Chris Brown Makes an Apology

Chris Brown released a video apology to the media this week. The content was fine. But the delivery negated the message he was trying to convey. Mr. Brown read his apology off a teleprompter, and did it pretty badly. It was stilted, his eyes were not connecting with the audience, and as a result he came across as insincere. I cringed while watching it and didn't buy a word.

Very few people are good at reading a telepromter and making it look like it's impromptu. Even Oprah Winfrey can't read a teleprompter and make it look natural. Check out how she reads her show intros or teases into her commercial break. Her eyes track left to right as she reads. She speaks haltingly like it is the first time she's ever looked at these words (which is probably the case.) It ain't pretty. Now President Barack Obama is a different story. Obama would be the gold standard. The man knows how to read a teleprompter. If that teleprompter hadn't come crashing to the ground during a recent press conference, the general public might have never known he was reading from a script. President Obama's good. I've watched President Obama. Chris Brown... you are no President Obama.

So what should Chris Brown have done? Kill the teleprompter. It's not an easy skill to master, and when you are trying to convey sincere regret, it can be a disaster. When Brown's advisors wrote up his apology, they should have given it to him to read over, let him change it to reflect his own voice, speech pattern and language, and then take it into his heart. Memorize the message, rehearse with media consultants or acting coaches, and then toss the copy, toss the teleprompter and speak to the camera from your heart. It might have been rougher around the edges, but it would have appeared more sincere and connected more to the audience. Instead, he looked like a victim of a PR plan gone wrong. And also, the photos seen last week of him wearing the giant diamond encrusted "OOPS!" pendant dangling from his chest didn't help.

The King of Pop

How could I avoid blogging about Michael Jackson? I tried, but it didn't work. I just had to write about The King of Pop and how The King of Pop became The King of Pop. And by the way, just in case you missed it, Michael Jackson is The King of Pop. And that's what I call BRANDING.

So let's talk about this "King of Pop" business. This is the grandiose title used every time Michael Jackson's name is mentioned. It's mentioned by reporters, by news anchors, by journalists, by friends, by fans and even by his family. So, who crowned him the King of Pop? Michael Jackson did, that's who. Yep, he came up with the self congratulatory title all by himself, and the media bought it hook, line and sinker. Why? Because the media loves titles. Hooks. Lines. Something catchy that rolls off the tongue.

So how Michael he do it? It's no secret that he sent out a press release years ago announcing that he would now be known as "The King of Pop." He went about feeding stories with that title in the heading. Then he made sure all interviewers used that title in their intro. Then he made sure that all stories written about him included that title. Then he made sure all his pals referred to him as "The King of Pop." And it stuck.

The lesson? It doesn't matter who comes up with your brand, or even if it's true. As long as you declare it, and use it enough, it's your brand. If you call yourself "Psychic to the Stars" then that's what you are. If you call yourself "The Foremost Expert in Eyebrow Shaping", then by god, that's what you are. If you call yourself "The King of Pop" and demand that that's how they refer to you, then "The King of Pop" is born.

Michael Jackson was an amazing entertainer. He was also and amazing marketer. The proof is in the headlines.