MACLAREN “SUICIDAL” DISREGARD TO REPUTATION

Maclaren, the iconic British pushchair manufacturer, has demonstrated a “suicidal” disregard to its hard-won reputation, according to The Aziz Corporation, one of Britain’s leading communications consultancies.

The buggy manufacturer, which has built a brand on its reputation for safety, has recalled one million pushchairs in the US after a dozen children had their fingers amputated but has not thought it necessary to recall the same buggies on sale in the UK. Maclaren is the oldest established buggy brand in the UK with an enviable customer base including Helena Bonham Carter, Heidi Klum and Cate Blanchett.

“A successful reputation built up over 40 years can be ripped to shreds in 24 hours,” said Helen Glanville, The Aziz Corporation’s senior consultant on crisis management. “The failure by Maclaren to put up a spokesperson on the Today Programme was nothing less that suicidal in terms of reputation management. It suggests to the public that Maclaren is unable to defend its position with regards to safety. Bear in mind here that we are talking about a company which claims to produce ‘the world’s most safe’ buggies and strollers. “In the long term it is far, far better to be seen to over-cautious than not cautious enough. Long-term reputation management is far more important than short-term financial concerns.”