Katie: Welcome back to The BusinessMakers Overtime Show, heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com/overtime. I'm Katie Laird -

Esther: And I'm Esther Steinfeld.

Katie: - and we're back with a great Chapter 3 all about companies making comebacks.

Esther: Yep. Talking about all these companies who have done something bad to get the attention of the media, the watchdogs and the public alike and what BP can learn because BP is ugh - they are -

Katie: Oh my.

Esther: - they are just in over their heads at this point, even for a major multi-national company. There is no way out of this except clean it up.

Katie: Exactly. Exactly. So oil spills are pretty darn sticky in a number of levels but we found a really interesting article on MSNBC.com that actually takes a look at some other murky, sticky situations from other companies, really throughout the decades.

Esther: Yep.

Katie: So Esther, what are some lessons that BP can learn from some of these other previously-tarnished entities.

Esther: Well not all of them are applicable to BP but it is interesting to see how some of these companies have, you know, turned their crises around. So for instance, Ford, you know Ford has not - even though they've turned things around in very recent past - you know, not too long ago they were facing a lot of crises. They were, you know, 2006 was not a good year for Ford. So basically what they did was oust the son of the, you know, one of the founders or whoever it was that was a family member and they brought in this guy Alan Mulally and he, you know, wasn't gonna take any crap. He cut workforce. He actually eliminated some of their brands because Ford created so many -

Katie: So many.

Esther: - brands of cars, it was like exhausting, even the people who worked there couldn't figure it out. So by keeping a tighter focus - you know I think when you're in the family business, as I am, so I understand this - sometimes it's hard to see the greater picture. You know, you're almost trying to preserve something that isn't necessarily there anymore and by bringing some new blood in, they were able to really re-energize the company.

Katie: Exactly. Just making those tough decisions just to keep things floating. That's good.

Esther: Yep.

Katie: So another leader that this MSNBC article talks about that actually was ousted from his company himself, of course, is Steve Jobs.

Esther: Oh yeah.

Katie: CEO and cofounder of Apple. So he was booted out of the company in 1985 after a series of misadventures, ended up forcing him to lose trust with the board, so they weren't happy with the innovation, the sales had dropped 18 percent on average from the years '95 to '98 and then all of a sudden, they're like, "Hey, where's that Steve guy?" [Laughter] They made the right call, possibly, in ousting him to begin with, but he actually returned triumphant and really has led Apple to being Apple of today.

Esther: Apple, right.

Katie: So I mean even -

Esther: That was not long ago.

Katie: No, it really wasn't. So even ousted CEOs can have a comeback. [Laughter]

Esther: Absolutely.

Katie: Go, Steve.

Esther: One thing they talk about is that how the role of advertising and how important it can be. You may or may not remember this but in 2001 Bridgestone/Firestone actually was maybe responsible for the deaths of 46 people as a result of their wheels being defective.

Katie: Ah, yes.

Esther: That was the word on the street.

Katie: Yes. Oh, I remember.

Esther: You may or may not remember that but a lot of cars were recalled and -

Katie: Ford Explorers in particular.

Esther: Ford Explorers. Exactly.

Katie: I had one at the time. I was freaked out. [Laughter]

Esther: Okay. Right, well there you go. So they launched a campaign, an advertising campaign called "Make it Right" and it featured the CEO along with Michael Andretti. It was extremely successful for them and it really kind of showed people that they wanted to make it right. It wasn't just a bunch of spin and they had the CEOs face there. It was - it reminds me of Dominos when they had the whole thing with the cheese - there were these employees, very recently, I think it was last year -

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: - these employees actually -

Katie: Over Easter.

Esther: - were shown putting cheese in their pants -

Katie: And, and boogers on pizzas and -

Esther: Was this - was it this year?

Katie: It was last year -

Esther: Last year.

Katie: - at Easter time, I believe. Yeah.

Esther: Okay. So putting cheese in their pants and just putting boogers on the pizza and disgusting -

Katie: Just goofing off.

Esther: - and it was extre- and they posted the video on YouTube -

Katie: Stupid.

Esther: - of themselves doing this.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: So not only were these people fired, of course, but legal action was taken but the reputation was completely damaged. People already were feeling down on Dominos because they didn't like the taste, the pizza's bad. The crust is bad. Whatever. And then this happens. And if you remember, they had a major, major media onslaught after that. The commercials with the CEO. He actually did a viral video that he - he posted a video himself to YouTube. We - I think we actually have talked about that on the show.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: Which is a really cool thing for him to do but another thing they talk about in the article is CEOs and executives have to be willing to face problems head on. As soon as leadership doesn't wanna hear the problems anymore, they have failed.

Katie: Exactly and we saw that with Toyota's CEO -

Esther: That's right.

Katie: - where, I mean, it took him how many weeks for him to finally, publically, you know, discuss all of the issues - I mean, the PR nightmare that they were going through and, I mean, talk about a train wreck. Like that has hurt that company, I mean, so much.

Esther: Oh yeah.

Katie: It's just - there's a problem even if you don't know what's going on, even if you don't know if it's your fault, I mean just having your face out there, saying, "We hear you. We know. We are working our asses off."

Esther: Actually, last week I got my letter in the mail that my car was recalled. So -

Katie: Really?

