The Art and Science of the Public Comeback

The Takeaway

On the cover story of this weekend’s New York Times magazine is a redemption story — or an attempt at one, at least.   The article is called “Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin’s Post-Scandal Playbook” and it features the disgraced Congressman’s first major interview since his resignation nearly two years ago. In the interview, Weiner expresses remorse, swears he’s become kinder, gentler, and more level-headed and reveals that he’s considering running for mayor.
Weiner is not the only public figure who has recently tried to clean-up his image and restore his career. Earlier this month, as Tiger Woods reclaimed his number one World Golf Ranking spot, Nike published an ad with a photo of woods captioned: “Winning takes care of everything.” Around the same time, former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford marked his return to politics, winning a sixteen-way Republican primary for a congressional seat in South Carolina’s 1st District.
This all as fallen cycling superstar Lance Armstrong announced plans to compete in a masters swim meet in Austin.
Dorie Clark, author of   “Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future,” describes the ethics, etiquette and personal branding strategies of image rehabilitation.

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