Not only companies and organizations, personalities too have brands. Hollywood stars have brands that have been consciously or accidentally built. Arnold Schwarzenegger is known by the brand of a ‘tough guy’; Bruce Willis - ‘wise guy’; two time Oscar winner Tom Hanks has the tag of “nice guy”; Sylvester Stallone is remembered as “Rambo or Rocky”; and Julia Roberts - ‘pretty woman’. These actors find themselves in roles that are molded on their brands. There are of course times when the movie makers try to veer away from the actors’ brand images and cast them in uncharacteristic roles. The brand image is so strong that the movie makers do not succeed many times in such efforts to convince the viewers about the actors’ new image. Imagine Jim Carrey in an action packed serious role. Actors’ brands are always in consideration.

Politicians have their brands too. Rudolph Giuliani is the ‘crisis man’. George Bush branded himself as a ‘compassionate conservative’ in 2002 and in 2004 he rediscovered himself with the brand of someone who is keen on ‘protecting America’ and won the election. It’s a different issue though that his brand has taken a severe beating with people questioning his Iraq misadventure. Al Gore had a weak brand and didn’t shine much in the political sphere except being the vice president, steered by the sheer charisma of Bill Clinton. But soon he branded himself as a concerned environmentalist and his stakes have gone up considerably and earned him a Nobel Prize. Hillary Clinton has her own brand as an “intelligent woman politician” and she owes a part of her overall political image to her husband. Seven years in to the millennium, senator Barrack Obama is the latest brand in politics - fresh, futuristic and a change agent.

Sports icons such as: Michael Jordan, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Martina Navratilova, and Lance Armstrong were great personal brands. Who has forgotten Michael “Air” Jordan? Tiger Woods, Shaqueal O’ Neal, and Kobe Bryant and many more sports figures continue to be personal brands worth billions of dollars.

Singers in the music industry thrive on the basis of their personal brands. Listeners pick up their favorite singers’ audio DVDs or CDs not just for their voices. Singers’ personal lives, their style statements, their physical appearances, their drug habits, and even how many times they are put behind bars influences listeners’ choices. Successful personal brands know how to stay in the consciousness of the public. They package their talents with juicy bits of their lives and sell well. While Britney Spears is a bad example, Madonna and J Lo are good examples of this. These people are the skilled readers of the business zeitgeist.

Doug Dvorak is the CEO of DMG Inc., a worldwide organization that assists clients with productivity training, corporate humor and workshops, as well as other aspects of sales and marketing management. Mr. Dvorak’s clients are characterized as Fortune 1000 companies, small to medium businesses, civic organizations and service businesses. Mr. Dvorak has earned an international reputation for his powerful educational methods and motivational techniques, as well as his experience in all levels of business, corporate education and success training. http://www.dougdvorak.com