Steinway: A Case of ‘Reputation by Design’

Some innovations gain attention overnight. They seem to embody that which is new and functional, efficient and effective, and currently ‘in’. There is often a question, however, as to how long these sorts of innovations will actually endure. Moreover, if they do, it is also often unclear as to what it is about them that enables them to establish a reputation that extends beyond the short term. Yet somehow and for some products, a fine reputation not only emerges but becomes institutionalized. What are the elements of this reputation-generating process? How does it occur? We use the Steinway & Sons case to explore this issue.