Today, I spoke to Dr. Doug Hirschhorn, who is a New York-based psychology expert, mental coach and CNBC commentator. He is also the author of 8 Ways to Great: Peak Performance on the Job and In Your Life. In this interview, Doug talks about Conan O’Brien, what his brand is, if it should be tweaked now, what his competitive advantage is and how he should leverage his brand now since he doesn’t work at NBC.
Describe, in a few sentences, what Conan’s personal brand is?
Gawky, quirky, sharp tongued, blue collar guy. Other than his look and joke style, I don’t think his brand was much different from other late night talk show hosts..meaning…he was just another flavor ice cream among the other 5 flavors. Some like strawberry, some like vanilla, some like choc. chip. But, they are all ice cream.
Could this brand be tweaked in any way?
Yes, and it SHOULD be.
He just got fired from a job he thought was secure. Millions of Americans can directly identify with him now, as a person and not just as a celebrity.
I think he can bolt onto his brand resiliency and how to reinvent yourself in a tough economy. Could be one of the great inspirational, get-back-on-the-horse-and-ride stories of this decade. IF…he builds a larger platform that has global appeal, and not just late night TV appeal.
What is Conan’s unique competitive advantage, in a pool of late-night funny guys?
I think his competitive advantage COULD be that, if he digs in and becomes the TV personality who shows people how
to bounce back from setbacks and come back bigger, and stronger than he was before…BUT NOT JUST AS ANOTHER LATE NIGHT HOST. I think he needs to think more GLOBAL, more DOT.com. Imagine Oprah with a comedy flair. That is some powerful stuff in a world that is more interested in laughing than crying right now.
How should Conan leverage his personal brand now?
He should link up with Oprah or someone with a more serious, global vision/platform and build a product that combines resilience, humanitarian interests and comedy. This would be very new ground not just for him but for the world, which is why it is a risk, but has tremendous upside with NO competition in the space right now.
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Dr. Doug Hirschhorn, a New York-based psychology expert, mental coach and media resource. He is the author of 8 Ways to Great: Peak Performance on the Job and In Your Life (Penguin/G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January 2010). A CNBC commentator himself, he knows how cutthroat the television industry can be. Dr. Doug received his B.A. from Colgate University in 1994, and went on to earn an M.S. in Exercise Science in 2000 from Southern Connecticut State University. In 2005, he received his Ph.D. in Psychology (with an emphasis in sport psychology) from Capella University. He is currently the chief executive officer of DrDoug.com, a consulting firm specializing in “Peak Performance Coaching.” Dr. Doug is based in New York City, where he lives with his wife and three children. He has also appeared on NBC’s Today Show, VH1’s The Fabulous Life, and currently hosts a weekly video blog for CNBC.
