Reputation Gurus

There have been a number of major articles about the Canadian-based company Mega Blocks, and the company’s crisis with its Magnetix toy (which, under full disclosure, is a favorite toy of both my children — it’s a great toy that inspires creativity). 

It seems that Mega Blocks has become the most recent poster child for what a company can do wrong and, ultimately, right in the fact of a crisis, and those of us who help companies deal with product recalls/safety issues on a regular basis are familiar with those lessons. 

One interesting part of this situation is that Mega Blocks — which is now doing anything it can to protect the consumer and restore the reputation of this much loved toy — has taken one step further than other consumer product companies.  The company, of course, recalled the toy to make it more safe for children, but it now has an employee who focuses on online sales websites like eBay to purchase old product from people — on the CEO’s own personal credit card.

This is impressive, and certainly another indication of how the eBays of the world continue to change the way companies do business.  It’s a smart lesson to keep in mind for the future if your client or company is facing a similar crisis.