Blogging for t5m.com

I am now running a channel for t5m - the fabulous digital and broadcast site. Apart from my blog :-), you can also find coverage from the BRITs, documentaries, sporting events, and in-depth profiles of actors, musicians, writers and designers...

You can read all about it here: t5m.com

Louise

Bob Quick resigns

Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick resigned this week after he was photographed entering Downing Street carrying a secret briefing note detailing an undercover anti-terrorism operation - codenamed Pathway. The operation was brought forward, a house was raided on Wednesday and twelve men were arrested.

What should have been a good news story has now turned into what will be remembered as a blunder - and from all reports, it really is such a pity. Mr Quick has a solid reputation and has contributed vitally to our collective safety and security over a solid career spanning thirty years.

Inevitably, being in the public eye presents a unique set of challenges, extremes and rewards that most people will never experience. And with it, a great deal of responsibility. One could argue that Mr Quick is not your typical celebrity, however, anyone who is going to be photographed walking in and out of Number 10 should take note.

The world we live in is media driven and relentless. Even today, Gordon Brown has had to apologise publicly on behalf of junior aide Damian McBride. McBride is reported to have sent rather juvenile smear emails to Derek Draper who runs a Labour supporting website and we will probably see these in print in the Sunday papers tomorrow.

And so the lessons in the tales - we all have a personal brand or reputation to protect - not only for our own gain, but for the health of the organisations that we represent, whether commercial or political. The only way to be in control of this is to create a level of self-awareness, a firm understanding of how our actions relate to how we are perceived. If you are the person in charge, the one who heads up any group where your people's actions may have a direct effect on the success of the organisation, then send them all back to school. Personal branding school.

Piers Morgan interviews Sir Richard Branson

"I think reputation is really all you have in life - and that's something which you've got to fight to protect." Sir Richard Branson responding to a question from Piers Morgan on Piers Morgan's Life Stories - ITV.

I often refer to Branson when speaking or presenting - call it an enduring, compelling fascination with a powerful personal brand doing it his way. All the way. Sir Richard gets it, in the way that I believe Piers Morgan himself gets it - another one to watch.

This interview is a must see.

Public Speaking & Presenting

Does the thought of presenting or speaking in public rock your very core? So many are paralysed - reduced to a hyperventilating, sweaty fight or flight muddle by the very thought of getting up in front of a group. And yet, having the presence to deliver your intended message in an impactful way is a vital foundation skill that we can all learn. I think that they should teach this stuff in school. And not only in the debating society. The ability to perform with passion and conviction is all about a simple change in focus - from ourselves to our audience.

So as a start, with a focus on your audience, you need to apply the power of PIE. That is Persuading, Informing, Entertaining or Educating. I'm not too keen on yet another acronym, however, we all like the power of PIE/Pi/pie.

This particular PIE is all about the purpose or objective of your talk - whether you are delivering to the members of the board or at a conference of thousands. What are you trying to achieve? Do you need to persuade; are you simply informing; does it need to be entertaining or is the purpose to educate? Once you are clear in your own mind, you have the flavour or tone of your presentation. The secret here is to keep the focus, don't waiver.

The charismatic Steve Jobs does it best:



Kate Winslet's Oscar

I was up bright and early on Saturday morning in a London studio for BBC Radio Wales with Gareth Lewis, Sian Pari Huws and film critic, Damon Smith to discuss the do's and don'ts of award season acceptance speeches. Notably Kate Winslet's recent blunder at the Golden Globe awards where she apologised to Anne, Merryl, Kristen and forgot Angelina. I believe that this clip is now fast becoming a youtube classic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJGRnO93MXg.

I was delighted to see that despite a lot of rambling and rumbling in the press about insulting Hollywood royalty, Kate's blunder did not cost her an Oscar. And too that Slumdog got there - what a great night for the best of the Brits.

