think about your
people and why are you wantingto stay open?
John Avola (26:36):
And I love this one too.
Speaking of essentialbusinesses, maybe Calvin, maybe
essential is all relative.
Game Stop, for example.
Video games.
I could make an argument foressential.
Calvin Stovall (26:48):
So can my two boys.
John Avola (26:51):
But at a time when many non essential businesses
were forced to close, Game Stop,to make matters worse,
reportedly told employees towrap their hands in plastic bags
and keep working.
No gloves, no problem.
Pull out a Game Stop plastic bagand get back on the floor.
Calvin Stovall (27:12):
Oh, wow.
I can't believe they let thatget printed.
John Avola (27:19):
People may or may not be rushing out for the
latest game, but at the sametime you can't treat your
employees like that and tellthem to put on plastic bags to
help their customers.
Calvin Stovall (27:29):
It's funny how some organizations actually
thrived during the pandemic,like Peloton and Netflix,
Amazon, Walmart, but even whilethey're thriving, they also get
(27:53):
in trouble as well.
Amazon is having some issues.
And, I think somebody at one oftheir warehouses actually died.
I think the guy named GeorgeLeigh, who worked at a facility
in Long Island, he died ofcomplications from coronavirus
in early April.
So, what's happened now is a lotof consumers wanting Amazon to
(28:19):
be more transparent because Iguess Amazon's not sharing
enough information about howmany people are sick.
How many people have died.
And actually, a coalition of 13attorney generals in
Massachusetts actually sent aletter to Amazon pressing for
stronger measures to protect thehealth and safety of their
(28:39):
workers amid the pandemic.
So, even though Amazon isthriving, I'm sure a lot of
people are using Amazon.
John Avola (28:47):
eCommerce is on the rise.
Calvin Stovall (28:48):
It is.
You can still, by some of youractions, demonstrate profit over
people.
So that's the Amazon, it's likea love, hate relationship there.
John Avola (29:02):
You hate to hear it.
Speaking of some of those otherlarger brands, you look at
cruise lines.
Cruise ships, there's still crewmembers, over a hundred thousand
crew members, living on boats,sailing, just sitting dockside
or traveling back and forth.
Because these employees, theycan't get home due to the
(29:23):
pandemic.
And so you've got dozens ofships and we're not talking
brands that you may not hear of,we're talking the big boys,
Carnival, Royal Caribbean,they've got crew members who
just cannot return home.
They've been living on theirships and many of them are no
longer receiving paychecks.
Imagine living in one of thoseinterior state rooms, no windows
(29:44):
for over two months, justabsolutely unacceptable.
Calvin Stovall (29:48):
Wow.
That's crazy.
It's really a shame.
Like you said, some of thecompanies depending on their
specific situation, have to makesome pretty drastic decisions.
But when you have a situationlike that with employees and
people are up on ships for thatlong....
John Avola (30:11):
It's people's lives, it's lives.
And there's been talk aboutprivate jets to get these people
home, or depending on where theylive within distance of a
helicopter.
There just hasn't seemed to be alot of movement.
And, these ships, coronavirus isjust where one of the major news
(30:31):
stories that came out in thebeginning with some of these
cruise ships that were bringingin people and having to be
quarantined.
And now you've got crew membersjust sitting there.
My heart goes out to them all.
Calvin Stovall (30:41):
Yeah, I know.
What's really one of the thingsthat I think these brands forget
is that social media allowspeople to keep track of what's
going on.
People could get on a keyboardand either praise you or slam
you in the keystrokes, and forsome businesses, the downside of
(31:05):
their reputation of making someof these moves can really impact
you in the long term.
John Avola (31:12):
It can travel fast, like wildfire fast.
One individual that maybe has acouple of hundred followers
makes a strong enough point.
And now that message is circlingthe globe.
Calvin Stovall (31:26):
That's right.
And the good thing, some ofthese organizations they get the
message after they've beenexposed on social media.
Even in the case of Amazon,although it's a negative
situation they're dealing with,they are trying to make some
moves there.
They're spending more than$800million in safety measures, 150
(31:49):
process updates.
They're distributing personalprotective gear, such as masks
for employees, implementingdisinfectant spraying and
temperature checks acrossoperations.
So, despite the negative pressthey're getting there, I think
the public has caused them tomake some positive changes.
John Avola (32:09):
Absolutely.
Calvin we've talked about that alot today.
We touched on the good, we hitthe bad, we hit the ugly.
Why don't we do a little recapfor our listeners and maybe
touch on a couple of key pointsas some takeaways?
Calvin Stovall (32:22):
Let's go.
Four iconic points that I wouldlike to share.
My number one is, I think it waseasily d emonstrated, is t o
stay true to your company'spurpose.
