« Query about a Cardinal? Go here! | Main | Duran Duran plays a fundraiser at the Louvre »
June 10, 2008
"How Will Bill Clinton Manage His Brand?"
What a great headline from Business Week - "How Will Bill Clinton Manage His Brand?"
Former President Bill Clinton last year earned around $50 million in speaking fees, giving 80% of that to his philanthropic foundation. He once cleared $700,000 in a single weekend delivering three speeches, one of which was by videoconference. The Bill Clinton Show ran in venues last year from Las Vegas to Dubai, as he paraded his increasingly Bono-like persona before industry, political, and investor groups around the world.That was then. Now, the White House hopes of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) are in tatters. And the former President's reputation and image have been dented by his role in her campaign—after many pundits and analysts blamed him for overreaching in denigrating the electability of Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.). After the South Carolina primary in January, Bill Clinton was criticized for seeming to belittle Obama's win there, comparing it to the 1984 and 1988 primary victories by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Thus, the question facing Bill Clinton is what he should do about his brand to protect his legacy, as well as the moneymaking machine he has come to count on.
I'd never thought of it as a branding issue, but then I don't work for Business Week.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at June 10, 2008 6:58 AM