Personal Branding Masterclass

The next personal branding masterclass is coming up on the 3rd February 2008. This is a half-day interactive workshop, from 8:30am - 12:30pm in Knightsbridge, London. Suited to those in business or the public eye, we will work through the same methodology that we use when consulting with clients on a one-to-one basis.

Places are limited so do book yours now: http://personalbrandmc.eventbrite.com

And Jonathan Isaby, Co-Editor of ConservativeHome.com writes about his experience of personal brand coaching in the February edition of Total Politics magazine - you can read his article here: Decontaminating your brand

30th October invitation...

Please join me in London at the Chicago GSB campus on the 30th October. I will be talking at a breakfast meeting - the topic is "Personal branding in an uncertain world: why it matters, how it works and how we can turn it to our advantage."

Who: CGSB, Insead, LBS and Harvard Alumni will be attending
What: Breakfast meeting
When: Thursday, 30th October 2008
Where: CGSB London Campus, Woolgate Exchange, 25 Basinghall St, London
Why: Soft skills are vital in tough markets
How: Register online to book your place

The event starts at 07:45am, will finish at 08:45am and costs £15.

We still have some places left, so please book as soon as possible - and for those of you who have already confirmed, thank you, I am looking forward to seeing you there.

Louise

Sarah Palin

What a week for US politics! And the brands on display have made for fascinating viewing. First we had Michelle Obama with a heartfelt rendition of family values and the power of the American dream. Then came Hillary... dynamically rousing her supporters to vote for Democratic principles - and to get over the attachment to the person.

Then the nation collectively held its breath waiting to see if Bill would do the same. And he did - even describing himself as the warm-up for Barack's running mate Joseph Biden. Biden delivered his yin to Obama's yang - or is it the other way around? And the grand finale, Obama accepting his party's nomination in front of 38 million countrymen - fighting, fierce, up for it.

And just when we thought it was all over until next week when the Republicans will do the same, McCain stole the weekend media thunder and announced his running mate, Sarah. Sarah who? Who? Oh, Sarah Palin of course. Virtually unknown, a governor for less than two years, small town beauty queen, small town mayor - who has (now famously) said of the Vice Presidency role "...what is it exactly that a VP does every day?"

And so the rapid building of a brand is occurring as I write this and by next week, Sarah will be a household name. Fascinating. But not as fascinating as the impact that this has had on McCain's brand. We are now thinking of him as a maverick, a risk taker. If this is his way of showing that he is not George Bush, then he has certainly gone out on a limb to do so - far, far out.

Job Cuts

This week I was invited to join a panel on BBC Radio Five Live to discuss when those in business, politics and sports should resign. With so much uncertainty in the markets and a frightening number of job cuts reported and predicted, the need for a strong personal brand couldn't be more stark.

And it seems fairly obvious that when people should go is a timing issue. Either an unanticipated disaster has occurred as in the case of Terminal 5, or we want to pre-empt a possible disaster as in the case of Mr Brown. And one can argue that Mr Walsh's management style prevented those who thought that a disaster might occur from raising the issue - and their heads did roll. And the latter, well, we are predicting a rather difficult coming week for the British Prime Minister.

Yet more often than not it is worth seeing a possible disaster through to completion for the greater good of the organisation. In the not too distant past, the constant change of leadership had deeply negative effect on the Conservative Party, leaving voters reluctant to commit.

And it is at times like this when that we see people's personal brands having a profound effect on their futures. We are prepared to weather the storm with those that we can connect to emotionally.

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson seems to have positioned himself as the “love me or loathe me” candidate in his bid to win the London mayoral race. And while this is inspired marketing for a distinct consumer brand like marmite, it is inappropriate for someone who aspires to taking on the biggest directly elected job in British politics. There seems to be a key factor missing in what we are now referring to as ‘brand Borris’ - that of a statesmanlike quality.