Chobani, and some of the otherbrands we mentioned, stick with
(32:42):
your brand purpose and what yourbrand stands for, even in tough
times.
The iconic brands that steppedup w ere about more than just
making a profit.
They clearly demonstrated thatthey were in business for a
higher purpose to ultimatelycreate change for the better,
for p lanning for the customersand for the employees.
Second, customers will rememberwhen you behave badly.
John Avola (33:06):
Absolutely.
We mentioned that social mediamegaphone earlier.
Calvin Stovall (33:11):
They won't forget when you put profits over
people.
Treating your employees likecogs in a wheel or quote unquote
expendable, or evendemonstrating a lack of empathy
for their wellbeing is not aniconic move.
Number three- your customers arewatching every single thing that
(33:33):
you do.
And as you mentioned, they havethat megaphone and they will
instantly share with the worldhow you either helped or
hindered their lives.
WeWork.
Have you heard that?
And one more thing, this is justa bonus iconic point, which is
saying nothing in times ofcrisis can also be detrimental
(33:55):
to an iconic brand.
John Avola (33:57):
That's powerful.
Calvin Stovall (33:57):
At its core, I truly believe, and I'm sure you
will agree, John, being iconicis all about creating and
delivering memorable customerexperiences.
I believe customers will alsoremember when you say or did
nothing in a time of crisis.
There's a quote, it says noresponse is a response and it's
(34:19):
a powerful one.
You gotta remember that.
John Avola (34:21):
That's right.
Yeah.
I couldn't agree more.
No decision is also a decision.
No response is a response.
I think you summarizedeverything perfectly.
I couldn't agree more.
And what I loved about today isit all boils down to those four
Ps- purpose, passion, people andperseverance.
Calvin Stovall (34:43):
Yes sir.
I think again, our objectivehere and through these podcasts
that we're going to do goingforward, is to hit on some of
those Ps harder than others, butwhen you really sum it up, you
gotta have all four to beiconic.
John Avola (34:58):
I can't wait for our next one.
I think we need to talk aboutmaybe something around iconic
innovative brands.
What do you think about that?
Calvin Stovall (35:05):
I love that.
I think that'd be a greatepisode.
Some brands are doing some veryinnovative things.
A lot of them had to pivot withthis pandemic too.
So I think that's going to makea great conversation.
So I'm looking forward to thatone.
John Avola (35:22):
Let's say our listeners want to find out more.
Maybe it's a little bit moreresearch on those four Ps.
We mentioned the iconicframework, where can they find
more out about us?
Calvin Stovall (35:33):
All you've got to do is go to
iconicpresentations.net.
That iconic framework is there.
And if you want to learn more,all of the information i s right
there for you to read.
John Avola (35:47):
That's right.
Our contact information isavailable as well.
So Calvin, until next time,don't just be- Be ICONIC!
Welcome to the ICONIC Mindset podcast with John
Avola and Calvin Stovall.
This is the only place thatuncovers the multiple levels of
iconic businesses and brands.
Every episode reveals thesecrets behind what it takes to
make your business, idea ormovement iconic.
(00:27):
Now, here are John and Calvin.
John Avola (00:33):
Hey Calvin.
Calvin Stovall (00:34):
Good morning, John.
How are you doing?
This is going to be our firsticonic mindset podcast.
John Avola (00:39):
This is it.
Episode number one.
I'm excited too.
I'm excited to be partneringwith you.
It's going to be fun.
Calvin Stovall (00:47):
You too.
Sure will.
John Avola (00:49):
So, Calvin, what are we talking about today?
Calvin Stovall (00:50):
Today?
We're going to be talking aboutCOVID-19 and iconic brands.
We're going to be talking aboutthe good, the bad and the ugly,
what the pandemic has broughtout of some of the most beloved
brands that we spend our dollarswith day to day.
John Avola (01:06):
Yeah, that's a timely topic for sure.
I know there's a lot going on.
I think we've all seen some goodexamples, but those bad and
those ugly examples, man, thosecompanies, iconic brands,
they've got to hold thatreputation high.
Calvin Stovall (01:21):
Yeah.
Well, you know, so much hashappened.
We still have a lot going on.
This started in March.
As the spread of the coronavirusaccelerated, it overwhelmed our
medical system and pretty muchdecimated our communities.
All American business prettymuch came to a halt.
Restaurant owners, they laid offhundreds of workers, hotel
(01:42):
chains instituted furloughs andsupermarkets tried to keep up
with the sudden demand fortoilet paper.
You couldn't find toilet paperanywhere.
It was a little crazy, but herewe are two months later and I
think all of us will agree,we've made some progress.
But the pandemic, it continues.
