Long story short, the commercial triggered a global backlash to Brand Hyundai.  It will take a while before the company will regain the momentum it has gained in climbing out the discount-car hole to standing toe-to-toe with players like Ford and GM.

The issue here is how you can avoid such brand mistakes.  Here are 3 recommendations from Image Marketing Consultants.

Consider line between provocative and good taste.  Humor site THE ONION can violate good taste and get away with it.  But its core business is humor.  Hyundai’s core business has a lot to do with human safety and satisfaction.

Take into account national/global mood. These have been times of despair in many developed countries.  For example, people have been leaping from their property in Spain when the bank forecloses.

Err on side of caution.  Niche brands and startups can take on more risk than established brands like Hyundai.  WIth creativity you can stay within the lines.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, public relations, partnerships, social media, and special events needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com

Admit the problem.  JC Penney had to first recognize, in public, that its turnaround strategy under Ron Johnson wasn’t panning out.  That gave the signal to all key constituencies from security analysts to shoppers that they could now expect something different.  The brand was, in a sense, saying: Give us a second chance.

Provide incentive for returning.  The business media have hammered Carnival Cruise Lines as a troubled brand. It has had some severe operational problems.  However, strong brands like Carnival have been bouncing back since Procter & Gamble invented the concept of brand management in the 1930s.  With the right incentives people will be willing to return, if only to take another look.  One incentive could be provided through contests which offer free cruises for two in exchange for the best ideas on how to improve the cruise experience.  Another could be steep discounts on popular cruise distinations.

Try humor. Now that The Great Recession is over and good weather is here, people are ready to laugh again. Humor, especially directed at your own brand’s stumbles, could shift attention from the past to the future.  That might lead to forgiveness.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to complimentary consultation on your marketing, public relations, partnership, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.

Doing good to do well has become so recognized as a winning approach that THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE featured the thinking of Wharton professor Adam Grant on how giving gets you ahead. The incentive is clearly there for you to frame your vision in terms of making the world a little bit better place.  The new missionary forces are business people who leverage their know-how to do good.

One way to become a social entrepreneur is to create a program for hiring youth this summer.  Likely they are not looking for the money as much as for the experience.  So, you don’t have to pay them a king’s ransom, only pay attention that they are learning.  You might be their first mentor for the world of work.

Another way is to partner with a non-profit with a niche mission related to your business.  Maybe that non-profit provides pro bono coaching in financial literacy and you are a financial-planning group.  You can donate the time of a few of your planners.

A third way is to invent an app for the smartphone which empowers Everyman and Everywoman to accomplish something in their lives which they couldn’t.  An example would be how to resist overeating.

Doing good means investing in hope for the human race.  That resonates after the tragedies of Newtown, Connecticut and the Boston Marathon.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, public relations, partnership, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 202-404-4868.

Unfortunately, in the mix of those updates were a number of posts boasting contests, giveaways, products, and 100% irrelevant news.

The way that your brand is presented in the midst of such chaos is extremely important to monitor. At Image Marketing Consultants, we manage a number of social media accounts for clients, and during a time of crisis it is very important that those accounts react in a sensitive manner.

Monday afternoon, I saw hundreds of tweets from companies and individuals that were completely inappropriate given the current state of events. However, I felt badly knowing that the majority of those tweets had been pre-set, and the backlash received before they had time to disable those posts was going to be bad.

Here are some of my tips on how to manage your social media accounts during a major tragedy:

1)  You may be in a meeting, out of the office or unavailable the moment news hits, but be sure to suspend any tweets, posts, e-mails or updates as soon as you get the chance.

2) If pre-set content has already posted in the midst of tragedy, own it. Apologize for the mishap and address anyone who was personally offended by the material.

3) Send condolences…or nothing at all. If you feel compelled to share something positive, absolutely do so. If you try to make light of a situation to promote your brand or product… shame on you. If you are on the fence, or are unsure what to say – keep quiet.

Sometimes silence is the best route taken.

Kesha received backlash from her song “Die Young” after the Newtown tragedy. Many stations pulled it from radio rotation

5) Ease back into your normal routine. Social media and an online presence is a major part of many businesses. Take a day off, it’s not going to hurt. During that time, plan an appropriate return. Keep initial content mild – save major news or announcements for a later date.

A sensitive, positive, and considerate tweet after Boston Marathon tragedy.

At the end of the day, we’re all human, and we all make mistakes. People are quick to judge and criticize others online, but many do retract statements and understand that the majority of brands do not set out to intentionally offend. The brands that do try to capitalize on a tragic situation will learn very quickly that they are inflicting more harm to themselves than they are good.

Get into the mind of your consumer and audience. Be aware, respectful, and sensitive. Or just be quiet.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that the bubble has burst on cupcakes, with Crumbs Bake Shop stock sinking from $13 per share to about $1.70.  Not only is the Crumbs chain but also bakeries across the nation are experiencing significantly depressed demand.

That’s why Image Marketing Consultants warns about the risks involved in niche marketing.  Sure, specializing in a one product or service has been profitable and a tactic to establish a strong brand identity.  However, given the rapid changes in the marketplace, especially consumer preferences, businesses shouldn’t bet the ranch.  They can introduce complimentary products and services, as has PepsiCo.  They can also, under another brand, diversify, keeping the brands separate, as has News Corp.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, public relations, partnership, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.

