Brand management experts see opportunity for Palin

A number of personal brand management experts see opportunity for Sarah Palin in her step down from the Alaska governor's office:

"She's fascinating. She's a celebrity in a party that has very few celebrities," said Jenn Stark, who runs Know Your Brand in Cincinnati, Ohio. "So if she plays her cards right, it could really, really work out well for her."

The problem for the former Republican vice presidential nominee is that she's so famous, virtually everyone has already formed strong opinions about her. So far, her brand has been defined by others -- first, by the John McCain campaign and then by the media.

"I think that was one of the reasons there was this abrupt resignation," said Rex Whisman, founder of BrandED Consultants Group in Denver. "Now is the time to develop an appropriate brand platform and have Gov. Palin define and help guide what her brand is."

Because, as Stark put it, "she has already set a brand perception within the minds of many Americans," Palin can't make radical changes.

"Her brand will continue to be one that is strongly conservative, strongly for the American individual, and I think that will continue to play well in the heartland," said Stark.

The rest of the article is here.

- JP