Even as some businesses andcommunities are starting to
(02:05):
reopen, COVID-19 is stillthreatening future closures and
could potentially thrust theeconomy into a near certain
recession.
It is by most accounts, I thinkall of us will agree pretty
much, the threat of ourlifetime.
However, I think on a good note,what COVID-19 also brought with
(02:25):
it was some of our most belovedbrands stepping up to make a
difference.
These good companies, they camein all shapes and sizes, and
they showed the responsibilitiesthat went far beyond meeting
earnings targets and satisfyingshareholders.
I would probably venture to say,these brands sought to disrupt
the bad.
They tipped the balance tocreate change for the better.
Better for the planet, for thecustomers and for their
(02:48):
employees during theseunprecedented times.
There's also an opposite side ofthat coin.
John Avola (02:54):
Absolutely.
Calvin Stovall (02:55):
You mentioned earlier, we have some companies
behaving rather badly.
The brand masks, they came off,no pun intended and their true
colors were revealed.
These bad and ugly companies,some of them dodged
responsibility, demonstrated alack of empathy towards their
employees and some companiesreally lured people into small
(03:16):
hits of dopamine in return forharvesting data.
So, as our listeners will heartoday, COVID-19 I think is a
good topic because it did bringout the good, the bad and the
ugly and some of the iconiccompanies and brands that we
know.
John Avola (03:32):
Yeah.
Wow.
Well said Calvin, spot on.
There are plenty of examples ofgood, but there's also plenty of
examples that the bad and theugly.
Iconic companies around thenation, around the world, have
experienced in thisunprecedented time.
But you know, the root cause hasbeen universal.
It's been COVID-19.
We've all been experiencing apandemic and don't get me wrong,
(03:58):
every business has their ownunique situation.
But in the words of one of thosefamous philosophers,"it's not
what happens to you, but it'show you react to it.
This is what matters."
Calvin Stovall (04:10):
Perfect, perfect quote.
Perfect.
John Avola (04:11):
We've seen the news.
We've seen the retail sales evenlast month plunged double
compared to March.
Travel spending is down, iconicbrands are furloughing most of
their employees, and we've evenseen some recent large brands
like Neiman Marcus and JC Pennyfiling for Chapter 11
bankruptcy.
Calvin Stovall (04:30):
Yeah.
I just saw that.
John Avola (04:32):
So Calvin, tell us, how are these brands responding?
Give us some good.
Calvin Stovall (04:37):
Yeah, we need some good news.
Well, I think we have some greatexamples of some brands, I
think, that did a great jobtrying to react to it.
And one of the brands, I thinkthat did an exceptional job at
it was Uber.
I think a lot of people weren'ttraveling, or using Uber because
(04:58):
we had the stay at home order.
But even in that case, if youwere still on the road, Uber was
providing critical servicesduring this period, like getting
essential workers to their jobsand getting food to people at
home, as people were using grubhub and things of that and what
they've done is that they'veinvested a lot of money in their
(05:21):
drivers to try to make sure thatthey're prepared, like$50
million for supplies for theirdrivers, such as face masks,
hand sanitizer and bleach wipes.
But what I thought was alsocool, they've actually provided
financial assistance to driversand delivery people diagnosed
with COVID-19 or ordered to selfquarantine or self isolate by a
(05:42):
doctor or public healthauthority.
I thought that was pretty cool.
John Avola (05:47):
That is cool.
I've heard, and you probablyhave heard the same, Uber has
also done free delivery forfood, free rides for h ealthcare
workers.
They really stepped it up tohelp those in need.
A nd especially those frontlineworkers that need it the most
and need to get into work tohelp those in need.
Calvin Stovall (06:04):
Yeah.
They're making some changes tohow they do business too.
I know we talk about iconicframework.
One of the things I talk aboutis the first quadrant around
purpose and it feels likethey're trying to do some things
to try to flatten that curve.
Starting in, mid-May, only threepassengers are going to be
(06:26):
allowed in each vehicle acrossthe entire product line.
So they're taking someresponsibility around this whole
pandemic and trying to make surethey do the right thing.
John Avola (06:36):
Yeah.
That's what it's all about,right?
You mentioned the first P there.
Tell us about those a little bitmore.
Calvin Stovall (06:45):
Well, I have what I like to call the four Ps
of iconicity.
John Avola (06:49):
There it is.
It's no longer product,placement.
Calvin Stovall (06:54):
It's not.
I know those.
But the four P's of iconicitythat I like to talk about are
purpose, people, passion andperseverance.
Those are the four quadrants ina nutshell.
And I think to be iconic, youneed to hit all four of those.
And as for the examples we talkabout today, I'll try to mention
(07:14):
what P they hit on.
And in this case of Uber, it wasa higher purpose for them.
