Branding Reality
I’m just going to jump into the fray here. And it’s going to seem sudden to some of you – but I’ve been a die-hard fan of reality TV since I can’t tell you when. My local Atlanta market is teeming with reality stars – and so I’ve decided to launch my self-indulgent series entitled Branding Reality. Here I’m going to talk about my fascination with the shows and the brands and business opportunities that emerge and soar from the fifteen minutes of fame afforded to all.
There is an art to making reality TV work for you and not against you. In fact I think you MUST enter the whole realm with your eyes wide open and a real plan in order to reap the deeper benefits. Because let’s face it, you give up sooooo much of your privacy and sense of peace to be on these types of shows that it better pay off for you in the long run.
Thankfully, most of the women on the Real Housewives and Married to Medicine (Bravo franchises) seem to have a plan – or else they’re coached by others to help them get to the next level. And though it makes for good gossip some of the reality stars just aren’t prepared for the spotlight and I’ll highlight those cringe-worthy/brand-decimating moments too…
In any event – let’s get started… My current favorite standout from Sunday’s episode is Lisa Nicole from Married to Medicine. Let’s just say that judging by her website she’s not new to branding and marketing. Her nickname is Ms. Millionaire Maker – so it’s really no surprise that she came on the show this season primed and ready to go.
I’m going to state the obvious here – these shows are edited for ratings and are frequently designed to cast people in such a poor light in order to build the hype. But so far Lisa Nicole’s personal brand get’s an A +. She comes off as approachable, authentic and secure – no doubt balanced by her off-screen accomplishments.
Lisa Nicole’s branding lessons for you: She is the poster child for multiple streams of income and it all intertwines beautifully on her website. Just to do a bit of geeky analysis here – Did you notice the name of the MLM organization on BravoTV? Her marketing and coaching programs seem to leave it off as well, which kind of suggests that she discovered the secret of doing well in an MLM structure. Either get involved early in a successful MLM and really work to build your downline or funnel the traffic off into your own side-hustle. Kudos – that’s well played.
Cheers!
Lise
I’ll also be tweeting along with the shows to provide my insights as they occur to me – so follow me @costorybrand on Twitter.