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?

500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

by Philip Scott Johnson

Personal Image Tips

Creating positive first impressions is all about our Personal Image, which is made up of three things; how we look, how we sound and our body language. We form opinions about others in a matter of seconds and then spend the rest of our time justifying our decisions to ourselves.

Our Image communicates so much about us. It has a powerful effect on how other people approach and respond to us, personally and professionally. A positive, appropriate Image instantly puts our audience at ease. Adversely, a negative, inappropriate Image creates hard to shift obstacles and barriers to success.

Top Tips:

1. Ensure that your clothing is appropriate for the occasion
2. What you wear and your grooming communicate how you feel about yourself… ask yourself what it is that you are conveying to others?
3. Keep accessories, jewellery, make-up, perfume and aftershave subtle and appropriate
4. Practice the art of introducing yourself and of making small talk
5. Smile, make eye contact, shake hands, relax, don’t fidget
6. Be conscious of the appropriate etiquette in the circumstances that you find yourself
7. Remember other peoples names and use them
8. Listen, pay attention to what the other person is saying in order to show interest and find common ground… don’t chatter

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.

Top down...

Fabulous company that I am working with at the moment. What a great group of people, most of whom I styled over two days this week. The interesting thing about their image culture is that they have chosen very similar types when it comes to those who are dealing with clients, or the 'face' of the company.

Image culture, as a component part of corporate culture, is always top down. Very simply, if the CEO, board, directors have a sloppy image, you can read between the lines and without fail, the rest will follow. We tend to choose people who are just like us in more ways than one.

From my perspective, I only ever work with organisations where the stakeholders are part of the project. There is little point in attempting to implement lasting, positive change if leaders aren't taking the lead.

Savvy, sexy siren...

I do love working with people in the public eye, especially those rather charming creatures who continue to be amazed by their success. They come across as an accidental tourist, stumbling into the public eye with modesty, almost childlike naivety. And we know who they are...

I met with a client yesterday who had decided that this is the Personal Brand that she wants to create. She wants to be perceived by the public in this way. The only problem is that this is not who she is. In all reality, she is a savvy, sexy siren - not an accidental tourist.

The mixed messages that she has been sending have only confused her audience. On the one hand she smolders on screen and off, and on the other, pretends that she is not aware of the effect she produces. She is attempting to balance the dynamism of her persona with a hapless naivety that doesn't exist.

Our Personal Brand or public persona is not something that we can suck out of our imagination... it needs to be authentic, real and consistent to be believed. And yes, we need to adjust how we approach different people, audiences, markets, but not so drastically as to confuse or appear confused.

So back to basics... What makes us unique? Is it the real deal? Are we consistent? Tick all the boxes and then publish, publish, publish.

Fame & Infamy

Nicola Mendelsohn, Deputy Chariman - Grey London recently hosted a CEW breakfast, the subject 'Brand Fame in Order to Survive - what is fame and why does it matter to you?' Together with her colleague, Karen Ellis, EU Creative Director Beauty, they regaled us with stories of famous women and how their 'infamy' was often the basis of their strong, robust identities.

Just so in Personal Branding... the art is to stand out, to deliver something of value, something unique, with passion, conviction and ability. And in doing so, we create a reputation, something that people can relate to - even if it is based on a sometimes less than orthodox personality.

The old adage, 'people buy people' is truly what it's all about... often warts and all. Paris Hilton, like her or loathe her, was rumoured to have recently been offered $1m to talk about how she developed her Personal Brand.

Not that I am saying that we all need infamy in order to have strong, successful Personal Brands that work for us... but it does help tremendously if we can be human enough for people to relate to us, to identify with who we are, what we stand for and what we can deliver, consistently.

I just have to share some of the fabulous quotes that Nicola and Karen used...