They wanted to try to not justbe about money and profit.
And one of the cool things Ithought Uber did during this
pandemic, they actually, and youprobably saw it, they actually
created an ad to tell people notto ride Uber, to just try to
(07:38):
stay at home.
So I thought that was prettycool.
John Avola (07:43):
And I know we've talked a little bit about
Chobani as well, the yogurtcompany.
Let's talk about some givingback.
Calvin Stovall (07:50):
Chobani.
Wow.
That, you know, they're, they'rea Greek yogurt company.
They're based out of New York.
And these guys donated more than35,000 Chobani products to the
hard hit New Rochelle communityand their home state of New
York.
But not only that, they actuallyhave a partnership with the
(08:13):
governor there and with FeedingAmerica Winchester and the New
York National Guard, they'reactually distributing yogurt,
beverages and dairy creamers tothose in that containment area.
And particularly those who counton the school system to feed
their kids.
John Avola (08:31):
Wow.
And New York's one of thehardest places that was hit by
COVID-19.
They are in the heart of it.
Calvin Stovall (08:37):
Yeah, they're in the middle of it.
And actually what I thought wasone of the coolest things they
did is they redirected the focusof their Chobani Cafe in Soho
and turned it into a temporaryfood pantry where employees are
giving away free Chobaniproducts.
They've been doing this sincethe last week of April, which I
thought was cool.
(08:58):
The cafe is actually open twicea week for the foreseeable
future to give free products andsupport families and food bank
workers.
Incredible.
John Avola (09:07):
Incredible, incredible.
That's what it's all about,building that lasting emotional
connection with your customers.
You know, you're just setting itup, you're in a time of need.
And we talk about that in theiconic framework as well.
It's the importance of beingauthentic, creating those
moments of impact, which we'lltalk more about on this podcast.
And what is Chobani?
(09:28):
It means shepherd, doesn't it?
A shepherd is what it translatesto and live out the name
shepherd and being a shepherd toyour customers, supporting them
in a worldwide crisis.
Truly, truly inspiring.
Calvin Stovall (09:42):
That is inspiring.
They're probably, out of theexamples we're going to talk
about today, John, I think allof them, the good ones are doing
some great things, but I thinkChobani took the purpose, that
first P, and really, reallylived it out from a brand
standpoint.
As you mentioned, Chobani isactually a Turkish word for
shepherd.
(10:02):
And it means giving back.
Nationally, they're sending atruck a day to deliver products
to food banks across the countrywhere it's needed most.
So they've already donated morethan 1 million cups of yogurt
across the US.
John Avola (10:18):
I've got to say it, that's iconic.
Calvin Stovall (10:21):
That's iconic! Iconic for sure.
John Avola (10:26):
In another area too, I've noticed, talking about
giving back and refunding, banksand financial institutions are
also stepping up for theircustomers.
I've seen stories of Bank ofAmerica, Wells Fargo, they're
refunding overdraft fees,deferring mortgage payments.
They're issuing refunds for latefees, suspending foreclosures.
(10:46):
They're even helping withrepossessions.
It's unbelievable to see this.
They're coming back and helpingthose in need, trying to add a
little bit more money intoother's accounts while they are
struggling.
Insurance is another one,Calvin, we can talk about.
Fewer drivers, fewer accidents,right?
Insurance companies are steppingup.
They're giving money back.
(11:07):
Liberty mutual, 15% refund onthe last two months if you're an
auto insurance customer.
American Family Insurance isanother one.
They're giving customers$50 backfor every insured vehicle on
their plan.
It just shows another way thesecompanies, regardless of the
industry, there's an opportunityhere to step up and help out.
Calvin Stovall (11:26):
Oh, that's awesome.
You know, another industry doingquite a good job at that are the
60 of the nation's largestinternet service providers,
including large providers, likeAT&T, Comcast, Cox, T-Mobile,
Sprint and Verizon.
They signed a pledge in midMarch with the FCC to waive fees
(11:47):
and avoid implementing serviceinterruptions for people and
small businesses who cannot payover the next 60 days.
There are also plans to makewifi hotspots available around
the country free as well.
So they're another segmentthat's also doing some great
things during this pandemic.
John Avola (12:06):
Yeah.
And imagine everybody workingfrom home.
WiFi, internet, phones, cell,it's so important to communicate
with others, friends and family.
FaceTime, you get on online,Zoom those that you love, those
you miss.
It's great to see thesecompanies stepping up and
helping those that need thataccess to reach their family and
friends.
Calvin Stovall (12:27):
Yeah.
That's I think that's awesome.
One of the industries that'snear and dear to my heart is the
hospitality industry as well.
John Avola (12:39):
Oh, yes.
I know you have a lot ofbackground in hospitality.
