As we started exploring personal branding, we also started to wonder whose personal brands Banfielders love or hate (or at least really don’t care for) the most?
A personal brand encompasses everything about an individual that is available for consumption and interaction including, but not limited to, your background, your career, your accomplishments and failures, the choices you make, what you say (or don’t say), the products you endorse and the causes you support — along with the public sentiment towards all of the above.
An anonymous survey asked team members to rate the personal brands of some high-profile people with “love”, “hate” or “somewhere in between”. While the majority of answers were “in between”, the exceptions were quite revealing…
The Politicians
Barack Obama 77% Love
Brand signatures: HOPE, “Yes, we can”, the Oval Office, hoops fan, Obamacare
Twitter: 75.2 million followers (@BarackObama)
Donald Trump 86% Hate
Brand signatures: Gold-plating, comb-over, “Make America Great Again!”, “You’re fired!”
Twitter: 8.5 million followers (@realDonaldTrump)
Banfielders gave a high approval rating to POTUS Obama, while presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump – builder of Towers, border walls and uneasiness – handily won the title of ‘most hated’.
More love for: Michelle Obama (64%), Justin Trudeau (57%), Al Gore (36%),
No love for: Stephen Harper
Love/hate relationships: Hillary Clinton
The Entrepreneurs
Bill Gates 45% Love
Brand signatures: Microsoft, philanthropy, Forbes wealthiest person, glasses
Facebook: 18 Million likes
Mark Zuckerberg 14% Hate
Brand signatures: Facebook, philanthropy, gray shirt/black hoodie, “The Social Network”
Facebook: 66 million followers
Banfielders applauded the Microsoft founder, due in large part to the impressive work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. While pretty tame in any case, we can only assume Mark Zuckerberg detractors are put-off by inscrutable Facebook privacy settings.
More love for: Elon Musk and Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson (40%), Steve Jobs (36%), Sheryl Sandberg (14%), Jeff Bezos (9%), Kathy Ireland (5%), Marissa Mayer (5%)
No love for: Carly Fiorina
Love/Hate relationships: Ralph Lauren
The Entertainers
Tina Fey: 73% Love
Brand signatures: 30 Rock, SNL, Mean Girls, glasses and scar, New Yorker, Sarah Palin impression
Bestseller: “Bossypants” sold 1 million copies in 23 weeks
Kanye West: 45% Hate
Brand signatures: #1 hits, music producer, arrogance, shutter shades, comparisons to Jesus, celebrity feuds, Kardashian connection
Bestseller: Has sold 100 million digital music downloads
Madonna 27% Love 23% Hate
Brand signatures: Queen of Pop, sex, cone bra, “Material Girl”, “Like a Virgin”, reinvention, voguing, high-profile marriages, Truth or Dare, Vatican ban
Bestseller: Has sold more then 300 million albums
Seems we prefer our extremely talented people to be funny and likeable while hosting awards shows instead of surly and arrogant while sabotaging them. Never one to shy away from controversy, Madonna was our survey’s most polarizing figure.
More love for: Ellen (77% because who doesn’t love Ellen?), Jimmy Fallon (65%), George Takei and Amy Poehler (59%), Mindy Kaling (52%), Justin Timberlake, Prince, Lady Gaga, JK Rowling, Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer (50%), Ana Kendrick (41%), Russell Brand (27%), Nick Offernan (23%)
More hate for: Justin Bieber (41%), Mary Kate & Ashley (27%)
Love/hate relationships: Drake
The Athletes
Serena Williams: 36% Love
Brand signatures: Tennis, the Serena slam, younger sister, power and dominance, fashion, Pepsi and Nike endorsements
High performance: 21 Grand Slam wins
Tiger Woods: 27% Hate
Brand signatures: Golf, the Tiger slam, green jackets and red shirts, Nike swoosh, Buick, infidelity and divorce
High performance: 14 Major championships
Both dominant for long stretches in their respective sports, Serena seems to have earned love as a classy champion while Tiger has lost face through his tumultuous personal life. We aren’t the only ones to turn on Tiger, as most of his endorsement deals were pulled following his well publicized fall from grace.
More love for: PK Subban and David Beckham (32%), Lebron James (22%), Rhonda Rousey (14%), Danica Patrick (9%)
No love for: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Celebrities
Jamie Oliver: 52% Love
Brand signatures: Chef, books and TV shows, “Food Revolution”, accent, knives and cookware
Instagram: 4.4 million followers
Dr. Phil: 77% Hate
Brand signatures: Psychologist, folksy sayings, straight talk, Oprah, author, moustache, Robin, proudly bald
Instagram: 183k followers (private)
What pushed Jamie Oliver ahead of Oprah and the Queen? Probably food porn. Who can resist all those tantalizing Instagram-ready recipes? As for Dr. Phil, seems his folksy charm has worn thin, as he managed to beat a Kardashian on our least likeable list.
More love for: Oprah & Queen Elizabeth II (45%), Martha Stewart (27%), Lauren Conrad and Mike Homes (23%)
More hate for: Kim Kardashian (73%), Paris Hilton (52%)
The Write-In Votes
Love
John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Emma Watson, Ryan Reynolds, Kat Von D, Action Bronson, Norm Macdonald, Leonardo DiCaprio, Béyonce, Coco Rocha, Matt Bellassai, Dan Savage
Hate
All Kardashians, Kevin Bacon, Ke$ha, Martin Shkreli, Keemstar, SoFloAntonio
Love/Hate
Carrot Top