“HOW MANY CARES ONE LOSES WHEN ONE DECIDES NOT TO BE SOMETHING BUT TO BE SOMEONE.” Coco Chanel

“WE MUST BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GIFTED FOR SOMETHING, AND THAT THIS THING, AT WHATEVER THE COST, MUST BE ATTAINED.” Marie Curie

“THE ONLY RULE IS DON’T BE BORING AND DRESS CUTE WHEREVER YOU GO. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BLEND IN.” Paris Hilton

“MY NEW MOTTO IS: WHEN YOU ARE THROUGH CHANGING, YOU’RE THROUGH.” Martha Stewart

"THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I HAVE TO SAY TODAY IS THAT HAIR MATTERS. THIS IS A LIFE LESSON MY FAMILY DID NOT TEACH, WELLESLEY AND YALE FAILED TO INSTILL IN ME: THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR HAIR. YOUR HAIR WILL SEND VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGES TO THOSE AROUND YOU. IT WILL TELL PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU STAND FOR. WHAT HOPES AND DREAMS YOU HAVE FOR THE WORLD... AND ESPECIALLY WHAT HOPES AND DREAMS YOU HAVE FOR YOUR HAIR. LIKEWISE, YOUR SHOES. BUT REALLY, MORE YOUR HAIR. SO, TO SUM UP. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR HAIR. BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE WILL." Hillary Clinton

“A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO SAY WHAT THEY WANT. THAT’S WHY THEY DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT.” Madonna

“TRUST YOURSELF. CREATE THE KIND OF SELF THAT YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO LIVE WITH ALL YOUR LIFE. MAKE THE MOST OF YOURSELF BY FANNING THE TINY, INNER SPARKS OF POSSIBILITY INTO FLAMES OF ACHIEVEMENT.” Golda Meir

Interview with Ayesha Vardag, Divorce Lawyer

Ayesha Vardag is one of the top divorce lawyers in the UK, handling high profile, high net worth cases. She graduated with honours in law from Cambridge University in 1990, and as a scholar in European law from the Université Libre, Brussels in 1991. She then worked at the International Court of Justice in the Hague and at the UN in Vienna. She qualified and worked initially as a finance solicitor at Linklaters in London and Moscow, and then at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in London. Ayesha also trained as an advocate at the Inner Temple and was called to the Bar.

Ayesha moved across to Matrimonial and Family law in 1999 at Sears Tooth. She left to lecture in family law at Queen Mary’s, London, and to establish Ayesha Vardag Solicitors as an independent practice. She works primarily with high net worth / high achieving clients, drawing on her City based deal orientated negotiating skills against a background of hard hitting litigation experience, and a strategic intellectual grasp of the law. Recent work has included the major reported case of FS v JS, one of the first multi million cases since the notorious House of Lords decision last year in Miller v Miller. And this year a celebrity £30 million international divorce involving offshore trusts and a £40 million international divorce involving foreign assets.

We met at the Milestone Hotel in Kensington over delicious champagne and I asked Ayesha what ©The Power of Image meant to her. She said that “it is the immediate impression that one gets of another”, and when it comes to Personal Branding, she believes that it is a “recognisable personal statement of who you are”. She went on to say that “as people come to know your work it becomes less important, but initially, first impressions really count”. When I asked her about the Image Culture within her company, she said that she has created “a city, professional, glamorous culture… a departure from some of the dingier matrimonial lawyers of the old era when family law was seen as low rent and hadn’t become a high stakes financial field".

She seems to be naturally aware, and her offices and team are living proof. Ayesha employed a design consultant to create, in her offices overlooking the High Court, an environment that will be comfortable and familiar for her clients… “quietly opulent, with the feeling of a private home”. She wants her clients to feel that the service that she provides is “personal… bespoke” and that her office environment is “somewhere that they will feel at ease”.

When it comes to her clients’ Image, Ayesha advises them what is appropriate in the courtroom. “Men should be smart, sober, respectable, demure… not too sharp or snappy… Women should be quietly expensive, not flashy or too sexy, with no vulgar displays of wealth”.

Ayesha’s parents were the first to instil an awareness of creating a positive first impression. Her father was a politician and her mother elegant and conscious of Image. She laughingly remembers wearing a smart grey suit for her interview at Cambridge University.

Ayesha’s clients are international high net worth individuals, many of whom enjoy resident non domiciled status in the UK in its capacity as an on-shore tax haven. She describes a “feeding frenzy” in her market due to the UK’s generous rulings on divorce and says that there are a “vast number of people profiting from the conditions”. She competes with what she terms “the magic circle of long established firms” and her business has grown exponentially as her clients feel that she delivers “a more personal, proactive, thinking service with lower costs” due to the leaner organisational structure and personal service… “my clients don’t get relegated down the ranks”.

When it comes to high net worth divorce cases, “people want someone to fight on their behalf, to win… someone who is strong and confident and may look slightly intimidating to the other side”. And Ayesha plays the part. She is not only a solicitor, but originally qualified as a barrister and dresses accordingly. “Chanel suits day-to-day, and pinstripes when in court so that others take you seriously”.

