Charlie Sheen's public rants on major media outlets lately have created a potential brand crisis that he is doesn't seem to be anticipating. In his letter published by TMZ, he states, "Remember these are my people ... not yours...we will continue on together..."
Therein lies the bomb. Charlie believes that he owns his fans. He doesn't. They own him. Unfortunately, he doesn't understand branding.
The essence of branding is the feeling that people have about you. It represents perceived personality, which includes your constituency's total experience with you. People form opinions about you every day, be them good, bad, or indifferent. Brands need attention to thrive, so even "bad boys" enjoy a certain brand capital. When they're celebrities, this sometimes works to their advantage with producers because the "bad boys" have an inate ability to create buzz for a project.
But what happens when people ignore your brand?
It fades.
Brands are only strong when they incite reaction. What if Charlie pushed his fans so far that they stop caring and paying attention? That's a potential crisis that he doesn't seem to be anticipating.
Comments