Art of Branding

My mother always said, “Beauty is only skin deep” and “Don’t judge a book by its cover” when I would fret over my looks.

Yet, the reality is, we judge people by the way they look every day.

When the hearings for Elena Kagan’s nomination start on Monday, June 28th, I doubt whether her looks will come up in the questioning, but her looks already have been commented upon in the media. (See Deborah L Rohode’s article on Kagan and her looks in The Daily Beast.)

As Rhode points out, “Looks are one of the last frontiers of acceptable bigotry.”
And looks are definitely an area where” the diversion of attention from achievment to appearance is more common.”

Yet, I can’t buy into Rhode’s thesis in the artifice and her new book, The Beauty bias, that we need to eliminate the beauty bias. She advises: “We have always known that it hurts to be beautiful, and that it hurts even more not to be beautiful. But few of us realize how much. Although our prejudice runs deep, we can do more to reduce its most unjust and unnecessary forms.

Impossible, I say. That’s like trying to change human nature.

While a mother loves all of her children, studies show the more attractive ones are favored. And study after study points out that we are all susceptible to the “beauty premium” and that looks have a halo effect. We think more attractive people are smarter, more productive, even kinder than unattractive people.

That’s why we have to acknowledge that the beauty premium exists, and package ourselves to advantage. Oprah has a weight issue like many of us but still packages herself attractively. And octogenarian Betty White is red hot on TV right now showing that you don’t have to be young either to be attractive.

We all can package ourselves to advantage. And it sure beats trying to change human nature.

Just when I was going to brand the 2011 election cycle as the year of the female candidate, I’m reduced to writing about hair.

Dee Dee Myers famously said about her experience as White House Press Secretary for President Clinton that “people don’t hear a word you say until they decide whether they like your hair or not”

Of course, Dee Dee was talking about a lady’s hair. (For a man’s hair style to register on the radar screen it has to be really out there like Donald Trump’s hair.)

Which brings to mind Carly Fiorina’s offhand comment about Barbara Boxer’s hair yesterday caught on an open mike. Carly is the Republican candidate for the US Senate and Boxer is the Democratic incumbent in California and both are revved up for battle in the general election.

My fear? That the great wins women have made in the primaries are already becoming a cat fight.

Asked about the incident by Greta Van Susteren, Fiorina said, “I was quoting a friend of mine. My goodness, my hair’s been talked about by a million people, you know? It sort of goes with the territory.” Fiorina then brought up her battle with cancer, adding, “Especially when you don’t have any. As you remember, I started out with none.”

Of course, Fiorina’s comments in a larger context aren’t a big deal. We all make gaffes particularly when we think we’re just talking to a trusted aide and don’t realize the mike is on. And Fiorina did brand herself as strong and courageous in my book when she began her campaign with absolutely no hair after battling cander.

But in another, more damaging way for women, her words reinforce popular stereotypes about women, namely that we’re catty and tear each other down behind the scenes.

As a woman, I hate to see women in high-profile jobs flame out because I fear it reflects badly on women in big roles. That’s why I went, “Ouch” when Janet Napolitano said, “The system worked,” after a terrorist attempt on Christmas day. And why I’ve been fascinated by Desiree Rogers quick rise on the national scene, and just as quick demise.

The NYTimes ran an interesting story on March 12, 2010 on the series of events leading to her downfall.
In the whole story, I think there are important branding lessons for us all:

• Don’t upstage the boss
Did Desiree forget that Michelle Obama was First Lady?

• Don’t make the story about you
A cardinal rule about personal branding, is not to make the story about you, make the story about the project, the challenge, the mission, the team. Look at the Academy Awards. The smart Hollywood celebs wisely don’t make their success about themselves. When you are the feature of glossy spreads in designer clothes – the story is about you and not the larger purpose.

• If you work in a shark tank, beware of sharks
Washington DC is known as a town for its subplots and rivalries where the long knives come it, it is surprising that Desiree set herself up for a downfall by avidly seeking a high-profile role as social secretary, a role traditionally known for discretion and behind-the-scenes planning. Better to have moved more slowly in building up her brand.

