Packers and the Brett Favre Brand
You know you have a good Personal Brand when people want to pay you to stop competing. How would you feel if someone wanted to pay you $20M to stop doing what you love? Well, reportedly, that is what the Green Bay Packers have considered putting in the cards to keep Brett Favre off the field.
Now while Favre is a living legend quarterback, I can understand why the Packers are not interested. They have a future to consider. Favre on the other hand does not, at least not in the NFL. He is done. But is it worth $20M to keep him from competing against you? Seems to be a lot of stock put in to a single human being for a team sport.
And what does Favre have to consider? Sure he could come back for another season or two but the chances of winning a Super Bowl are pretty slim. So what is Favre in it for? It can’t be for the money, otherwise he would take the $20M. Does Favre have some self-indulgent disease that requires he be in the limelight all the time? His move here is pretty selfish if you think about it. He isn’t thinking about the distraction he is causing the Packers’ organization here. Frankly, he is putting his own reputation on the line.
The Packers are doing what is in their best interest, as they should, but I don’t think offering to pay $20M to keep him from competing is the right way to achieve this. If Favre wants to play and you don’t want him then let him go do his thing and muck up some other organization. Offering money to keep him out sets the wrong precedent. The last thing we need are super star athletes thinking if they retire and then threaten to come back and compete they can collect. That just isn’t right.
So while Favre is putting his legendary reputation in jeopardy, Green Bay is squirming to have their cake and eat it too. It’s almost like divorce.
W. is bad branding for Oliver Stone
So Oliver Stone is releasing another flick, this one titled, “W.” Guess what it’s about…
Well, apparently, in Stone’s words, the film asks: “How did Bush go from being an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world?”
Is this really the best question to be asking, let alone pouring millions of dollars into to make a profit? Stone appears to more interested in his own narcissist conspiracy theories than a true empirical study. Based on reviews and feedback I have seen, Stone may even be putting his own reputation on the line with this flop.
But who knows, maybe the American people will eat it up. No doubt the rest of the world will. I do question the impact this will have on Stone’s legacy. Oliver Stone makes good movies and is certainly a credible name brand, but he is not flawless and this W. movie could very well be a sign of the times for Mister Stone.
Here is the trailer. You decide how you think this will affect the Stone brand.
We all have our problems and our vices. But we still have a role in life. You don’t make it to the White House by being a drunken bum, let alone by being an arrogant dumb ass. There is an element of Providence in that life achievement and to toss it out there as some sort of extreme and mistaken good fortune demonstrates an inability to comprehend, or at least an element of denial for acknowledging a Supernatural aspect in life.
This is bad branding for Stone. I think he will be the fool with this product.
