Tag Archives: personality branding

Can We Talk About Your Photo?

This question is only slightly less intrusive than asking about your sex life. But I’m gonna ask it anyway. Can we talk about your photo? No matter how brilliant you are, how riveting your work, your photo matters and it … Continue reading

Sometimes You’ve Gotta Blow Up The Box

Rayna Jaymes, the country-western legend at the heart of the new series “Nashville”, was stymied. Her tour was cancelled by her record label when she could no longer fill the big venues. After some creative soul searching, she approached a … Continue reading

You Lost Me At Hello

I admit it. Twitter has spoiled me for concise—witty even—well-formulated missives. And it has probably spoiled you and your clients and readers. So why do we labor over tweets (which mostly disappear in a nanosecond) and Facebook posts and yet … Continue reading

You Are The Platform

No matter where you look, someone is telling you the importance of building your platform. Developing a readership. Attracting an audience of believers in your work. They are correct. Having the right platform gives you a stage to share your … Continue reading

Who’s Your Daddy?

Have you ever played the “separated at birth” game? You take a photo of someone you know and match it to a celebrity (or animal) photo. I like to play a variation—who’s your daddy? Daddy is a state of mind, … Continue reading

Born This Way

Lady Gaga got it right: “You’re on the right track baby, you were born this way.” She has raised integrity branding to an art form—by being exquisitely attuned to who she is, the music and costumes she wants to create, … Continue reading

One Enduring Brand

Last week at a pre-Oscar party, I had a delightful treat: a chat with Jack Carter, comedian extraordinaire. After listening to what he’s been up to lately (and, I admit it, being completely charmed), it struck me that he embodies … Continue reading

What’s In A Name?

Plenty. Your identity, your working DNA, your message to the world. Maybe you want to become a 1-name icon in your specialty—Gaga, Adele, Mariah, Whitney (RIP). Or you want to have your big idea take flight and spread. Fast. How … Continue reading

Your Brand, Six Words

With proper credit to the brilliant Larry Smith—who continues to inspire with his Six-Word Memoir project—I offer you a challenge. Boil down your personal brand to six words. Or less. To spur your thinking, begin with your life philosophy, how … Continue reading

“Honey, I’m Your Cook, Not Your Doctor”

The dust-up between Southern cooking maven Paula Deen and bad boy chef Anthony Bourdain boils down to this: what is your core brand promise? In announcing her Type 2 diabetes, Paula had two ways to go: she could say “Honey, … Continue reading