I saw gary speak at the GBTC Tech Night. He’s certainly a colorful character, but he also was, I thought, very articulate and had thought a lot about social media and where it is going. I think he’s right on with personal branding – reminiscent of what @armano was saying about Brand Me 1.0.
You should have a look at his book: Crush It (http://ping.fm/SCs1a). It is an easy read and really a mix of three things:
- autobiographical
- looking forward to new media and what you need to do in order to build a brand for yourself
- inspirational in that he recommends you should just be yourself and that the web allows you to connect to those who have similar interests to you. By doing the things you love you’ll be the most authentic and successful.
It still rings true that his first focus: Wine selling online – and the fear associated with its high-minded personas – was a great one to be the counter culture with. I’m not sure that other passions he discusses might be equally successful.
However, it is refreshing to hear a voice outside of R/GA or Organic (or MadMen) thinking about these topics.
I’m curious to know where his fledgling consultancy goes from here.
What do you think? Is he going to be able to buy the Giants by the time he’s 40? Let me know: @johnwhalen
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One more thing I meant to mention. Interesting thought: Gary focused on the fact that the internet is still in its infancy – not even 10 years old. Given the impact its had so far, imagine its impact in the next 10 years. What is coming then…interesting to consider.