Dr. Neil Hair

I've got quite a lot of time for David Beckham, nothing to do with his ability to swerve balls into nets from a free standing position, nothing to do with his decision to wear skirts (the Scots have been doing that for years), nothing to do with his wife who cant sing. It's his brand that impresses me. Known the world over, followed constantly by the Paparazzi, and worth upwards of $190m. So what can we learn from him as we attempt to brand ourselves? Several issues come to mind, consistency is one of them. He is consistent about his image – style, flamboyance, unique. He has also presented himself (with the exception of naughty text messages to former nannies of his children) as a reliable and trustworthy brand. No doubt a 'safe pair of hands' had he been the English goalie. He has, at least as far as the press go, a unique brand extension that complements his own – his wife. Together they complement each others brands. Interestingly another famous footballer managed this feat with his best friend (who quickly achieved celebrity status in the UK following a number of reality TV appearances), Paul Gascoigne. Together they were always seen out frolicking in pubs and night clubs and achieved a very different brand image (some would say more consistent with the old world footballer which spends most of his small hours looking at pavements). Back to Beckham, if you believe the hype his recent news of a move to LA Galaxy is owed as much to the Hispanic population (who passionately believe in the beautiful game) as it is to the pay check he has accepted. Clear evidence that the brand has transferable qualities. It will be interesting to see if his brand translates to a renewed interest in propper football by the mainstream US population which lets face it, currently believes its something played by 12 year old girls in long socks (which amusingly may have performed better in the world cup than the male US team – I mean honestly, who gets beaten by the Germans in this day and age?).