Any corporate management team would react swiftly if its brand were engulfed in a scandal that could associate its name with negative connotations. When the brand name is made of flesh and blood, as in the case of

Understandably, many celebrities therefore try to control their "brand" name as much as possible, so as to manage and build up their brand equity carefully. The unflattering self -- whether real or perceived -- is then relegated to private life, as it should be, unless voyeurism and subsidiary agendas take over.

With the wave of corporate scandals in the background, Martha Stewart, a celebrity home designer, was allegedly involved in illegal insider trading on December 27, 2001. The shares, related to drug-maker ImClone, lost 16 percent of their stock price by the end of December 31, following an announcement that its cancer drug Erbitux received a negative review from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since then, Stewart's dealings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the justice system have received considerable media attention. Moreover, the stock of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., (ticker: MSO) of which Stewart was the CEO and Chairman, has lost about 50 percent of its value.

On June 4, 2003, the SEC formally filed charges against Stewart, to which she pleaded not guilty. At the same time Stewart is pleading in the court of public opinion on a new website MarthaTalks.com.

The site is plain white, enhanced by Stewart's trademark apple-green ink and accents, with no images, save one picture on the front page. At the time of this review, the picture was Martha and her two dogs Paw Paw and TaTu. This week it is "Big Martha and Little Martha," and it might change on a regular basis. On the front page, Stewart thanks her audience for its support, mentioning the more than 9 million hits and nearly 50,000 visitors that the site logged in just a few days.

The simple navigation menu occupies the top, and does not roll over. It covers the following topics: Read my Letter, Email Martha, Notes to Martha, Other Voices, Setting the Record Straight. It appears that the site was pieced together in a rush. As a result, the overall impression connotes "genuine," which is a fundamental attribute to open the communication bridge with her audience.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to figure out the positive impact that the site may have beyond that. It is akin to a message in a big green bottle adrift in the middle of the ocean.