It is clear that a change is needed, however, I believe that Boris is heading in the wrong direction. We learned earlier this week that his team’s strategy appears to be focused on keeping him on a very short leash to avoid blunders and controversy. However, the cornerstone of any personal brand is authenticity. By becoming bland and appearing to conform behind a well-managed mask, he leaves us very little to buy into and we are suspicious of this new Boris. He needs to work his brand to his advantage, not stem its very lifeblood. He won’t win on protest votes alone.

According to a Guardian / ICM poll, trust is going to be the determining factor in who wins this race. The poll reflects that 42% of those questioned believe that Boris is honest, versus 28% for Ken Livingston. So the issue is one of character, which is remarkably unsurprising. No one buys vanilla - people buy people and we like traits and quirks and beliefs – they demonstrate what people stand for and give us something to relate to.

I suggest that Boris considers what his target audience will be interested in ‘buying’ from someone in the role of Mayor of London. He needs to analyse each potential audience that will influence his success and list everything that will be deeply compelling to each. The result will be qualities, expertise and experience that he should then compare to his own. Anything that appears to be weak, missing, or overlooked should be explored and where possible, developed and incorporated into his brand.

The next stage is to communicate and demonstrate all of this through action in a way that will appeal to his target audience. And no, he cannot simply send the spin machine into overdrive or get another haircut… authenticity is vital if he is to be believed.

Naomi Campbell arrested at T5

Yesterday Naomi Campbell was escorted off a flight to Los Angeles at Heathrow's Terminal 5 and arrested for allegedly spitting at an officer after she was told that one of her checked-in bags had been mislaid.

Naomi, who was seated in first class, became abusive towards cabin crew after she was given the option of leaving the flight until her bag was found, or to continue on without it.

Now much has been said about the humiliating failings of Terminal 5, so I won't labour the point, however, spitting is another matter. It seems that Ms Campbell just can't help herself. Her public displays of aggression, rudeness and guttersnipe behaviour are only reinforcing a personal brand that has much to be desired. Do we care, is it really news, is there anything startling about this?

I think not - when it comes to her brand, Ms Campbell is proving to be horribly consistent. The question here is whether this unchecked ego will see any backlash from the audience that she needs to appeal to. I suggest that Naomi gives some thought to how those who might employ her, her friends and supporters, and the general public will react to this. Will they continue to forgive, or are they quite simply, over it?

Heather Mills McCartney

Yesterday's insightful article by Kira Cochrane in the Guardian "Why we love to hate Heather" details the many misogynistic and stereotyped ways that Heather Mills McCartney has been branded by the press and others. But while she seems to be damned and condemned, doing nothing along route to help herself, there may well be a way to rebuild her brand - albeit slowly and with caution. I know that it's a 180 on my previous blog, and as impossible as it may seem right now, I think that with the right mindset, advice and self-discipline, something can be done.

We know that personal brands need to be deeply compelling to their audience, authentic, consistent and known. Indeed we can almost hold Heather up as a case study for the perfectly executed anti-brand - she fulfils all of these principles, only from a negative perspective. As a personal branding consultant, I believe that if she can do it all so perfectly negatively, its possible to turn it around. With extreme caution and very slowly.

Heather will carefully need to pick a target audience that has some empathy with her cause and stick to this in the short to medium term. She will need to dig deep to find and establish a different, distinct and positive element of her brand and story that will be compelling and of value to this audience - something that is truly authentic, beyond doubt and as yet, untainted. All of this will need to be delivered unwaveringly and consistently over a period of time. She needs to be a living, breathing embodiment of all of the above.

Then, and only then, should the process of communicating her brand begin - very subtly and only in the right arenas. Central to all of this should be a commitment to apply an unyielding self-discipline, to withdraw from the public eye until she is ready and to find a sense of grace and elegance that has been so lacking.

It's going to be a challenge, of that I have no doubt. But then again, life is a series of choices and challenges. Should Heather choose to rehabilitate her brand, she will need some help. She can always give me a call and we can explore this further...