Esther: - I haven't done anything about it yet but it's funny the letter says, "Possible floor mat problem." You're like, "This has nothing to do with the floor mats. Stop calling it a floor mat problem."

Katie: And that sounds so innocuous. Like, "Well, it might be slippery. That floor mat -

Esther: You might go careening to a fiery death but -

Katie: Yes. Fire! Death!

Esther: Yeah. Probably not -

Katie: But you know -

Esther: - it's just a little floor mat thing.

Katie: - if you wanna come by. [Laughter]

Esther: Yeah. You might wanna come by and get that looked at.

Katie: Oh my gosh. [Laughter] So, next week's segment will be how not to write a recall letter. [Laughter]

Esther: Yeah. Seriously. It was like it showed up on my desk. It was like, "And there it is."

Katie: You should scan it and we'll post it on our Facebook or -

Esther: Yeah. But you know I don't know what BP's gonna do.

Katie: Oh my gosh.

Esther: Especially, you know, I read something today that was talking about what's gonna happen if a hurricane hits the Gulf of Mexico and it is filled with oil. What will happen? And basically, the conclusion was it will get a hell of a lot worse.

Katie: I mean, it freaks me out 'cause what a lot of people don't realize and of course, we're in Houston, we're so close to the Gulf. The Gulf Coast of Mexico - we have, by far, besides, like, Siberia, some other completely random place - we have the largest variety of fish and seafood, you know, per square mile or, you know, however they look at it nautically. So I mean BP will be effectively destroying, I mean, how many different industries? How many, you know, little fishermen? You know, how many seaside villages? It's incomprehensible, like, what this could potentially do. For generations.

Esther: It really is. I mean it's incomprehens-

Katie: It's an absolute nightmare. So while I really thought that this article was interesting. I just don't know [Laughter]-

Esther: At some point there is nothing, there is no way to spin a crisis like this. I mean, they l- I mean -

Katie: Nothing.

Esther: - this is the worst oil spill of all time. How are you gonna spin that?

Katie: There's no advertising. There's nothing.

Esther: We'll be talking about this - this'll be like Exxon, you know, this'll be something we're talking about 30, 50, 100 years from now -

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: - as something terrible.

Katie: And it's been interesting to me to see all these funky little do-it-yourself solutions that different inventors and industries have been coming u with to help BP or to help contain the oil. I think my favorite so far is the Barbershop Coalition where they've actually been having all their members collect their hair clippings - you know, they sweep up the hair and they bag it up and the idea is that - and pet shop owners, too, groomers - you can put animal or human hair into - what do they call it, into pantyhose, into stockings and that will actually, like it's very effective in helping soak up - I mean, not a large amount - but some oil. So they figure if they do enough of these and throw 'em out into the ocean that they can collect them.

Esther: That's very labor intensive. The Gulf of Mexico's quit large.

Katie: Right, but it's - it really is but I mean it's so funny to see just so many different people! [Laughter]

Esther: I like it. Hey, people just wanna do their part, you know? Wow!

Katie: Exactly. Exactly. So yeah, BP you may be creating some really bizarre cottage industries, too.

Esther: Seriously.

Katie: Thanks.

Esther: Well good luck to you, BP.

Katie: Yes.

Esther: You're down the street from us, actually.

Katie: Yeah, you are. Don't mess with my shrimp.

Esther: Yes.

Katie: I will cut you. [Laughter] There are just some things you don't touch.

Esther: I know.

Katie: And seafood - you know, environment, blah, blah. Seafood. [Laughter]

Esther: Oh, God.

Katie: Don't do it! [Laughter]

Esther: Please, we need it.

Katie: We do. We do.

Esther: Oh my gosh. Actually, my boyfriend Doug decided last week, it was, it was the last night of Truluck's all you can eat Monday night stone crabs which is a very popular restaurant here in Houston and during stone crab season, they do every Monday night, you pay a flat fee and you - it's all you can eat stone crab. It's amazing.

Katie: Oh gosh.

Esther: And he said, "I have to go because this could be the last -

Katie: This could be it.

Esther: - one ever.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: And he went. All alone.

Katie: Yeah. [Laughter]

Esther: And ate stone crabs - about 50 of them. So. That's my boyfriend ladies and gentlemen.

Katie: That's, that's passion.

Esther: He's a winner! He's a keeper.

Katie: He is! [Laughter]

Esther: He is a keeper, that's for sure. Well I guess that wraps it up here at The BusinessMakers Overtime Show Headquarters.

Katie: That's right.

Esther: If you want to check us out on the web, you can at facebook.com/overtimeshow; twitter.com/overtimeshow; or of course, the lovely theBusinessMakers.com/overtime. Please find us there. We love you. We wanna talk to you.

Katie: Exactly and send us your favorite snow crab recipes or something, I don't know. We just do -

Esther: Just boiled with a little tartar sauce.

Katie: Exactly. [Laughter]

Esther: Great. Hmm.

Katie: Well, we can't wait to hear from you on the Internet and certainly cannot wait to grace your eardrums in the weeks to come. We think you're pretty awesome.

Esther: Absolutely. You've been listening to The BusinessMakers Overtime Show, heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com. I'm Esther Steinfeld -

Katie: And I'm Katie Laird.

Esther: - we'll see you next week.

Katie: See ya.