Why are Major Retailers Insisting on Replacing the Norton Secured Seal with VeriSign now?

They say that money makes the world go round. This is definitely true when it comes to the online marketplace. And it seems that the lack of money can also cause a few major retailers to make personal changes to fix a major mistake by one of their providers – Symantec. 

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that several online companies are making the personal decision to display the VeriSign Checkmark back on their websites? In case you have been hiding under a bus for the past few months, back in April of 2012 Symantec (the people who own Norton and VeriSign Online Security programs) made the bone head decision to replace their best product’s trusted brand (VERISIGN’s Checkmark) with their own brand (Norton’s Secured Seal) in an attempt to increase brand awareness for the Norton brand. 

This was like putting a Kia logo on a Ferrari. And it showcased why computer tech dudes have no business being in marketing or branding.

The funny thing is that Symantec was completely nose-deaf to the concerns of the computer users across the globe; people they literally dumped on overnight with this decision. Here is how this occurred. 

When Symantec decided to replace the highly trustworthy VeriSign Checkmark with the cheap Norton Secured Seal it sent a message of mistrust to the internet shopping community. People make decisions to shop online on websites based on the reliability and trust displayed by the quality security certificate they see. In this case, most internet shoppers choose VeriSign as the most reliable certificate in the market. 

So why would Symantec replace a highly trustworthy brand with a polished turd like Norton?

Honestly – I have no logical answer to give you. However, the retailers have spoken and they state emphatically that they don’t believe in Symantec’s branding decision and have partnered with another company to provide that VeriSign secured seal on their websites. Who made this decision you ask. Oh just a few online giants like - Best Buy, eBay, PayPal, Staples, Overstock, and Wal-Mart. Companies who rely on the online marketplace to make more profit have insisted on having the VeriSign Brand displayed for their customers. 

But here is the best part of this change. Do you know which Secured Seal they ALL had on their websites from April of 2012 till August of this year? Yup – Norton’s Secured Seal. How did it impact their business? Online sales dropped 15% from April to July across the board. It wasn’t the struggling economy since in-store sales YTD compared to last year actually increased a little bit. It was due to Symantec’s decision to replace the VeriSign in the first place. This chased away loyal customers who thought the retailers made a poor decision to switch to Norton. 

Remember folks – most computer users couldn’t tell you who owns Norton or VeriSign. But they can tell the difference between a good product like VeriSign and a piece of junk like Norton. Apparently the retailers can tell the difference too huh?

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Let the PR Spin Commence – Symantec’s recent PR push on VeriSign Users

Everybody loves a good spin on things – don’t they? I mean with the Presidential debates being on TV recently and each political party trying to tell us how their candidate won the debate and others in the media spinning a news story to enhance a companies or individual’s reputation, it seems everywhere you turn a news story is being spun. And sadly, this usually means that the source of the spinning is less than trustworthy. 

Engage Symantec and their recent spin-job on why several major retailers have insisted on replacing the Norton Secured Seal (which replaced the VeriSign Checkmark in April thanks to Symantec’s brilliant decision to replace a highly trustworthy brand logo with a less than trustworthy product such as Norton). 

In the month of August alone, Symantec posted no less than 14 press releases announcing that individual retail companies are ‘switching to VeriSign to power their websites’. Click these links to read the spin job yourself and I’ll explain what’s wrong about this:

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/best-buy-chooses-display-verisign-secured-seal

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/qvc-displays-verisign-secured-seal

Here is my favorite quote from these small little spin blog posts.

“Recently QVC chose to display the VeriSign Secured Seal on its home page. That's cool because QVC is a top-20 online shopping site, but it's cool for another reason as well.” – Tim Callan

Well Tim Callan – first; you’re a dope cause you wrote this post without giving any details on WHY it’s cool for another reason (like it’s some inside joke). 

Second – we’re not stupid nor does the Jedi Mind Trick work on people who have half of a brain who can figure out the real truth behind the reason why they insisted on switching back to VeriSign. 

Third – If you’re going to engage a PR spin – this is not the way to accomplish this; trust me as a professional publicist for well over 25 years, I’m a spin-Jedi Master. 

Here is the truth behind these ‘releases’. These retailers never ‘switched’ to VeriSign. They’ve all been protected by VeriSign Software and displayed the checkmark for YEARS! However, in April this year, they were forced (not of their choosing but Symantec’s) to display the Norton Seal. This caused online shopping to decrease dramatically and each retailer knew exactly why the drop of sales occurred. 

It was due to the Norton Seal being placed on their websites and chasing away loyal customers. It really is that simple folks. So the retailers never ‘switched’ – they just went back to what powered them successfully in the past. 

Now here is the real issue at hand. How can anybody trust a company who misleads the public so pathetically? Trying to turn their mistake into a huge success story is lying – plain and simple. These retail companies have been using the VeriSign product for years; they never SWITCHED to VeriSign recently. 

So please Symantec – keep trying to convince the masses that you’re screw up in April never occurred. We will continue to remind you that the Jedi mind trick only works on the feeble minded. And last time I checked, online shoppers are pretty smart folks.

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How Symantec’s Norton Seal Debacle Impacts the Sports Industry

Raise your hand if you purchase sports apparel online.

If you are like the other 7 million consumers and sports fans that are holding their hands high in support of purchasing products of their favorite sports teams online, then you understand that shopping online is all about trust. And up until recently, their decision to buy products from companies who proudly showcase the VeriSign Checkmark of security was a no-brainer decision based on the quality of that software and the reliability of that checkmark of approval. 

But that all ended in April of 2012. 

It was at this time that Symantec, the parent company of Norton Anti-Virus and recently acquired VeriSign Products in 2010 made the decision that all VeriSign SSL Programs would now display the Norton Secured Seal and replace the highly trusted and regarded VeriSign Checkmark of Approval. 

In layman’s terms, this would be like paying for high-quality Nike Apparel and receiving a Nike-Quality shirt with a cheap logo. Sure it would work for you, but you would be hesitant about the quality of the product. For many people across the world, having a company change brands or identifying marks are really no big deal. When you think about it, companies do this all the time. However, when over ¾ of the people who purchase products online do so because of their trust in a particular brand and seal of approval – this can significantly impact the marketplace. 

Here is how it is impacting the sports world. 

Virtually every Major Sports League team’s website in the past few years has been protected online with some sort of SSL Certificate of Approval – and most of them used VeriSign as their choice to protect the online security and privacy of their customers. Two great examples are the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders. 

Both teams are hard fought rivals in the AFC West, and up until last year, both teams’ websites have been protected by VeriSign SSL Security Software. Take a quick look at both teams’ websites and tell me what you see.

http://www.sandiegochargers.com

http://www.oaklandraiders.com

If you clicked on the link, you’ll notice that there is ZERO SSL Certificate posted on their main websites. This means that if you choose to order merchandise from these two highly established NFL Franchises – there is nothing protecting your privacy folks. The Charger’s website has no SSL secured software, and the Raiders have now moved to a different provider than before. 

Now why would a company and established Professional Franchise like the two above NOT protect their customers or change all of the sudden?

Perhaps because the company they used in the past is no longer reliable. When Symantec made the decision to place the Norton seal on VeriSign products this showed a significant lack of trust and judgment. I don’t know for certain why these two sports teams are ‘naked’ online now, but I find it very curious that they no longer support VeriSign, Norton or any other SSL Security Software. 

So, the lesson here is if you shop online for sports apparel – buyer beware that most of these professional websites have ZERO SSL Certificates and your personal information could be at risk – all thanks to Symantec’s business branding decision.

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