• Don’t be tone deaf to the larger marketplace
Whatever made Desiree think that she could wear a $3495 dress and $100,000 diamond earings in a shoot for a glossy magazine in the midst of a recession? Or sit in the front row next to Anna Wintour during Fashion weak with the unemployment rate over 10%. There’s a reason that Wall Street bosses have mothballed the corporate jets temporarily and are flying commercial. It makes for very bad press.

• Make sure you have supporters
We all need the support of our own “board of directors.” People who can advise us and support us when the going gets rough. As an associate of Rogers put it in the NYT, “She didn’t get any help from Gibbs, no help from Axelrod, no help from Valerie Jarrett. Nobody came to her defense.”

Let me hear your thoughts.

There’s an old adage in branding, “Brand reputations take a long time to build and a short time to destroy.”

Boy did Tiger demonstrate how true that is. Tiger had it all. World’s top golfer. Beautiful wife and children. Rich and famous. Wholesome, attractive image. Yet Tiger took a wrecking ball to his personal brand – one that he’s been building since childhood. It’s a Greek tragedy in its epic proportions and he has no one to blame but himself.

Tiger was the first billion-dollar athlete who had endorsement contracts and business partnerships with the world’s top blue chip companies, including PepsiCo, Gillette and AccentureThe companies who sought Tiger out to endorse their brands paid him top dollar not just because he was a star golfer and not just because he was famous. Companies sought Tiger as a brand endorser because he stood for something they wanted their brands to stand for too – success, vitality, wholesomeness.

Plus Tiger’s brand also represented something quintessentially American –  self-empowerment. Tiger was wholesome, earnest and self-made. He came from a humble family that represented a melting pot of races – who through talent and hard work succeeded. He represented America at its best. We all wanted to be like Tiger. All that is changed now.

Tiger may have been a personal branding superstar, but he forgot one of the most important rules of branding: Your reputation is your most important brand asset.

Already, in just the short time since the scandal broke, the power and magic of the Tiger brand is taking a nosedive. The Davie Brown index that measures celebrity brand influence – how a particular celebrity can influence buying a brand and build brand loyalty – announced that Tiger dropped from 6th place overall to 24^th place.

Of course, we don’t know how this saga is going to end. Tiger could even turn things around with a remorseful apology to his family, his fans and supporters – this time in person – and seeking professional help for his problems. It would take time, but anything is possible. America loves nothing more than a heartfelt redemption story.

As I like to emphasize in my branding talks, you are your most important asset. You are an asset that no one can take away from you. In my opinion, your personal brand is a more valuable asset than what we typically view as assets – your investment assets and your real estate assets.  Personal branding is about maximizing the value of the asset that is you. It’s important to build your brand based on your authenticity – what is special, different and valuable about Brand You.  And guard your personal brand reputation with your life. Because it’s that important.

Visit Catherine Kaputa’s website: www.selfbrand.com

Last week, Oprah shocked her audience with the announcement that after twenty-five years on the “yellow brick road of blessings that led me to you,” she was quitting her top-rated “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in September 2011.

It’s a testament to her stature as a top entertainment “brand” that her announcement became a big news story. After all, she wasn’t leaving soon and she wasn’t abandoning the media world to meditate on a mountaintop. Oprah’s plan was to dedicate all her attention to her new cable venture, OWN, The Oprah Winfrey Network.

Interestingly, when I did the research for my book, The Female Brand, Oprah was the Number 1 female businesswomen cited when I asked women, “Who do you look up to as a female role model or business leader?”

Oprah is clearly someone who has built a strong personal brand – so strong that you don’t have to use her last name. She is a leader in the entertainment industry and she’s someone who knows how to protect her brand. So what can we learn from this personal branding pro? Here’s my short list (and this list could go on and on):

• Don’t be afraid to change at the top of your game
Oprah is a master of quitting while she’s ahead. Making a move when you are at the top of your game is often a smart career strategy. I was on a business panel recently and one of my fellow panelists – an Executive Vice President at a well known bank – made the point that it’s counter intuitive, but the best time to make a career move is when you are thriving. Whether it’s a lateral move in your organization, or you’re trying to increase your responsibilities or move to a new experience, you have the most leverage and confidence when you are happy and doing well. Yet, that is time most of use don’t think of making any changes.

