No one expected that the power couple Bill and Melinda Gates would ever put an end to their 27 years of marriage. The exhilarating news sent shockwaves to all the people. And, in weeks, it became more scandalous. After they announced their divorce on Twitter, saying they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives,” speculations and revelations came popping up.
But before that, it is important to know that long ago, Bill’s image was not as good as it is right now. Authors James Wallace and Jim Erickson revealed in “Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of Microsoft Empire,” the stories of Bill as an office bully. He was well-known for his harsh, sarcastic remarks and immaturity while working at Microsoft.
And with these, Bill knew he had to revamp his image to save himself from a possible downfall. He left his Microsoft CEO position in 2000 and turned more of his attention to establishing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And he succeeded. The efforts he exerted in building his philanthropist image revived the trust of the people.
But now, its solidity is once again on the verge of being shattered. The news that was spreading like wildfire on the Internet provided the most possible reason behind Bill and Melinda’s divorce. In a statement released for The Wall Street Journal, Bill had been pursuing women in Microsoft and the foundation. It was also revealed that he had an affair with a Microsoft employee back in 2000. Also, his strange conversations with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, were publicized. Epstein allegedly advised him to end his marriage with Melinda.
Just like that, the ‘Good Samaritan’ image that he’s been working on and promoting for decades was put into question. Their divorce served as an avenue for Bill’s dark secrets to come out. Scarring and worse, destroying his branding for himself. It would be a marketing nightmare for him, and fortunately, not for his long list of companies.
It can’t be denied that Bill shares a huge fraction of influence to both the company and the organization’s marketing strategies. But for Microsoft, chances are, it cannot be directly affected by it. For years, the company has been doing great under Nadella’s leadership. Marketing can still be successful if they focus on promoting innovative products and good services that their customers want.
On the other hand, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation may be in a different situation. The aftermath of the string of negative publicity is yet to unfold as it will take time for the effects of their divorce to get noticed. It would be interesting to see how they will work and continue running the foundation after moving on to separate lives.
But one thing is for sure, some donors and supporters are now in the process of weighing the foundation’s credibility. We cannot discount the possibility of an even bigger marketing nightmare with all the controversies surrounding Bill. Would it still generate a lot of support for a foundation knowing its founder had a sexual relationship with his employee?
As a key takeaway, brands should always be taken care of at all costs. It takes several years to establish a brand reputation which, ironically, can be easily diminished and destroyed even in a blink of an eye. This gives more emphasis to the fact that marketing should be strategized in a way that people will believe and trust the brand again.
Will Bill Gates ruin it for his companies in the next decades? Or just like any other corporate scandal, will it pass by like it never happened?