From the get-go, human beings need both reality and fantasy packaged with a plot, compelling characters, and a theme or message.  As every parent knows, children beg, “Tell me a story.”   As we get older, we crave the satisfaction of cause and effect relationships being played out.  X did this and Y happened.

When it comes to business, the most successful presentations and promotions capture those same aspects  and pacing of a narrative.  For example, the community college provides a timeline of a 20-something in a dead-end job, her enrollment in a nursing program, and the great money and career mobility she has today.  That’s done all in a 60-minute commercial on television.

Is it okay to “make up” stories?  Yes.  In fact they can be the most appealing and memorable.  That’s behind the branding success of GEICO.  Its Cavemen stories embedded the company in the national consciousness.  You can also make up characters and imaginary plot lines which package your message in a compelling manner.

How about graphics?  We are a visual society. The more graphic elements you can introduce the more time will likely be spent with your promotions.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, public relations, partnerships, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.

Partner.  To get its initiatives in the digital wallet off the ground American Express has found partners such as Wal-Mart.   They pool resources, ranging from know-how to distribution channels.  That not only saves money and spreads the risk but also increases the odds for success.

Place small bets. With so much turbulence in the economy it’s downright reckless to bet the ranch.  Try out a number of strategies and tactics in small ways.  JC Penney bet the ranch on its anti-discounting strategy and lost out big time.

Reward. Both research and experience show that customers and clients want to be thanked for doing business with you.  Companies such as Discover which structure their loyalty rewards programs right are growing faster than those with no or ham-handed programs.  Rewards don’t have to cost much and, since they reduce churn, they can save on marketing costs.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, public relations, partnership, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.

Image Marketing Consultants sees plenty of lessons business can learn from Olson’s difficult journey from a blue-collar background, insecurity, and a tendency to idolize those who seem to have all the answers to establishing her own creative space, on her own terms, without bitterness.  Here are three.

Break away. From the get-go as infants, we human beings learn by imitation.  The challenge is to finally stop that and find our own identity.  There are those organizations and individuals who can’t let go of the model of the late Steve Jobs.  Yet they should be focused on developing their own type of genius.  Despite the emotional odds against her for carving out her own territory, Olson did break away.

Forgive.  Carrying resentments from the past provides distractions from the present.  That’s why the wise in every field, be it business or religion, hammer the importance of forgiveness.  That process of letting go of ancient grudges frees up energy to achieve right now.  Olson not only isn’t obsessed with the possible wrongs done her.  She also isn’t trapped in castigating herself for her own mistakes when learning the ropes of the ad business.

Stay open.  Olson is the one character on “Mad Men” whose future is open, both professionally and socially.  We can’t predict what she will put together for herself this sixth season. We only expect more suffering for Don, Megan, Roger, Joan, and Pete.  They close themselves to most opportunities.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation on your marketing, partnership, public relations, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.

However, Image Marketing Consultants has 3 tips for how small businesses can also gain access to the information they need.

Mine Search Engines and Social Media.  One way of collecting data is to plow through what comes in to you from what’s posted on search engines about your enterprise and on your social media.  Just like the experts, you will be able to discern patterns.  For example, the keyword “affordable” occurs more and more often in relation to your products.  That could provide the feedback you need to move ahead and position your branding as the affordable choice among the competition.

Read What Large Companies Are Doing. The media are filled with coverage of how a large company like American Express is applying what it is discovering from its data analysis to improve its revenues and profits.  For example, American Express saw that those without bank accounts could be a whole new market for a digital wallet.  Today, American Express has among its partners Wal-Mart for this growing line of business.  Small businesses can gain ideas about what they might be able to create through partnership, both in terms of product/service offerings and where to market them.

Gather Data.  Before the era of supercomputers businesses established informal ways to find out what they needed to know and, if they are smart, they are still doing that.   That could simply be asking customers or prospects what they wanted and then really listen.  It could be conducting a free survey through Survey Monkey.   Or it could be walking through competitors’ stores or restaurants and figuring out what they’re doing that they aren’t and could be.

There is that old adage that information is power.  That’s even more true in this fast-changing environment.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, welcomes you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, partnership, public relations, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.

From marketing experience, Image Marketing Consultants knows that such steep discounting will bring in business but those who try the restaurant out are unlikely to return as regulars.  They can’t afford the standard premium prices.  In addition, the regulars get to thinking if they want to be associated with a bargain basement.  Some might not return if their dining experience had been marred by crowds who didn’t know how to comport themselves in an elegant setting.

Admittedly, many enterprises had to discount during hard times.  But as the economy shifts from recessionary to growth, they have to be mapping out strategies and tactics to transition from push selling to those based on a differentiated product or service. The risk is losing the bottom feeders, which might not be a bad thing.  To keep the doors open during The Great Recession, all business might have been welcome.  Now, it’s wise to remember the 80/20 rule.  That is, that 80 percent of profits usually come from 20 percent of the business and 80 percent of the headaches come from customers and clients who are probably contributing least to the bottom line.

Pricing sends a powerful signal. Make sure it’s sending the right one about your brand.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, welcomes you to a complimentary consultation about your marketing, partnership, public relations, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868,