• Surround yourself with the best talent
Have the confidence to surround yourself with talented people. Look at all the talent that Oprah has launched – “Dr. Phil,” “Rachel Ray” and “Dr. Oz” shows all got their start with Oprah. It will not only make your team one to be envied, you’ll have a reputation as a true leadership brand – someone who creates a culture of leadership in the company.

• Have a different, authentic message
Be different is a cardinal rule of branding, yet one that is often neglected in this “me too” world. Oprah never went the exploitative interview approach of the Jerry Spinger show and others. Rather she traveled a different path focusing her brand around empowerment – what some have called a “unique blend of self-help spirituality and commercial flair” or the “mystical and the practical.” For a brand, she is unusual because the appeal of her brand message transcends race, age and economic circumstances.

• Innovate
Oprah created a book club in 1996 and helped get America reading and discussing books. (As any author knows, landing a slot of Oprah often leads to the best-seller charts.) Later she created “O, The Oprah Magazine” with Hearst as a print vehicle for her empowerment ideas. Recently, she championed the movie, “Precious,” as an executive producer.

• Admit your mistakes and move on
Most of us have had our share of failures and mistakes, and so has Oprah. But she quickly puts them behind her and moves on. One of her book choices, “A Million Little Pieces,” became a controversy when the author, James Frey, admitted writing fiction not memoir in key scenes, Oprah had Frey on her show and confronted him – and it became a ratings bonanza. Some of her ventures, like her philanthropic reality show on ABC, “the Big Give” flopped and was cancelled after one year.

•
Like many of us, Oprah has had her share of diet successes and failures, but whatever her weight, she packages herself well with her own style – classic, clean lines with strong color.

Oprah has many leadership and branding tips we can all benefit from. And I’m sure I’ve missed some. Let me hear your thoughts.

I doubt that there is anyone in America unaware of David Letterman’s apology. A blackmail attempt forced Letter to tell a stunned national audience: “I was worried for myself. I was worried for my family,” Letterman said on air. “I felt menaced by this, and I had to tell them all of the creepy things that I had done.”

So, you might be wondering, how does this affect my career and me?
Of course, the threat of exposure forced Letterman into his moment of truth in front of the cameras and we should hold ourselves to a higher standard of ethics. But from a branding perspective, Letterman handled a very bad situation extremely well. Brands can face similar nightmares, for example, when a product this is tampered with harms a customer.
While it’s unlikely that any of us would have the kind of problems Letterman has had, many of us can feel similar career distress when a project blows up or when we experienced a major professional mishap. It’s certainly happened to me.

If this ever happens to you, here are three key lessons from Letterman on how to handle a potential career blowup:
• Be the first to talk about the problem
Letterman was the first person to speak about the problem. He did it himself – in person – without letting a third party speak for him or responding impersonally through a memo or press release. This allowed Letterman to control the message. Likewise, if you have a project that ends badly, don’t wait for others to inform your boss, or hope that it will get swept under the carpet. Do it yourself. Do it in person. Do it immediately.
• Take charge and admit responsibility.
While Letterman’s conduct is not something that any of us would condone, he spoke about it in a direct and personal way that seemed authentic and powerful. And he acknowledged his mistakes and apologized to all the different groups he affected. As a result, people were more likely to feel sympathetic with him. Likewise, taking charge and taking responsibility will brand you as a leader.
• Tell your side of the story.
Letterman took control of the message which resulted in the best possible outcome for him. Likewise, you want to explain what happened when a project goes awry and outline a course of action.

Doing these three things in a business crisis will result in the best possible outcome for Brand You.

Getting noticed is one aspect of making an impact in business.

Of course, you want to get noticed for your ideas, accomplishments and hard work, but having a visual identity that helps you get noticed can be a big plus. The goal is to have a visual identity that brands you in a positive and distinct way and highlights your brand message.

