The Reality of Not Being Real

Well, she's at it again.  And it's still not good.  I will say, she is a shrewd marketer of her own brand.  But it still seems as if she doesn't think it all the way through.  I'm of course talking about Sarah Palin and her attempt to leverage the Rolling Thunder Memorial Day event in Washington D.C.


Great effort on her part to leverage a very meaningful and heartfelt event that enlisted people and veterans respect.  But to don dark glasses and a leather jacket while hitching on the back of a bike just undermines her entire effort to be "real."


Everything about it reeks of a staged opportunistic PR gaff.  The well primped look, the "heartland of America" theme, even the "One Nation" title for her bus tour.  What's missing was her ability to ride a motorcycle, her ability to respect what our service men and women do on a daily basis, and her ability to be real.  Or wait a minute, perhaps she is being true to herself.  In which case it's sad that she's learned so little about what real American's want from a brand - real, honest goodness.

IMF Proves Brand Importance Exceeds Experience

This in no way supports nor advocates the ability for a world leader, or anyone else for that matter, to abuse another human being.  As a matter of fact, I know little enough about the now-former IMF chief, to comment on anything other than the demise of his personal brand.  

Pool photo by Emmanuel Dunand

As you may know, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was accused of a number of sexual assault charges just a few weeks ago. It devastated his career and his reputation.  For the vast majority of people in the world, it is really the first time they even heard his name.  If you don't believe me, just ask someone if they know his name.  Then ask them what he did as the head of the IMF.  


Most will only shrug and say, "I really don't know."   


The reason I bring this up is that, as horrific his acts are, they were atrocious enough to warrant his resignation as the head of the International Monetary Fund.  His sickness and sociopathic tendencies were bad enough for the world to say, "I really don't care what he did to pull the world out of a global financial crises.  I care more about the people of the world."  


And to me, that is a good thing.  For the first time, in a long, long time, the world is speaking that the human condition is more important than the financial.


It makes me smile to think of it.