Calvin Stovall (12:41):
I have a background in hospitality.
I worked for Hilton Worldwidefor a long time.
They've been hit hard.
John Avola (12:49):
I think of all the industries, travel, tourism,
hotels, airlines.
They've been hit.
Calvin Stovall (12:55):
Yeah, restaurants as well.
But even in situations likethis, I think some of the
hospitality, some of our besthotel brands have stepped up and
tried to do some great things tohelp during this time as well.
One of my favorites, of course,I want to go ahead and talk
about, is Hilton.
John Avola (13:14):
I was going to say, we've got to talk about Hilton.
Calvin Stovall (13:17):
You gotta talk about Hilton and start with
them.
But what I thought was verycool, because as you probably
know, one of the biggest thingsthat is going to be a challenge
for the hospitality industry ishaving customers feel
comfortable coming back into aspace, around cleanliness and
people want to feel like thehotels have taken the time to
(13:41):
clean the rooms properly sopeople can feel safe and they're
disinfecting properly and doingall of those things.
And Hilton has done a great job.
They've actually partnered withLysol as well as the Mayo clinic
, to better ensure cleanlinessat these hotels.
And I think this is cool.
I think Hilton recently was inFortune Magazine, as one of the
(14:03):
best companies to work for.
I think it was like number one.
In that segment, I think that'sawesome that they're continuing
to do things to keep that iconicstatus.
But they have a program calledHilton Clean Stay with Lysol
protection and according totheir CEO, Chris Nassetta,
(14:28):
Hilton Clean Stay was developedto meet evolving consumer
expectations during the COVID-19pandemic.
To roll out an initiative likethat and make a promise like
that to customers is a very,very brave thing to do.
John Avola (14:41):
You know, speaking of cleanliness in hotels, a
little personal story there.
I live in Memphis, Tennessee,and we have the Peabody Hotel.
And for a present for my wife'sbirthday, I gave her a night
away from the kids and we were alittle nervous about sending her
(15:03):
to a hotel for a night.
But I'm telling you, she walkedinto the Peabody and it was
clean.
There was actually an individualstationed at the elevator that
was wiping down after everyperson would either use a finger
or elbow to push the respectivefloor.
Everything completely clean.
There were people wiping downthe carts for luggage.
(15:25):
She walks into her room,immaculate condition, everything
is just thorough and well takencare of.
I'm sure there's hotels aroundthe world that are taking those
same precautions to getcustomers back in the door.
There was one other company thatI've been wanting to touch on.
I think we all have turned tosome of our adult beverages, one
(15:50):
of those companies beingBacardi.
I just found Bacardi to be aninteresting story to take a
product that they have really attheir fingertips, what they're
known for, which is alcohol.
But they've been able to turntheir resources into producing
hand sanitizer and they'vecommitted to supply enough
alcohol to produce over 250,000gallons of hand sanitizer.
(16:12):
It's a great story to take acompany that has a product, and
they're being able to amplifytheir story.
They're being unique and they'reusing that to help others.
And that is around supplyinghand sanitizer.
That's cool.
Calvin Stovall (16:29):
Yeah, that don't mean you can drink it.
Don't drink it!
John Avola (16:31):
Yeah, it's not a shot, not a shot.
It might have a Bacardi label onit, but don't drink it!
Calvin Stovall (16:43):
That's funny, man.
But you know, since youmentioned that, I want to stay
on the good a little bit more.
Since you've mentioned that,there's actually another company
called Auto Bell.
It's a carwash brand.
I think they are the fifthlargest carwash company.
They've got 86 locations inNorth and South Carolina.
They're in Virginia, Georgia,and Maryland.
(17:04):
They actually shifted theirfocus and moved from washing
cars to providing an essentialvehicle interior disinfectant
service to help just flatten thecoronavirus curve.
They actually were looking intodoing this during the fall, but
when the pandemic happened, theyactually decided to push it up
(17:25):
to March to protect Auto Bellteam members and the driving
public from the outbreak.
So I thought that was prettycool.
Of course they're still washingcars, but Carl Howard, who's
their COO, he said we are nolonger, primarily a carwash.
We are a cleaning anddisinfecting company.
(17:47):
Help us slow the spread ofcoronavirus, serving everyone
from police departments topostal workers, to medical
personnel.
So since they've instituted thisservice, they actually have
disinfected more than 62,000vehicles across their car
washes.
And f or essential workers it'sfree!
John Avola (18:07):
Wow.
That's awesome.
And think about that, getting inyour car and driving with the
steering wheel, changing gears,you're constantly touching
things.
So to be able to walk into a carthat's been fully sanitized and
then hit the front line.
It's a great idea.
Calvin Stovall (18:23):
Yes.