God forbid I ever need her services, but if I do, this is the person who I would want to fight my corner.

Interview with Paul Richardson, Director, Barclays Wealth

Paul Richardson is a Director of Barclays Wealth, the Wealth Management arm of Barclays plc where his role is Global Head of Sports Media and Entertainment. We have had a couple of conversations on the power of image and personal branding, and I wanted to explore further...

It seems that Paul has always had an interest in sports and media - he started his career as a solicitor specialising in this field before becoming head of legal and business affairs for the sports marketing group, API, which later became Octagon Marketing.

In 2000 Paul joined Coutts as Head of the Sports and Entertainment division before being made Head of London Private Banking in 2004. He moved to Barclays Wealth in August last year.

I asked Paul what image means to him... "Image is your personal brand, the way that you convey yourself to the outside world. It is a collection of your brand values... professionalim, honesty, integrity... Initially its about what we see, how someone looks, after that, its about picking up on someone's brand values by observing their actions."

Paul says that whilst we are aware of the impact of others image, he likes to take the time to form a view or make a decision about someone. "People can look the part, however, once they start talking to you, or if their body language is incongruent, the warning signals may flare..."

In a market that has traditionally hired from its own ranks, Barclays Wealth has embarked on a programme of 'lateral thinking' in growing their now multi-skilled and multi-experienced team. "We launched this new and thorough approach with the understanding that we can educate people on the technical aspects of the role... we look for the raw material... an individual's substance and brand values, combined with their professional experience and areas of interest."

Paul's clients are the rich and famous - I asked him about celebrity. "We are all the same, my clients are good at what they do, they are just doing it in the public eye... they expect professional, objective advice."

And does he adapt his image depending on who he is meeting? "Its about dressing appropriately... if I am there in a business capacity, then I need to look the part, however, it would be rather strange for me to attend something like a concert in a shirt and tie..."

©The Power of Image

7% Of what we communicate to others are the actual words we use. This means that the remaining 93% is made up of how we look, how we sound and our body language. We make up our minds about someone in seconds, and then spend the rest of the time justifying our decisions to ourselves.

Frightening really, especially if we are constantly doing subconscious things that are putting people off. So what can we do about it?

How we look: It's the first thing that people notice about us, however, it doesn't hold as much weight as tone of voice. Pay attention to what your grooming and clothing/accessories are saying about you, and dress appropriately for the environment that you are in.

Tone of voice: we reveal all in the intonations, the emphasis, the volume to name but a few. Take a second to think about what reactions the tone that you use will provoke in the person you are talking to...

Body language: the ultimate test, the big revealer. This is where it all comes together and whatever your true feelings about a situation, your body will not lie. Become conscious of the little unconscious things that you do...

And if all this makes you realise that you might be due for an Image overhaul, you can book an Image & Personal Branding Consultation by calling me on +44 776 800 2840.

A day in the life of Moi...

9:00 Having spent an hour dealing with my mail, now dashing for Starbucks en-route to my first meeting. Hail a black cab and arrive with seconds to spare. A new client in banking, and a full image consultation begins. We talk about lifestyle and I get to know a little more about how he spends his time and whether his wardrobe reflects this. He has just been promoted and his new position will thrust him even further into the public eye. As I learn more he seems to visibly relax as he realises that I am not here to critique, only to find ways to enhance who he is and his roles in life... that of business leader, husband, father...

We start with the physical and I measure up... we discuss body proportions, scale, colours and grooming and how to create optical illusions that are best suited to his shape. The great thing about clothes is that we can hide imperfections and enhance the good bits and for a man who claims to have no idea, I can see that he gets it.

With analysis under the belt and the solution defined, we go shopping. I can tell that he is not keen. He gets into the swing of things once he realises that we can ignore rail after rail... wrong colour, wrong shape, wrong style - and head directly for what we need. Successful purchases in hand, he declares that he enjoyed shopping for the first time ever. And I am happy.

We agree to meet again to discuss his communication skills. He needs a refresher on the media-training front and his public speaking skills need a re-vamp. I have also noticed that his body language is a little awkward, but feel that this may change after all of the above. We decide to evaluate again in a month's time.

