Bill Cosby’s Brand Crashes and Burns

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By: Cindy Wendland

For the New Year, it is a good time to review the status of our personal brands, how they’ve done, and what can be done to enhance their brand identity. One brand that has fared poorly this year is Bill Cosby. One brand that continues to do well year after year is Oprah Winfrey.

Bill Cosby had allegations levied against him by numerous women. Now sexual assault charges have just been filed. Bill Cosby was America’s father. He was the head of the house on The Cosby Show and a fatherly model to many. He wrote a book called Fatherhood, and he was involved with a fatherhood initiative. He helped many people with their acting careers. He donated large amounts to educational institutions. He is a respected actor and individual until the allegations came about, and until the charges were filed against him. He may not be able to recover from this. His brand may be totally tarnished beyond repair.

Another personal brand that is admirable is Oprah Winfrey. She helps people to lead inspired lives through her many businesses, activities, and charities. With Oprah, whatever she touches turns to gold. Whatever books were on her book club became bestsellers. Now, with her newest announcement of her affiliation with Weight Watchers, the stock had tremendous gains.

Cosby and Winfrey are two respected celebrities and two well-known brands. One brand is on a downward tailspin from which he may not recover. The other brand continues to shine and grow. In the end, it appears that goodness wins and may be the best way to keep your personal brand growing over time. Something to think about.

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About the Author

Cindy Wendland has a background in marketing and finance. She is the creative director for an online men's health magazine, BrainBrawnBody.com, and she gets to write their leisure/travel blog. She is also a web designer helping her clients with online community engagement, websitesbywendland.com. Prior to her web years, she worked in pharmacy consulting.

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