I've been thinking about thisand, in that iconic framework,
when you talk about the secondquadrant, which is people, and
talk about connecting with notonly your customers, but
connecting with your peopleinternally, people that work for
you, this is one of those caseswhere, with Auto Bell, of course
(18:43):
their internal team is going tobe grateful for what the company
is showing and caring, showingempathy for them.
But think about the brandloyalty that some of these
essential workers are going tohave to Auto Bell after this is
over.
It may be customers that mayhave never gone to an Auto Bell,
(19:04):
but might've heard that theywere doing this for free, went
there to get their cardisinfected, check it out, and
they're gonna keep coming back.
And I think that is a level ofconnectedness that brands need
to try to have during thispandemic, because you could
potentially create brand loyaltythrough just trying to help
(19:26):
people.
You know what I mean?
John Avola (19:28):
That's right.
And gaining new customers at thesame time.
I know you're not going out forthat, but it's an extra benefit
of now having a return customercoming back in when this all
settles down.
Calvin Stovall (19:40):
Another good brand that I think demonstrated
a good job as showing compassionand empathy with their employees
...
as you know, as we were talkingabout the hotel industry.
Marriott CEO, Arnie Sorenson,says they they've laid off a lot
of people.
So on March 20th, he actuallyspoke directly to his employees
(20:02):
in a remarkably candid videomessage.
He had just completedchemotherapy and had no hair.
So nonetheless, he chose to do avideo so that he could deliver
the news face to face to histeam.
Even after the company'sbusiness had been cut by as much
as 75% in many of the markets,he knew that cutting his staff
(20:25):
was going to be inevitable, buthe committed to doing it face to
face, demonstrating compassion.
So they actually furloughed twothirds of his 4,000 employees at
their corporate headquarters.
Which is pretty much a lot ofits US workers.
John Avola (20:41):
Wow.
Wow.
Man.
Inspiring story though.
Calvin Stovall (20:44):
Yeah, it is.
And, I know we talked bigbrands.
I mean, we can go on alwaysthinking big brands are iconic,
but you could be a small brandtoo and do some solutions.
John Avola (20:57):
Yeah.
You were telling me the otherday about a dumpling company?
Calvin Stovall (21:02):
Yeah, these guys called Cali Dumpling Delivery.
They actually, for a flat fee of$10, the service will deliver
hand folded dumplings onTuesdays and Thursdays.
You put your order in 24 hoursin advance and all the profits
go to employees in thehospitality industry who have
lost their jobs.
(21:23):
And the company has been able tohire back 10 of their people so
far.
And they've sent checks andgroceries to 40 others.
John Avola (21:31):
Small little dumpling company, on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, is giving alltheir profits back to frontline
workers.
Calvin Stovall (21:36):
Yeah.
I thought that was awesome.
That just demonstrates beingiconic is not about size.
It's about what's your purpose.
John Avola (21:44):
Let's give them some love.
What's the name of that companyagain?
Calvin Stovall (21:47):
It is called Cali Dumpling Delivery.
They're actually located inIrvine, California, but that
totally demonstrates that youdon't have to be a huge brand to
make an impact and show that youcould be iconic.
So I thought that was wonderful.
John Avola (22:04):
Calvin, is it time?
Who is just not getting it?
Calvin Stovall (22:07):
The ugly.
I found a statistic before we gointo specific names, that
somebody did some research, andI can't recall the source, but
it says 71% of customers say, ifthey perceive that a brand is
(22:28):
putting profit over people, theywill lose trust in that brand
forever.
And I think that's the perfectexample of when you're ugly.
John Avola (22:38):
Listen to this, based on that quote.
So there's a company, WeWork,it's a company that rents remote
workspaces.
If you need a space to work, yourent a cube or a particular area
of the building.
And talking about profit overpeople, WeWork has decided to
(22:59):
shut down, doors are locked, yetthey're still collecting rent
from their tenants.
The company is doing all theycan to avoid refunding the
tenants.
They're even instructing theirstaff on how to claim that its
services are essential whenthey're getting these calls for
refunds so that they don't haveto refund those tenants.
(23:21):
So I'm not even sure if that'slegal, don't want to go there,
but to your point, profit overpeople.
Do you think when theircontracts are up, the
individuals that have beenrenting workspaces for WeWork
are actually going to renewtheir contracts?
Absolutely not.
No they'd rather work from homeor make do with what they have
(23:42):
or find a competitor.
But, in a national pandemicwhere you're forced to close
your doors and you're stillcharging people for space that
they cannot physically use,that's profit over people.
That is not acceptable.
Calvin Stovall (23:56):
And even just like WeWork, they're charging
people, trying to charge themrent.
