Preserving a great brand

If you ask me, marketing people everywhere should be taking a bit of time over the Xmas break to think about Shane Warne.

By announcing his retirement today, he is ensuring that one of the world’s great brands will live forever.

I’m sure cricket fans everywhere would love to see Warnie carry on playing. But he’s smart enough to know better.

His brand will hit new heights at the MCG when he takes his 700th wicket. By ending his career on a high he will guarantee that the Warne brand remains at its peak forever.

Of course you don’t need me to tell you that the Shane Warne brand has taken a bit of a beating over the years.

But has it really?

Despite all the text messages, diet pills and the divorce, Warne is still a premium brand.

And by maintaining his focus on the talent and skills that made him a premium brand, he has transcended mere brand status and surely become what Kevin Roberts would call a Lovemark.

Just as books like The Art Of War have become business bibles, I reckon there’s a great marketing and branding book buried within the Shane Warne story.

If only he could find someone, preferably male, that he trusts enough to write it.