Dick's Sporting Goods - Their Statement

I'm sure we've all seen the recent brand/company activity surrounding what I will loosely call "gun control," including a statement from Dick's Sporting Goods which is one of the major gun retailers in the US.

I'm not here to comment about "gun control" or any of the issues surrounding the topic. That's not what my point of view is about here. I'm talking about marketing and branding and communications. And what Dick's did this week was brilliant...from a marketing, branding, and communications perspective.

In a public statement, Dick’s admitted that they had sold a gun, not one of THE guns, to the Parkland shooter back in November 2017. And now they were changing their policies.

So what was so brilliant? The took responsibility. They put their message out there proactively, before someone else put it out there for them. They then outlined what they were going to do about it.  Before anyone else told them what to do about it.

They took control of their brand and their messaging.

Taking responsibility is a key tenet of great branding, engaged marketing, and effective communications. As is controlling your own messaging. Dick’s showed us that this week.

And of course those who agreed and disagreed then weighed in and will ultimately support the brand or not. And that is their prerogative as consumers.

What's your experience? JIM