Joyeux 14e to our French friends. It’s been a good week for self-promotion with yours truly getting a cover story in Wellington Today, but it makes me wonder about personal branding, Mrs G. Ritchie (the pop artist formerly known as Madonna) and reinvention.
   I think I finally understand why some people rebrand themselves: because they realize that they have been portrayed the same way in magazines and newspapers and want to read something else about themselves. So far, no personal profile of mine has mentioned my recitation of Benny Hill sketches, singing with jazz bands, and how I almost had a cover story in Forbes before Dr Evil, like an idiot, wanted to take over the world.
   OK, that last one’s not true.
   Still, I haven’t got anywhere near that “tiredness” level when one realizes that the biggest media have only ever quoted me, not profiled me. However, I have realized that I am due for new publicity photographs: the ones usually used are of me from 2001 and 2003, and I should keep the two-year cycle of PR pics. Never mind that I don’t age: personal brands need rejuvenation and updating like any other.

Note: For more information on personal branding, Beyond Branding co-author Thomas Gad, the man who began the Medinge meetings, co-wrote (with Anette Rosencreutz) an excellent book on the subject, entitled Managing Brand Me. posted by Jack Yan, 5:15 AM  permalink