MARKETING SERVICES by Leonard L. Berry & A. Parasuraman

Author:Leonard L. Berry & A. Parasuraman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: THE FREE PRESS
Published: 1991-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHANGING AN IMAGE

The management of evidence is a primary tool for service firms seeking an image change. Changing an image is challenging because it involves breaking down existing attitudes, not just adding something new. Service intangibility increases the challenge. Without a tangible product to be the central carrier of newly intended messages, services marketers must find other tangibles to serve as surrogate media. Spoken words alone usually will not be sufficient to persuade an organization’s public that the organization is no longer “Y” but is now “X.” The message of change must be visual, too.

Consider the case of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., an organization in the 1970s that was not compatible with the growing cultural diversity and career-mindedness of young girls in America. In 1970, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. had 3.9 million members; by 1976 when Frances Hesselbein became National Executive Director of the organization, membership had fallen to 3.16 million. Hesselbein’s goals were to change the service to fit the market and to make sure the market was aware the service was changing. The management of evidence was a key tool. Under Hesselbein’s leadership, the organization recruited fashion designers Bill Blass and Halston to update the adult uniform line, emphasized finding successful women role models in business and other professions to serve as troop leaders and volunteers, and published handbook materials in additional languages. 21

Frances Hesselbein used visual symbolism to help change the image of the Girl Scouts. She tangibilized her vision of the new Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and didn’t rely on words alone. Her efforts have paid off in a stabilized base of slightly more than three million members in the early 1990s, following the precipitous membership decline in the 1970s.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.