Reputation management is a term used to describe one aspect of what PR practitioners do for their clients. Recently, I have noticed a strong bubbling to the surface of Martha Stewart. Talk about reputation management.

She had an initial spurt of publicity when she was released from prison, and then about a year later, several publications did a check in to see how she was doing - not bad was the consensus. Then things got kind of quiet while Martha and her crack team relentlessly rebuilt the kingdom.

I read Blueprint magazine, think it’s got great style. While I knew it was an MSL brand, Martha was not really mentioned much. Until now. In the latest issue, Martha is ubiquitous.

From nary a mention to lifestyle guru in the course of less than a year. And yesterday, she helped launch her new brand for Macy’s (which is hoping that Martha’s glow will resuscitate their flagging home store).

I say you go. Martha Stewart will be a case study in reputation management for years to come. And her recipe for lemon bars is outstanding. Sweet, tart, creamy yet surprisingly crunchy. If you want a copy, let me know.