One of the female masters of getting noticed for her ideas, brains and visual branding is Madeleine Albright. Larry King has his suspenders, Sarah Palin has her glasses, and Madeleine has her pins.

Albright’s changing repertoire of brooches often made the news when she was Secretary of State. As one reporter noted, for a stalled summit, she’d don her turtle in lapis lazuli; for a friendly negotiation, she pinned on her dandelion with a moonstone puff, and for a rancorous encounter, her rhinestone bee or copper-pincered crab was just the thing.

Now, years after her high profile role as Secretary of State, I’m still thinking about Albright and her pins because she has a new book out, Read My Pins, and there’s a show of her entire collection at the Museum of Arts and Design.

Albright’s pin fixation started when she was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Saddam Hussein was angry over her attempts to get his cooperation on weapons inspections. The next day, a news story in the Iraqi press called her an “unparallel serpent.”

As Albright recalled,” I had this snake pin, so I thought it would be really fun to wear it when we did Iraq things.” The snake pin, an antique 18-carat gold piece of a coiled snake with a diamond dangling from its mouth, was a big success.

When she was negotiating an anti ballistics treaty with the Russian Foreign Minister she wore a four-inch interceptor missile. (Albright told him, “We make them very small.”). One thing lead to another, and over the years Albright acquired a vast collection of pins – hearts, angels, mosquitoes, panthers, even a rocket-propelled –grenade launcher.

Pins became her trademark visual identity and even brought a light, personal touch to her tough image as a negotiator. Interestingly, the vast majority of Albright’s collection is costume jewelry, pieces she picked up at airport stores or antique shops over the years. Many were given as gifts as pins became her brand trademark.

In her book, Albright reveals that she often was often mistaken over the years for Margaret Thatcher, Barbara Bush or Helen Thomas. That didn’t happen so much anymore once the pins became her trademark.

If there’s no pin, it’s not Albright.

Let me know if you have a visual trademark that’s part of the visual identity for your brand.

Walter Chronkite died today at 92 years old. Living in America during the 60’s and 70’s who could not remember his wonderful baritone voice on the CBS evening news each night? Who could not have been soothed by Chronkite’s calm presence and that deep rich voice as it said each word? We watched him report on wars, elections, defeats, assassinations and the myriad of everyday events that defined American life in those decades. We knew that the world would someone come out all right with Chonkite at the helm.

From a branding perspective, Chronkite owned the word “trust.” He was called “the most trusted man in America” not just the most trusted man in news. He symbolized core American values: truth, integrity, fairness and democracy. Yet he had a folksy side to him – like the ideal dad or a much loved grandfather – that made him seem “real,” like someone we actually knew and could trust.

Chronkite created the news anchor brand – that mixture of gravitas and likeability that so many others have tried to emulate. He ended each news report with his trademark tagline: “And that’s the way it was.”

Here are some excerpts from an interview of Sandra Day O’Conner by Walter Isaacson at the Aspen Institute

Are you happy that a woman, Sonia Sotomayor, has been nominated to fill the latest vacancy on the Supreme Court?

I should say so. I was disappointed when I stepped down that I wasn’t replaced by a woman. It’s important for people to look around and see that women, who make up slightly more than 50 percent of the population, are represented on the court.

Judge Sotomayor’s supporters say that her background and life story would make her a good addition to the court. Should such things matter in picking a justice?

We’re all creatures of our upbringing. We bring whatever we are as people to a job like the Supreme Court. We have our life experiences. For example, for me it was growing up on a remote ranch in the West. If something broke, you’d have to fix it yourself. The solution didn’t always have to look beautiful, but it had to work. So that made me a little more pragmatic than some other justices. I liked to find solutions that would work.

Do you think empathy is an important quality for a justice, as President Obama has said?

I’m not quite sure what that means. I have always tried to set aside emotional feelings when deciding a case. When you’re deciding an abstract principle, I don’t think it’s helpful to have an emotional attachment. But you do have to have an understanding of how some rule you make will apply to people in the real world. I think that there should be an awareness of the real-world consequences of the principles of the law you apply.

Click here for the full interview.