Do what I say…not what I do: How Eliot Spitzer Forgot His Brand

As some of you might know, I live in Albany, NY, the capital of New York State. But what you may not know is that I live only a few hundred yards from both Governor Eliot Spitzer office at the Capitol and his home, the Governor’s Mansion.

So, as you could believe, the fodder and speculation of the Governor’s recent ‘activities’ with a prostitution ring is swirling in the ‘hood. Obviously Client 9 will have to resign (probably as part of a deal to avoid major prosecution), and his career is lost.

But there is something any business owner can take from this (and it’s not about just being plain stupid). It’s about branding. Seriously.

Throughout the election for governor, Spitzer was branded as the “Mr. Clean of Wall Street,” and showed (while he was Attorney General) that any person – no matter how big and powerful – will be punished when they misconduct themselves. He also promised to bring the same ethics reform to NYS government as its leader.

The problem is he didn’t live up to his own brand.

It’s important when you brand yourself, you need to live it.

For example, as a professional publicist, I use the same techniques to attract the media’s attention that I do for my clients. Otherwise, I’d be a fraud. It’s part of my brand. After all, if I don’t use them, why should anyone else?

What other lessons does Eliot teach us? Leave a comment and let me know.