Читать книгу The Business of Being YOU - Fleur Brown - Страница 5

While the invention of television, social media, and other digital channels have made fame and profile a bigger focus, none of this is new. Most people who have held or exerted influence over the centuries have paid attention to their personal profile.

Heroic figures such as Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama have used their personal media profiles to draw attention to glaring, human rights issues.

There was nothing accidental about Mother Teresa’s photographs with popular royal Princess Diana. Due to her high personal profile, she was consistently recognised as one of the most admired individuals in the world, which is, of course, incredibly powerful when you are hoping to change the world. The Dalai Lama’s constant media coverage and cluster of celebrity followers, such as movie star Richard Gere, and his appearances on popular TV reality shows such as cooking show MasterChef are no doubt aimed at keeping his personal brand alive, so he can remain influential throughout the world.

Perhaps reluctantly, Nelson Mandela was regarded as a media icon. During his imprisonment, his views were a focal point of most of South Africa's political stories, particularly overseas. How that story ended is one of the most inspiring personal brand stories in modern history.

If Jesus Christ or other revolutionaries had started their quest in modern times, they would no doubt have their own website and a healthy Facebook following.

If you look beneath the surface of many who are famous, you will find deeper motivations than fame itself; the back-stories of most celebrities are full of great examples of overcoming adversity and great odds to find success. For many, the deepest motivation stems from a desire to somehow take a message to the world about their own struggles.