During a time when cash strappedfamilies are forced to stay at
home and stretch the limits oftheir internet plans, a company
called SuddenlinkCommunications, they're
profiting off of data overagecharges while people are forced
(24:17):
to stay at home.
So they're another companythat's putting profit over
people.
Now, once this is over, do youthink they're gonna stay with
Suddenlink Communications?
Probably not.
Another company is PetSmart.
PetSmart's been in trouble too,and have some upset workers.
(24:39):
They were putting their peopleat risk by reopening their dog
grooming salons, which they callessential.
They had something so you canget your dogs ready for spring
with a new doo.
Come on, man.
John Avola (24:58):
Come on now, PetSmart.
That's not so smart.
Huh?
That's not so smart.
Calvin Stovall (25:06):
What about our friends at Hobby Lobby?
John Avola (25:09):
Oh man.
Hobby Lobby.
You had to bring up Hobby Lobby.
It's unfortunate, but it seemsthey're always in the news.
One thing after another.
There's even a Wikipedia pagethat serves as a log for the
scandals that Hobby Lobby hasbeen involved in over the years.
Calvin Stovall (25:31):
That's bad.
They actually stayed open andthey got criticized.
They didn't want to pay theiremployees.
And they stayed open because theCEO said that his wife prayed
about it.
John Avola (25:43):
I heard the same thing.
She said she received word fromGod in a dream to stay open
during COVID-19.
Calvin Stovall (25:53):
Now I'm a spiritual man.
But I think in this case, youdon't want to make people worse
when they're at risk.
John Avola (26:00):
Spreading the virus may be the opposite of what we
should all be doing right now.
Calvin Stovall (26:05):
Exactly, exactly.
Some of the other companies,like O'Reilly's Auto Parts, some
of their employees were upsetsaying they stayed open because
they felt like they were sellingessential items, but their
employees were upset becausepeople were coming in buying
things that were not evenessential.
Like, why are we staying here?
(26:26):
Again, one of those situationswhere you gotta think about your
people and why are you wantingto stay open?
John Avola (26:36):
And I love this one too.
Speaking of essentialbusinesses, maybe Calvin, maybe
essential is all relative.
Game Stop, for example.
Video games.
I could make an argument foressential.
Calvin Stovall (26:48):
So can my two boys.
John Avola (26:51):
But at a time when many non essential businesses
were forced to close, Game Stop,to make matters worse,
reportedly told employees towrap their hands in plastic bags
and keep working.
No gloves, no problem.
Pull out a Game Stop plastic bagand get back on the floor.
Calvin Stovall (27:12):
Oh, wow.
I can't believe they let thatget printed.
John Avola (27:19):
People may or may not be rushing out for the
latest game, but at the sametime you can't treat your
employees like that and tellthem to put on plastic bags to
help their customers.
Calvin Stovall (27:29):
It's funny how some organizations actually
thrived during the pandemic,like Peloton and Netflix,
Amazon, Walmart, but even whilethey're thriving, they also get
(27:53):
in trouble as well.
Amazon is having some issues.
And, I think somebody at one oftheir warehouses actually died.
I think the guy named GeorgeLeigh, who worked at a facility
in Long Island, he died ofcomplications from coronavirus
in early April.
So, what's happened now is a lotof consumers wanting Amazon to
(28:19):
be more transparent because Iguess Amazon's not sharing
enough information about howmany people are sick.
How many people have died.
And actually, a coalition of 13attorney generals in
Massachusetts actually sent aletter to Amazon pressing for
stronger measures to protect thehealth and safety of their
(28:39):
workers amid the pandemic.
So, even though Amazon isthriving, I'm sure a lot of
people are using Amazon.
John Avola (28:47):
eCommerce is on the rise.
Calvin Stovall (28:48):
It is.
You can still, by some of youractions, demonstrate profit over
people.
So that's the Amazon, it's likea love, hate relationship there.
John Avola (29:02):
You hate to hear it.
Speaking of some of those otherlarger brands, you look at
cruise lines.
Cruise ships, there's still crewmembers, over a hundred thousand
crew members, living on boats,sailing, just sitting dockside
or traveling back and forth.
Because these employees, theycan't get home due to the
(29:23):
pandemic.
And so you've got dozens ofships and we're not talking
brands that you may not hear of,we're talking the big boys,
Carnival, Royal Caribbean,they've got crew members who
just cannot return home.
They've been living on theirships and many of them are no
longer receiving paychecks.
Imagine living in one of thoseinterior state rooms, no windows
(29:44):
for over two months, justabsolutely unacceptable.
Calvin Stovall (29:48):
Wow.
That's crazy.
It's really a shame.
Like you said, some of thecompanies depending on their
specific situation, have to makesome pretty drastic decisions.
But when you have a situationlike that with employees and
people are up on ships for thatlong....
