Tips for a Unified Brand

In January of 2010, Conan O’Brien lost his job as host of The Tonight Show in front of the entire world. As Lisa Barone wrote in her blog, Outspoken Media,² he “handled it like a professional. With the help of the Internet, he was able to brand himself as the people’s hero. Team Conan was created to honor the quirky giant, and he bid farewell to NBC in style, eventually embarking on a cross-country comedy tour—a tour that was possible, in part, because of the positive buzz and following created through Team Conan.

“In January, the Conan brand was full of energy, life and a spirit of screwing ‘the man.’ It was something everyone could identify with. And it stayed that way for months.

“It stayed that way until May of that same year when he sat down to talk to 60 Minutes.”