Heather Mills McCartney

Here begins lesson 101 in how to destroy a personal brand. No, I'll start again. Here begins lesson 101 in how to reinforce a negative personal brand. Uh, no, how about: Here begins lesson 101... Oh I give up. It's all just too hideous for words.

Heather Mills McCartney has been lambasted... and it seems that she happily contributed by a thorough self-basting, before offering herself up for a roasting by the press following her High Court, high profile divorce from Sir Paul McCartney. No surprises there. No surprises anywhere in fact. Not at her throwing a glass of water over Sir Paul's lawyer Fiona Shackleton, which Heather apparently referred to as 'baptising', nor the fact that she won less than a fifth of the £125m that she was claiming.

And I don't know why I am surprised that she hasn't learned a single lesson about managing her personal brand, but I am. One would think that all of the pointers are there for her - as clear as day. Would it really take that much to find a touch of elegant neutral ground or a slither of grace? She seems hell-bent on reinforcing all that we have come to perceive as vile, trashy and vengeful. Can this brand ever recover? I think not.

Chelsea Clinton

From prop to propagandist... Hillary's not so secret weapon has been outed. Our enduring memory of a geeky teenager with braces is slowly but surely being replaced with a polished, poised and some would say, convincing speaker.

As the only child of power couple extraordinaire, protected as much as was humanly possible, Chelsea followed in her father's footsteps and went to Oxford. She largely managed to stay out of trouble and the media with only a few hiccups... all of the usual variety associated with her age - partying, falling out of nightclubs. Not even a hint of inhaling.

Post degree, she joined McKinsey in New York and then a hedge fund and was rarely seen on the social circuit, preferring to attend charity dinners and sit on the board of a ballet company. She refused to give interviews. In short, she managed to work hard, play soft and keep a low profile.

Ring in the change. Initially we saw her by her mother's side, silent and supportive. However, as Hillary's campaign went from inevitable to deeply uncertain, she stepped up and is now eclipsing Bill's efforts. It seems that Obama has a new contender for the hearts and minds of the young. We are even starting to hear talk about the 'Chelsea effect'.

And whilst she is still refusing to give interviews and claims no political aspirations apart from getting her mom into the White House, I think that we will watch this space with interest.

Simon Cowell

Interesting comment from Simon Cowell on American Idol's latest series cutting the remaining 24 down to 20 this week. He said it as it is... nothing unusual in that, however, he happened to outline the foundations of a powerful personal brand.

Now, we often hear Simon describing a performance as dull, boring, unmemorable. On this occasion, he went into a little more detail. He said that the performer had to bring something different, memorable, interesting, unique, relevant to the table. I would sum it all up and use one word. Compelling. All of these things need to add up to compelling. We need to want more. Loads more.

Dwain Chambers

And so the row over Dwain Chambers, doping and athletics goes on. From a general sporting perspective, this is an easy one. We all agree. If we are to compare and reward physical prowess and skill, then all things must be equal. A level playing field so to speak.

What makes all of this interesting is Dwain's public claim that it is almost impossible to win a major medal in athletics without the use of artificial stimulation. And he of all people must know the contents of this dirty can of worms. He failed a test for tetrahydrogestrinone, the Balco designer steroid in 2003 and was given a two-year suspension. Having served his time, he returned in 2006 as a member of the British sprint squad, taking relay gold in the European Championships.

And that leaves us with way too many questions... who isn't doping? Is anyone clean? Can we trust the results? Is it real? How do we stop it happening?

One can argue that Dwain has paid his dues for past misdemeanours... he should be allowed to go on. After all, the social trend is to forgive those in the public eye for their ill-judged transgressions. However, this is a very different arena. His body is the basis of his success and it’s cheating. Plain and simple. One can liken it to putting rocket fuel in a formula one car, if that were possible. Its just plain wrong. Do we celebrate the efficacy and wonders of the drugs, or the performance of the athlete?

