Pete Rose, the Man, and the Pete Rose Brand
(Feb. 4, 2004)

You don't need a big-time marketing guru, or a garrison of media relations artisans, to create a brand. You can simply go out and set some major league records, win in the World Series and create for yourself a public imprint as the guy always dashed to first base when he hit a ground ball.

Simply said, the Pete Rose brand is better known in America than those of countless corporate products and services.

The adjectives associated with the brand define the man: Tough. Cocky. Stocky. Persistent. Hustling. Battling. Winning.

And the modifiers associated with the man diminish the brand: Denying. Lying. Self-pitying. Contradicting. Out of control. Losing.

We will see within the next year whether Pete Rose, the brand, or Pete Rose, the man, becomes Pete Rose, the legacy.

In the meantime, communicators can look to Pete Rose as a classic example of how not to deal with controversy.

Consider: What if, in 1988-89, Pete Rose had made his character flaws a short story by saying that he had bet on baseball, and that he was sorry? Would he be in the Hall of Fame by now?