There are phenomena like Hillary Clinton and Rupert Murdoch who endure. Then there are entities like Sarah Palin whose game falls apart and there seems no way back to the sandbox, any sandbox.
THE WASHINGTON POST is no slouch in attempting to deconstruct the rise and fade-out of Palin. The piece that is published has received more than 4,000 comments. Fox News didn't renew her contract and since she didn't build a clear and strong brand she is, well, over.
For years, there will be speculation about the four-year reign of Palin, including daughter Bristol who got into the act and what went wrong. Some posit that her error was turning on those who could have helped her get to the next level of her game. My hunch is that she was hedging her bets too much and played in too many sandboxes. There was the conservative politico one. There was the celebrity one. There was the EveryMom one. There was also StageMother for Bristol one, which might have been the most annoying.
The dynamics of the flawed Palin branding provide lessons for Ghostwriters on how to position and package messaging for our clients. We have to get them to define the sandbox they intend to play in, be nice to the other kids in it, and only look around for more useful space if they assess they can manage a brand change. Among those who have thrived amdist a brand change have been Michelle Obama, Henry Blodget, and Nassim Taleb.
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