12:30 Hail a cab and head for a meeting with leading communications and branding specialists. We are collaborating as companies invest vast amounts on their brands - personality, values, equity... but often forget about the people who represent them. We buy a brand because of what it represents and how it makes us feel, and if we are then faced with an individual, whether it's the CEO or a sales person, who doesn't personify the brand, it creates what I have coined the 'brand lie'. We talk about how this works across cultures and markets and how to assist companies to create 'brand congruency'. The next step is to identify those brands in their portfolio who could benefit from Image Consulting...

1:30 In another cab on my way to my next meeting with a builder to discuss floors... I style both people and interiors and am revamping an apartment for a client in Knightsbridge. I receive a call from a client who has recently had a baby and we set a date for a full make-over. I arrange for a haircut, facial, massage, mani & pedi and a make-up artist. I block out time in my diary for shopping and wardrobe management and call her back with the details.

2:15 A thankfully short meeting with the builder and really hungry so up to the 5th Floor in Harvey Nichols for a quick salad. I pick up two dresses that I have in mind for my next client and head on to my meeting with her on location, which is in a luxury retailer around the corner. She is presenting a new series and we are short of a couple of dresses for the next two day's filming. She thankfully loves both of them and we agree on which dress is suitable for each day. I help her with shoes, accessories and overall styling for both and leave her in the capable hands of the make-up artist as filming starts.

4:00 Running short of time and I head back to my desk to prepare for this evening's presentation. I am talking to a business group about men & women's business styling and cross-cultural business etiquette. First impressions really do count when language and familiarity with cultural norms are thin on the ground. I focus on finding an acceptable middle ground, whilst maintaining the authenticity that makes us each individual. It's a subject that I enjoy and with the final touches to my presentation complete, change into a suitable suit and on the run for a cab once again.

5:30 Arrive at the venue and make sure that technology will deliver. I mingle with the organisers and guests and it's an hour later when we start. A good Q&A to end with and I spend time chatting to some really interesting business minds... we swap cards and agree to explore further. Another cab and I ask the driver to wait outside my apartment for a quick change, then on to dinner with a few friends at Zuma. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to their soft-shell crab...

Interview with David Savile, CEO, AirPartner

For a man who has 28 years experience in the Aircraft Charter markets, David Savile interestingly takes a keen interest in all things image and design. He has spent the last 25 of those years with Air Partner plc. With 20 offices spanning Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, and listed on the London Stock Exchange, Air Partner has been in operation for 45 years and is the only aviation company with a Royal Warrant granted by HM Queen Elizabeth II.

And as I trundle down to Gatwick to meet with him, I wonder to what extent David is employing the Power of Image within the business. The signs are there... Air Partner is investing in Image Consulting for their JetCard executives and for the first time in their history, used an external agency to create a new brand identity and personality for this, their 18 month-young Jet Membership product.

Today, Air Partner looks after Governments & Royal Families across the world, along with world statesmen, and stars of stage, TV, film and the music world. Underneath the glitz, the bulk of its business comes from the everyday corporations who use ad hoc aircraft charter on a regular basis to help them do business globally.

"40% Of our business traditionally comes from the government sector, 55% from the corporate sector and we identified that our growth market was in the private jet arena... Our company ethos is one of transparency and that's where we started in creating JetCard."

"We recognised that along with a considerable investment, we needed to create a fresh approach... to employ the best in this field, concentrate on building high-level relationships and for the first time, we retained an external agency to build the brand... We are now investing in Image Consultancy for our key executives - ensuring that our brand and our people are congruent."

The results speak for themselves with JetCard already profitable and the recent acquisition of Gold Air. And going forward, what's on the cards?
"Air Partner is re-branding this Summer and is creating Air Partner Private Jets (together with our airline division becoming Air Partner Commercial Jets). The driver for creating the 2 sub brands is to link together our 6 separate private jet products under one private jet identity. As a company with a diverse product range and diverse client base, our unique capabilities are already well known; the downside of this is that we are sometimes perceived as generalists not specialists... The creation of APPJ allows us to focus on one strand of our business, and use the Power of Image to convey a total focus and commitment to one specific luxury market."

"In creating APPJ we are investing in our brand to raise the perception of what is already a fine product, in being perceived as a stand-alone luxury private jet company, under the umbrella of a powerful and financially strong parent. Investing in our brand requires investment in creativity, design, and Image Consultancy to ensure we are fully consistent in all our various communications and media."