Written by: Vickie Sullivan | February 28, 2019
Why Celebrities Get Away with Stuff That We Can’t
I recently came across another book by a New York Times best-selling author. It was a clever name slapped on a tactic folks have used for decades. My initial response: This is old wine in a new bottle. Hard pass.
And yet … everyone else acts like this idea just invented fire. Which begs the bigger question: When do the rules of thought leadership don’t apply? My answer: When it doesn’t matter anymore.
Here’s how it works: Once you’ve established the front-runner status, the priority is to maintain that position, usually with more content. The big difference now: Mr. Big Dawg can be less innovative because the marketplace gives them the benefit of the doubt. Folks will see their content in a different light because of their positive beliefs about the source. That’s also known as the “halo effect.”
Listen: 2 Rules not to Break Until You’re a Celebrity
Here’s an on-the-ground example: Have you ever been in a meeting when person A has an idea and the room is lukewarm until the more-popular person B says the same thing and everyone is effusive? Yeah, that right there.
So, don’t be fooled when you see this dynamic at play. Don’t say to yourself, “Hey, if she can talk about it, so can I.” Unless you are as famous as a celebrity, we mere mortals can’t get away with relabeling old ideas—until we become the front-runner, of course.
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