And I wonder if this brand will be able to recover. So damaged in 2003, will he now fight in the name of 'lessons learned' and can we forgive and forget? After all, it seems that his playing field is not at all level and we may well ask if he is being vilified, persecuted in the name of all those who as yet remain undiscovered.

Bull in a china shop...

I do enjoy working with those who promote and manage people in the public eye. The good ones have an innate sense of the power of personal brands and a determined interest in helping the talent they manage to make the most of theirs.

A case in point a couple of weeks ago with an Agent who wanted what I think of as a little insurance on behalf of a young and inexperienced artist who shall remain nameless. This raw talent has been catapulted into the public eye and is struggling. No, let me re-phrase that. The people who manage him are struggling. He is a happy bull in a china shop and finding trouble in the most unlikely of places.

We spent a couple of hours together as I coached him on his image & personal brand and their impact on his career. Perhaps predictably, the usual motivator of increased financial success held little appeal. He has more money than he ever dreamed of and the numbers don't mean much. They are just numbers... with lots of commas and zeros. And as for reputation... he quite likes his 'wild boy' image. What finally worked was the opportunity to create a legacy for his family. His mum to be precise.

A couple of weeks later, a few more hours of coaching and he seems to have 'got it'. Thank goodness. I like to see Agents smiling.

Cecilia Sarkozy

Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz, formerly Sarkozy has won provisional damages of €30,000 or £22,321 from French magazine Closer. The magazine was found guilty of violating the former wife of French president Nicholas Sarkozy's right to privacy. Closer had published pictures of Cecilia and Carla Bruni, the presidents' girlfriend, side by side, both in black bikini's, clearly comparing the two.

Ms Ciganer-Albeniz seems to be having a real battle at the moment as she attempts to protect and manage her image and personal brand. Earlier in January, three books about the former First Lady were due to be published, and in a bid to block one of them, 'Cecilia' by Anna Bitton, a French judge ruled against her.

The price to pay for being in the public eye has risen considerably over recent years. The social trend of an insatiable thirst for public humiliation, dirty laundry and general infamy is beyond reason. I can appreciate that we would like to know more about the characters behind the 'brands', however, it should stop long before the intent is purely malicious. I think that we are all fed up with this type of rubbish.

Amy Winehouse

So just what effect will Amy Winehouse being caught on camera allegedly taking crack cocaine have on her personal brand? Apart from a general consensus that her lifestyle may well be her undoing, I don't see that it will have any effect on whether we buy her music or not. Afterall, she has only confirmed and reinforced her brand or what we perceive about her... 'creative genius with self destructive lifestyle'.

And fascinating to see those in creatively led industries get away with so much infamy. We may not agree with their lifestyles, and yet social trends seem to indicate that we are happy to watch their movies, buy their music, art, and the aspirational products that they endorse as in the case of Kate Moss. We certainly wouldn't be so forgiving if we discovered that the Governor of the Bank of England had a nasty habit.

Brand 'bin Laden'

Yesterday, on a day when the FTSE had the sharpest one day fall since 9/11, the importance of perception could not have been more relevant. And believe it or not, I was sidetracked from the markets, Alistair Darling delivering the fate of Northern Rock, more MoD laptops loaded with civilian private data going missing and an Indian company securing Jaguar... by CNN's Aneesh Raman interviewing Mr bin Laden. That's Omar Osama bin Laden, Osama bin Laden's son.

He is in the process of attempting to raise funding for a horse race 'for peace' across North Africa, which from the sounds of things is proving to be difficult. And Mr Raman ended with what can only be regarded as a rhetorical question... "can a son re-brand a name his father has made synonymous with terror?" Well, we all know that the bin Laden family are involved in all sorts of legitimate businesses apart from terror. But in this case, I fear that it may take more than a race for peace to shift perceptions.