John Avola (30:11):
It's people's lives, it's lives.
And there's been talk aboutprivate jets to get these people
home, or depending on where theylive within distance of a
helicopter.
There just hasn't seemed to be alot of movement.
And, these ships, coronavirus isjust where one of the major news
(30:31):
stories that came out in thebeginning with some of these
cruise ships that were bringingin people and having to be
quarantined.
And now you've got crew membersjust sitting there.
My heart goes out to them all.
Calvin Stovall (30:41):
Yeah, I know.
What's really one of the thingsthat I think these brands forget
is that social media allowspeople to keep track of what's
going on.
People could get on a keyboardand either praise you or slam
you in the keystrokes, and forsome businesses, the downside of
(31:05):
their reputation of making someof these moves can really impact
you in the long term.
John Avola (31:12):
It can travel fast, like wildfire fast.
One individual that maybe has acouple of hundred followers
makes a strong enough point.
And now that message is circlingthe globe.
Calvin Stovall (31:26):
That's right.
And the good thing, some ofthese organizations they get the
message after they've beenexposed on social media.
Even in the case of Amazon,although it's a negative
situation they're dealing with,they are trying to make some
moves there.
They're spending more than$800million in safety measures, 150
(31:49):
process updates.
They're distributing personalprotective gear, such as masks
for employees, implementingdisinfectant spraying and
temperature checks acrossoperations.
So, despite the negative pressthey're getting there, I think
the public has caused them tomake some positive changes.
John Avola (32:09):
Absolutely.
Calvin we've talked about that alot today.
We touched on the good, we hitthe bad, we hit the ugly.
Why don't we do a little recapfor our listeners and maybe
touch on a couple of key pointsas some takeaways?
Calvin Stovall (32:22):
Let's go.
Four iconic points that I wouldlike to share.
My number one is, I think it waseasily d emonstrated, is t o
stay true to your company'spurpose.
Chobani, and some of the otherbrands we mentioned, stick with
(32:42):
your brand purpose and what yourbrand stands for, even in tough
times.
The iconic brands that steppedup w ere about more than just
making a profit.
They clearly demonstrated thatthey were in business for a
higher purpose to ultimatelycreate change for the better,
for p lanning for the customersand for the employees.
Second, customers will rememberwhen you behave badly.
John Avola (33:06):
Absolutely.
We mentioned that social mediamegaphone earlier.
Calvin Stovall (33:11):
They won't forget when you put profits over
people.
Treating your employees likecogs in a wheel or quote unquote
expendable, or evendemonstrating a lack of empathy
for their wellbeing is not aniconic move.
Number three- your customers arewatching every single thing that
(33:33):
you do.
And as you mentioned, they havethat megaphone and they will
instantly share with the worldhow you either helped or
hindered their lives.
WeWork.
Have you heard that?
And one more thing, this is justa bonus iconic point, which is
saying nothing in times ofcrisis can also be detrimental
(33:55):
to an iconic brand.
John Avola (33:57):
That's powerful.
Calvin Stovall (33:57):
At its core, I truly believe, and I'm sure you
will agree, John, being iconicis all about creating and
delivering memorable customerexperiences.
I believe customers will alsoremember when you say or did
nothing in a time of crisis.
There's a quote, it says noresponse is a response and it's
(34:19):
a powerful one.
You gotta remember that.
John Avola (34:21):
That's right.
Yeah.
I couldn't agree more.
No decision is also a decision.
No response is a response.
I think you summarizedeverything perfectly.
I couldn't agree more.
And what I loved about today isit all boils down to those four
Ps- purpose, passion, people andperseverance.
Calvin Stovall (34:43):
Yes sir.
I think again, our objectivehere and through these podcasts
that we're going to do goingforward, is to hit on some of
those Ps harder than others, butwhen you really sum it up, you
gotta have all four to beiconic.
John Avola (34:58):
I can't wait for our next one.
I think we need to talk aboutmaybe something around iconic
innovative brands.
What do you think about that?
Calvin Stovall (35:05):
I love that.
I think that'd be a greatepisode.
Some brands are doing some veryinnovative things.
A lot of them had to pivot withthis pandemic too.
So I think that's going to makea great conversation.
So I'm looking forward to thatone.
John Avola (35:22):
Let's say our listeners want to find out more.
Maybe it's a little bit moreresearch on those four Ps.
We mentioned the iconicframework, where can they find
more out about us?
Calvin Stovall (35:33):
All you've got to do is go to
iconicpresentations.net.
That iconic framework is there.
And if you want to learn more,all of the information i s right
there for you to read.
John Avola (35:47):
That's right.
Our contact information isavailable as well.
So Calvin, until next time,don't just be- Be ICONIC!
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