Personal Brand Stories

 

They turned their talents, skills and values into marketplace advantage.

They became distinctive and remarkable…

 

Ralph Lauren
Oprah Winfrey
Martha Stewart

Today's mega brands rarely have a human face. The exceptions are legendary: Fashion icon Ralph Lauren continues to personify the company he founded in 1967, which ranked #99 among the best global brands for 2007. Oprah Winfrey is the only female billionaire among the Forbes 400 richest Americans based on the success of her personal brand. Martha Stewart provides a different testimony to the power of the person-as-brand marketing strategy.

Read their Power Personal Brand stories below. Discover what makes each one distinctive and remarkable --- and what strong personal brands have in common.

Ralph Lauren

In 1967, Ralph Lauren started his company with 26 boxes of ties. Over the years, Lauren has demonstrated a keen business sense, standing by his brand reputation at all costs and prevailing through several business setbacks. Lauren personifies his brand identity: quality, luxury and sophisticated American taste -- never faddish or flashy. His face is recognized around the world as the man behind the brand. Ralph Lauren embodies the best of American style.

Under Lauren’s leadership, the brand's distinctive identity is expressed in design and execution. Lauren was the first fashion designer to have his own store and the first to sell a total lifestyle experience in a retail environment. Lauren's advertisements also were the first to show models in “real life” settings that became immediately associated with his brand.Ralph Lauren himself has won every fashion industry award.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation went public in 1997 and is now a $10+ billion global leader in design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. The Ralph Lauren brand ranked #99 in 2007 Best Global Brands. Today, Lauren’s personal net worth is said to exceed $1 billion.

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Oprah Winfrey

Time magazine coined a new term --- rapport talk --- to describe Oprah Winfrey’s distinctive form of communication. She was the first to take the television talk show format into a new realm of personal dialogue, confession and compassion. Oprah tapped into the unmet need of millions of women for conversation about private, personal issues - even vicariously

Oprah displaced Phil Donahue as the country’s #1 talk show in 1984. The Oprah Winfrey Show, syndicated in 1986 and produced by Winfrey herself, has been the top rated talk show for 21 consecutive seasons.* Her multi-media companies (under the name Harpo) produce programs for TV, big screen, Broadway, radio and the internet. O, the Oprah Magazine is one of the most successful magazine launches in recent history. The OprahWinfrey Network, or OWN will launch on cable TV in 2009.

Oprah’s business success is built solidly on a powerful personal brand marketing strategy. Oprah has turned her talents, skills and values into a multi-billion-dollar media empire that’s still growing. Other media personalities have tried to emulate her personal brand strategy. So far, no one else has been able to match her ability to make women laugh, cry and dream about how to "live your best life."

Meanwhile, Oprah’s personal net worth in 2007 was reported at $2.5 billion, according her rank of #165 on Forbes list of 400 richest Americans.

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Martha Stewart

Learning from Ralph Lauren's success, Martha Stewart took the person-as-brand strategy to a new level. Martha built her empire by translating an upper class person into products and lifestyle experiences that women in middle-America could embrace. Martha re-invented how to do crafting, cooking and decorating in her books, magazines and TV show. Women talked about being like Martha, dressing like Martha, or having tastes like Martha.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (MSLO) expanded the brand beyond publishing into TV and retail, bringing Martha's world to more of the masses. She struck an exclusive deal with retailer KMart to carry Martha Stewart Everyday houseware and home decor products, bringing instant style cache to the home of the blue-light-special.

When Stewart became a convicted felon, advertisers shunned her magazine. Media executives cancelled her TV and radio shows. Wall Street analysts downgraded her company's stock. At the end of 2001, MSLO was trading around $19/share. On June 4, 2003, when Stewart was indicted on charges of obstructing justice and securities fraud, the stock was $10.

A shrewd businessperson, Stewart knows the strength of her brand is still intricately tied to her personal reputation. She strategically managed her brand from prison. On the day of Stewart's release from prison on March 4, 2005, MSLO stock rebounded to almost $35/share

Experts predicted the death of the Martha Stewart brand. Loyal customers decided that Stewart still had much to offer and accepted her recipe for humble pie. Stewart's fall from grace appears to have made her personal brand more relevant in a way that marketing pundits are still trying to understand.

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What strong Personal Brands have in common

One of the most powerful of human desires is for belonging, for affinity. Today's most successful brands create real emotional bond between their customers and their products (think Apple, Sony and Volkswagen).

It’s easier to identify with a brand when it has a real human face and personality. People feel connected, even if there is only a one-sided relationship in reality. Personal Brands like Ralph Lauren and Martha Stewart appeal to different buyers. But both Lauren and Stewart look, talk and live their target customer's desired lifestyle --- as well as providing products that make that lifestyle reality. Oprah inspires her audiences to dream, hope and (more and more) to take action. Oprah lives an extraordinary life, but she still connects with ordinary hearts.

Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey have proven themselves in three different market niches. However, they all are

• Distinctive in what they do and how they do it
• Authentic and consistent over the long-term
• Strategic in leveraging their personal brand identity for economic gain

Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey demonstrate the power of Personal Branding as a competitive business strategy. Today, they are household names around the world. But, they all started with a vision to leverage their talents, skills, values and passion for what they love to do. They also learned how to run their businesses with excellence.

Many small business owners --- especially solopreneurs --- have opportunity to use the powerful personal brand marketing strategy. Establish a strong personal brand in the market niche that you want to serve and achieve success doing what you love.

Learn more about how to create a Personal Brand strategy.

 

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Resources Available On This Site

Brand Me, Inc - Small Business Guide to Personal Branding

Brand Me, Inc. is designed specifically for small business owners to develop a Personal Brand as a competitive marketing strategy, even if you are new to marketing.

Click here for details about Brand Me, Inc.

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*SOURCES

Interbrand & Business Week Best Global Brands 2007
ralphlauren.com
oprah.com
forbes.com
marthastewart.blogspot.com
money.cnn.com/news/specials/martha/