How To Build Buzz About Your Brand

Published December 16th, 2007

Why would a dashing Poster Model and celebrated Hollywood A-Lister choose to enter often-unimaginative world of Internet Marketing?

Well, to make money online, of course.

That’s why Patrick Pretty, Internet Marketing’s “Sensational Master Of Eye Candy,” entered the IM fray in May 2007.

Patrick Pretty is a branding device, of course. That’s what permitted him to sit alongside Elvis Presley during a private recording session.

It’s also what permitted him to dine with the Queen of England, an event that caused an international media firestorm when Patrick Pretty had the “temerity” to ask the Queen if she’d care for an extra slice of bread with her meal.

The reporters were all over that one. They calmed down, however, when Patrick Pretty invited them to his News Conference — the one he called to announce he’d been made the namesake of a new line of fragrances.

They all got free samples. The “Queen Flap” became old news quickly.

It took longer for Patrick Pretty to distance himself from a different flap. That one occurred when his private psychologist was charged with “stalking” him.

The woman began to follow Patrick Pretty in public and regularly began to appear outside his home. She even issued a News Release, announcing she was treating him for an undisclosed psychological ailment.

Patrick Pretty had to counter the psychologist’s News Release with News Releases and News Conferences of his own.

Such is the life of one of the world’s most well-known celebrities.

Doing anything to build your brand?

Patrick Pretty has become a Forrest Gump-like figure in Internet Marketing. Forrest Gump is famous for his simple-minded charms; Patrick Pretty is famous for holding forth on the complex matters of life.

Like Forrest Gump, he’s been present at famous events. Politicians get in line to curry favor with him — and to listen to Patrick’s “take” on the economy and other issues of importance.

He’s a Poster Model with a big-time brain. His wisdom has added to the power of the brand in Internet Marketing circles and helped generate considerable buzz.

He’s not an “ordinary Poster Model,” to be sure. He is famed for preferring Buffet food over weight-diminishing salads filed with green, leafy vegetables, for instance.

And his gold handicap makes even the PGA Pros envious.

The “Patrick Pretty Way” is an imaginative approach to branding an online business.

If you’re looking to brand your own Internet Marketing or online business, look for ways to generate buzz while keeping things wholesome.

Customers embrace unique approaches if they speak to their sense of humor and convey a positive message.

It’s not hard to get started. Just flex your imagination. Begin by asking “What If” questions. And then build a wholesome brand identity behind the answers.

Think about what appeals to you and the people you know best. Imagine yourself as the customer — and deliver a meaningful message to the customer.

Don’t be afraid to make a customer smile. Be a good guide. Invite the customer to be part of the experience. Provide something memorable, and continue to add to the back story of the brand.

Famed Poster Model Patrick Pretty is the author of “My Secret Identity: How Daring To Be Different Can Put You On The Internet Marketing Map And Position You For Online Success.”