Slimmed down from her stay at Camp Cupcake and resurrecting the trend of crocheted ponchos, Martha Stewart can do no wrong. Or so it appears. Gallup has been measuring Stewart's favorability rating since 1999--before her ImClone insider trading scandal--and found that her likeability has returned to where it was in 1999, but with a catch: Her unfavorability rating has doubled. What does this mean in the grand scheme of Martha Stewart the person and Martha Stewart the brand? She's recovering, but will that translate into brand resurgence?
According to Gallup's October 1999 survey, nearly half of Americans (49 percent) had a favorable impression of Stewart, and 16 percent had an unfavorable impression, with the remainder either neutral or unfamiliar with her.
Following her indictment in June 2003, Stewart's image hit its lowest point recorded by Gallup: 33 percent favorable and 52 percent unfavorable. Last month, just prior to her release from prison, 53 percent of people viewed Stewart as favorable versus 32 percent unfavorable.
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Interestingly enough, Gallup found that the vast majority of people who view Martha Stewart as favorable are age 50 and older. The study claims this doesn't immediately pose a problem: The target demographic for the Martha Stewart Brand is 50 and older. This could become problematic if Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia were to target a younger audience.
Between 1999 and today (not including the period when her favorability plummeted), the percentage of people favorably viewing Stewart rose by double digits among those ages 50 to 64 (+12) and 65+ years of age (+19). Stats rose by a mere 5 points among 18- to-29-year-olds and fell by 6 points among 30- to-49-year-olds. Stewart's mage is clearly hit hardest in the 30- to-49-year-old demographic.
When it comes to household incomes, Gallup found that Martha Stewart is more popular with lower-income households (those earning less than $30,000 annually), seeing her favorability increase 12 points (from 42 percent in 1999 to 54 percent today). Households earning $75,000 or more showed a 5 point decrease in Stewart's favorability; middle-income houses increased by three points.
Overall, Gallup sees Stewart's favorable image being above 50 percent as a positive. The increased unfavorable rating can come back and bite the brand--making it more difficult to sway those who are neutral to Martha Stewart into fans. Gallup's margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.