Then/Now/Next

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Award-winning blogger, brand marketer, public relations executive and social media innovator As featured on CNN, "60 Minutes" and "Good Morning America," and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph (U.K.), The Times (London) and more

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Headstrong

Read Marian's award-winning four-part series from the Huffington Post about the brain (including creativity, collaboration, the information onslaught and the new definition of braininess) here.

May 6, 2013, 2:49 pm

Five Steps to a New Brand

Originally posted on the blog of Havas PR North America.

Brand strategist Karen Kang puts the importance of personal reinvention bluntly: “Consider yourself a free agent—no one else is looking out for your best interests but yourself. You need to be crystal clear about who you are and the value you bring to … [continue reading... ]

April 2, 2013, 9:01 am

“Bad Girl”? Great Branding

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

I recently received an intriguing email from a former branding executive who now runs a small marketing consulting company. Nancy Shenker, whose new venture is called theONswitch, found a way to build a personal brand by breaking rules, being rebellious and tapping into her self-professed “dark side.”

It sounds like a risky strategy … [continue reading... ]

March 27, 2013, 9:37 am

How the Trump Kids Have Enhanced the Family Brand

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

When it comes to family names as brand names, unless you’ve done something terrible or had the bad fortune of sharing a name with someone who did, it’s hard to do much worse than “Trump.” For most of the past four decades, the Donald has slapped his name on some … [continue reading... ]

March 22, 2013, 9:19 am

Why Are Entrepreneurs Nearly Always Sexier Than CEOs?

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

It used to be that receiving a CEO title—and the corner office and tufted-leather sofa that came with it—was the acme of professional success. It was the recognition of a lifetime of hard work, of moving up the ranks, of following the path to its pinnacle. Once you’d … [continue reading... ]

March 18, 2013, 10:55 pm

Branding the Pope

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

I’m writing this just after the conclave of cardinals announced the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who last month became the first modern-day pontiff to abdicate the throne. They charted some new ground, choosing 76-year-old Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first non-European to fill the role … [continue reading... ]

March 14, 2013, 9:25 pm

What Having a Brain Tumor Can Do for Your Brand

Originally posted on More.com.

For the record, I’m not suggesting that anyone try to give herself a brain tumor. (How would that even be possible? Tape your smartphone to your head? Slather your scalp with parabens?)

But I can’t help thinking about the fact that for a handful of famous, already alluring women, a brain tumor diagnosis … [continue reading... ]

March 11, 2013, 12:27 pm

Why the Brands of Some of Today’s Weather and Traffic Personalities Are No Accident

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

It used to be that the people who presented weather and traffic segments on the news were as dry as the topics they covered. They didn’t have the fatherly gravitas of the anchorman, the dashing charisma of the foreign correspondents, or the warmth and relatability of the lifestyle … [continue reading... ]

March 7, 2013, 3:28 pm

CEOs Who Fly Planes

Originally posted on Havas Peaks.

Given all the backlash against corporate executives who dared to get on a private aircraft in the past few years, it would seem as if anyone who doesn’t travel in seat 35E would keep quiet about it. But yet, even as the blowback against personal travel and private aviation has persisted, … [continue reading... ]

March 5, 2013, 9:01 am

The Deal Is Off! What to Learn from the Fall of Groupon CEO Andrew Mason

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

Andrew Mason’s unsurprising ouster from Groupon last week wasn’t entirely about his personal brand. As anyone who has been paying attention knows, the group-discount company has been performing spectacularly badly. Its fourth-quarter earnings report was awful, with a GAAP loss of 12 cents per share—that’s 10 cents more (or … [continue reading... ]

February 27, 2013, 9:01 am

Would Mindy McCready Have Agreed with Her Final Branding Statements?

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

A colleague of mine recalls a time when a new boss had taken over her department and everyone was anxious. One of his first acts: handing out New York Times obituaries of distinguished people. “Read these,” he said, “and think about what your obituaries would say.”

His gambit worked. The … [continue reading... ]