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Internet Marketing - How's Your Brand Image?

There just might be some primitive tribesman, deep in the Amazonian rain forest, who has not heard of Donald ("You're Fired!") Trump, but the rest of us have.

So what has this got to do with you and your business? Quite a lot.

Why do you think Donald Trump puts himself on public display so often? I can only immediately think of two reasons:

He is so strapped for cash, he can't afford to hire an advertising agency. I don't think so, do you?

So it must be the other reason: he's a shameless megalomaniac. Very doubtful, because shameless megalomaniacs would never poke fun at themselves, or their hair style, as I -- and millions of others -- have seen him do in "The Apprentice".

So there must be a third, more logical reason. And -- given his obvious success in business -- it's probably rooted in shrewd business principles.

I'm going with reason number three. 

Of course, it helps to have a surname like Trump, and Mr T has been no slouch when it comes to capitalizing on that. That's why you have Trump Tower (a brilliant mimeonic), Trump International Hotel and Tower, not to mention Trump Palace, Trump Mortgage, Trump Restaurants and even Trump Ice -- a brand of water, with guess who's face on the label? And let's not forget Trump University and all the books with titles, such as: "Trump: How to Get Rich" and "Trump: The Way To The Top"

Nor is Donald Trump alone in being the public face of his company. Remember Victor Kiam, the guy who liked the Remington Electric Shaver so much he bought the company?

And you may have also heard of Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Atlantic Airlines. He started his first company, selling records back in days of yore (the 1960s), when they were made from black vinyl. Incidentally, the company name, "Virgin" came about because he was then a virgin in business. But no longer.

Thirty years on the Virgin brand encompasses a vast range of products, from Coke to condoms, via cell phones and credit cards --even trains and boats and planes! In fact, the Virgin brand is up there with the likes of such long standing world recognized brand giants as Coca Cola and Sony.

How is this possible. Simple: trust.

Who would you trust to deliver on their promise: Someone, like Richard Branson, who shows he has a sense of humor by dressing up (beard and all) as a bride to publicize the launch of his new company Virgin Brides or Hiram J Hiram III, the reclusive CEO of the faceless Mammoth Manufacturing Corporation?

As the internet turns the world into a global village, successful business needs to get more and more personal. That means the companies that market themselves the best will increasingly be those who show a human face.

So, take a long, hard look at your own brand -- you -- and think of ways you too can become the best ambassador your business could ever have.

© Copyright 2006 Paul Hooper-Kelly and InternetMarketingMagician.com

KEYWORDS: internet marketing, branding, donald trump, victor kiam, richard branson, virgin atlantic airlines, paul hooper-kelly, internet marketing magician 

WORDS: 507
 
SUMMARY: There just might be some primitive tribesman, deep in the Amazonian rain forest, who has not heard of Donald ("You're Fired!") Trump, but the rest of us have.

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