This morning, Martin Shkreli, the former pharmaceutical executive who raised the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent, was called to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. What transpired is a case study that describes how public relation images are reinforced by the use of words, clothing choices, seat positions, and demeanor and how corporate branding can be impacted by these “image builders” used by leaders of organizations.
Over the years, Caring Marketing has offered clients public relations counseling with a focus on developing leaders’ images so that they can communicate points-of-view in ways that solidify the market position of the leader and their organization. Mr. Shkreli and his appearance is a good case study. He makes his living off of a “bad boy” image. Today, every aspect of his appearance before the committee, and his Twitter feed after, reinforced that image.
In addition, this moment in time has business implications…for example, how regulatory bodies impact the free flow of business and how industries can influence regulatory bodies. It has pricing and the effect of pricing on markets implications. And, from political and bureaucratic points-of-view, how our system works. It truly shows a raw view of the intersection of business, politics, bureaucracy, and our system of government.