Personal Branding Blunders
Learn what behaviors to avoid from other’s lapse of personal branding judgment.
As I left the office at the end of the day, I took the elevator down 22 floors with three people I did not know.
About half way down, the elevator stopped, and an older woman (who we’ll call Rose), who seemed unfamiliar with the building or its floor numbering system, got on and pressed several buttons in a confused attempt to find the floor for the valet. In doing so, she prolonged the elevator ride for all of us.
Before I had a chance to lend assistance, one of the others in the elevator (who we’ll call Ron) snickered at the older woman, “Is this really the first elevator you have ever been on in your life? Why don’t you just get off until you can figure out what floor you need to be on?”
Ron followed up his verbal cruelty by rolling his eyes, shaking his head in disgust, and looking around at the rest of us to validate his comment.
I immediately glared back at Ron and exclaimed, “Did that make you feel good…well, did it?” I continued to stare hard. I could feel everyone else in the elevator cringe at the impending confrontation. Ron’s face turned crimson red. He was shocked that someone had actually called him out on his bad behavior.
In the April 18, 2011 issue of Life & Style, Mariah Carey bares it all — well, almost — by posing nude on the magazine’s front cover. Having posed for her fair share of portraits, none have been as personal as the ones of Mariah’s baby bump, or should I say, babies bump — she’s having twins.
I have received a dozen or more emails, asking for my opinion as to how these pictures will affect the singer’s personal brand.
I agree with competitive strategist Michael E. Porter who said, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” Had I been one of Mariah’s advisors, I would have discouraged her from pursuing the opportunity for the following reasons.
It’s already been done. Mariah joins a seemingly endless list of nude-and-bulging stars, including Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford, and the original trend-setter herself, Demi Moore.
One element of a strong, personal brand is uniqueness. Everything you do (and don’t do) and say (and don’t say) tells a story about who you are as an individual and how you differ from your competition.
In today’s Harvard Business Review management blog entitled, “What is Your Brand Against,” guest columnist Scott Goodson suggests one way to differentiate your brand is to communicate what you stand against. He cites various examples of how brands like Smart Car, Apple, and fashion brand Diesel have been successful at doing so.
Play to your strengths. While posing nude may be consistent with the singer’s past fashion stunts, do these photos further Mariah’s reputation as one of the world’s best-selling music artists? Is it the side of her fans really want to see?
Although consistency is one of the building blocks of a strong, personal brand, I highly doubt Mariah can parlay the photos into record sales.
If all you had to do to win an iPad 2 was fill out a five question survey and be present at the time of the drawing, would you do it?
Last week while attending the Legal Marketing Association’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, my good friend and fellow legal marketing colleague, Judith Gordon, and I were walking around the exhibition hall, meeting with various vendors. We were specifically lured by one, who offered us the chance to win an iPad 2. We jumped at the opportunity and both completed the survey. As we walked away from the booth, I entered a calendar reminder in my phone to ensure I wouldn’t miss the drawing.
Two days later and at the drawing’s scheduled time, I arrived at the vendor’s booth, along with 200 other professionals. The tension and suspense was palpable; who would win the iPad 2? Continue reading
Jeopardizing its chance to be a serious contender in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, last month Brigham Young University (BYU) suspended double-digit basketball scorer and leading rebounder Brandon Davies for violating its honor code. By having sex. With his girlfriend.
Because college athletes in top programs are routinely slapped on the wrists for much worse offenses, the severity of Davies’ punishment made headline news.
Did BYU overreact or is it merely managing its brand?
A private university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, BYU has what many would consider a strict, perhaps old-fashioned code of conduct.
Among its tenets, one must not engage in premarital sex. Whether passé or not, students must agree to and sign the honor code every year.
During an age when many schools find excuses for pardoning top athletes’ bad behavior, BYU dismissed a key player for a violation that they could have ignored. How could that possibly be a good idea?
Brand Account
Earlier this month, American R&B singer, Chris Brown, appeared on Good Morning America to promote his new album F.A.M.E. During the interview, he was asked about his 2009 assault on his former girlfriend, Rihanna, and if they are still in communication. This line of questioning apparently angered Brown. He stormed off stage, smashed a window in his dressing room, and ran out of the building (shirtless).
Despite Brown’s (and his handlers’) best attempts to reform the singer’s personal brand, this latest meltdown gives us a glimpse into his ongoing rehabilitation process–or the lack thereof. It also teaches us two important lessons that have practical, personal branding application.