Advertisements for Shane Warne’s 888 online poker business have appeared on a hardcore porn site.

The ads, which show a grinning Warne throwing cards and gambling chips towards the camera, feature on a website broadcasting explicit adult videos.

Warne’s manager James Erskine said that the ads had appeared on the site without either his or his star client’s knowledge.

“No, Shane nor I were aware of the 888 Poker Site appearing on porn sites,” Mr Erskine told The Sunday Telegraph.“Thank you for informing us, we will look into it.”

The sportsman’s brother Jason Warne, who is general manager of the children’s charity The Shane Warne Foundation, said that he would inform his board members.

He said that 888 Poker had been “sensational” in supporting their annual poker tournament to raise money for sick and underpriveleged children.

“If they were breaking the law, then obviously that’s something we’d take umbrage to and disassociate with but I don’t know,” Mr Warne said.
“It’s something that I’ll speak to the board about and get their opinions on, but it’s not something I really want to take a stand on myself just off the cuff.

“I actually look forward to having a conversation (with Shane’s) management and find out what their position is and convey that to our board and we’ll make a decision from there.”

The controversy is the latest in a series of sex scandals which have plagued the leg-spinner since the height of his career.

The father of three, who last year became engaged to former model and actress Elizabeth Hurley, was stripped of the Australian vice-captaincy in June 2000 after it emerged he had bombarded British nurse Donna Smith with dirty text messages and phone calls.

In May 2006, a UK tabloid published pictures of Warne posing in his underwear with a pair of topless 25-year-old models as well as more explicit text messages allegedly sent by him.

The infidelities led to the breakdown of his marriage to first wife Simone Callahan in 2007 and his relationship with Hurley was also threatened when it emerged he had been sending saucy texts to a married Melbourne businesswoman at the beginning of their courtship.

Image consultant Jon Michail, of Image Group International, said that based on the public’s willingness to forgive Warne in the past, he should survive this latest controversy unscathed.

“My personal opinion is that what he’s doing is not right,” Mr Michail said. “(But) in my evaluation, it’s not going to do any damage to him whatsoever. He’s already done things worse than this. Having a business associated with a porn site is not the end of the world for Shane.

“There are ‘sacred cows’ out there. There are some people you can’t touch. Shane Warne is on a good wicket, pardon the pun.”

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/shane-warne-in-internet-porn-row/story-e6frfmqi-1226274775288#ixzz1myYX9Hr2

Perhaps it might help to think of a vote for a politician as a trip to the supermarket.  When you look for your cornflakes or bath cleaner, you normally reach out for your favourite brand, or for a new product that has been particularly well promoted.

So it is with politicians and their parties.  Image has become more important than content. Political parties are becoming more willing to accede to the demands of their constituents rather than implementing policy based on political ideology.  That packet of cornflakes has a great new look – pity about the taste.

The established political parties seem to be trying to be all things to all people. The application of branding frameworks to political parties and politicians is now an accepted practice. Unfortunately, this “shotgun” approach is seldom effective in business and is unlikely to be an effective strategy in politics long-term. I believe that minor parties with a defined ‘brand’ like the Greens simply can achieve more prominence when viewed against such a populist backdrop if they are truly “authentic”.

Interestingly, authenticity is an attribute that seems to disappear in the cut and thrust of politics.  The successful business and personal brands grow their customer base and make serious money from it, but somehow the contrivance and scripting of political personalities dilute it out of existence.  In order to achieve the approbation of the party machine, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been de-personalised by her branding team.  Where is the feisty, witty lady who fought her way to the top?

Interestingly, Ms Gillard reclaimed some of that early authenticity when she had to defend her position from those damaging leaks to the media from her own team during the last Australian Federal Government election campaign.

Michael Gordon in ‘The Age’ noted that it was the first time in the campaign she appeared to be unscripted and that it was an authentic and convincing performance.  Political journalist Michelle Grattan, in another article, commented that Ms Gillard’s return to feistiness was an improvement on her usual polished, ‘slightly confected’ performance.

Authenticity, come back!  It is indeed ironic to realise that the brand attributes that took Julia Gillard to the top have largely been ironed away in order to placate the party organisation. Hopefully for her sake, she can re-claim some of her zest as the year unfolds.

Unlike the purchase of the packet of cornflakes, the branding of politicians and parties is surrounded by the media and its need for attention. The frenzy that attends every move of politicians is, thankfully, not focussed on the supermarket.  I can shop to my heart’s content without having my selections scrutinised by the paparazzi.

The branding of politics is a huge challenge for political party strategists, and I am yet to be convinced that they are getting it right and I have my reasons for that, but I will leave it for another day. In the meantime I plan to stick to being a paying customer and enjoying the challenges of product and service branding by visiting my local Woolworths store.

Check out the following story as reported in the Herald Sun. The guys that normally get it wrong are now advising their ‘clients’ on what to do right – you have to laugh.

http://m.news.com.au/VIC/pg/0/fi959066.htm

The latest trends confirm all our current experience.

When the economy becomes shaky, the workplace standards increase as a matter of survival. Now is the perfect time to get your professional look right.

Check out the following link.

It’s suit up or ship out at work as casual days become less popular

In The Obamas, writer Jodi Kantor, a respected New York Times reporter,   draws on interviews with 33 current and former White House insiders to  depict an administration riven by in-fighting during its first two years. Mrs. Obama fought for influence with former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and was corrected on protocol by then White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

According to Kentor, the president “who felt guilty about the sacrifices his wife was making, was unwilling to tell her what she could not do… so Gibbs took on the task”, the book discloses. He became an “internal enforcer of the rules of the political world, issuing a steady stream of warnings and no’s”.

Mr Gibbs told her she could not tack a private holiday on to a state visit, lavish money on redecoration or send heavily on designer outfits.

The insights reveal that behind the charming and always elegant first lady is a steadfast supporter of the President and his personal brand to the point that away from the public eye she constantly clashes with top aides over everything from tactics on health care reform to her taste in designer clothes.

If you were ever suspicious on how Barack Obama made it to the top so quickly, its possible to now also speculate that the influence power of his wife Michelle’s chutzpah has made a huge impact.

Have you ever heard of the ‘humblebrag’?  This unattractive phenomenon has evolved in recent years due to the ever-increasing use of social media, particularly in Twitter and Facebook.  It appears when a contributor tries to brag without bragging, which sounds rather odd, but I’ll explain.  It happens when someone tries to disguise their latest triumph by wrapping the news with a coating of false modesty.  ‘It’s so embarrassing,’ they might say.  ‘I’ve won the achievement award again.  I can’t think why – there were so many great contenders.’  It reminds me of a scene from Mr. Bean where he is presented a cake for his birthday that he originally ordered for himself and responds to the waiter when it was delivered, “For me?”.

Urbandictionary.com defines humblebragging as ‘… subtly letting others now about how fantastic your life is while undercutting it with a bit of self-effacing humor or ‘woe is me’ gloss.’  Anyone can humblebrag.  I’ve been guilty of it myself, but I mostly recovered in time by catching myself and deleting the evidence before it went viral.  Humblebragging is a skill that crosses all boundaries, no matter what your social grouping, your economic status or your gender.

There’s little doubt that this distasteful little trend has come about through the exponential rise of social media usage.  We share our innermost thoughts and daily activities with the world, and they’re much the same as everyone else’s. As a result it’s only human to want to share and revel in our successes, but at the same time we don’t want our tall poppy heads lopped off.  So what to do? Inevitably we try to make light of our achievement with a humblebrag.

But however often we indulge in a modest little humblebrag, we’ll never be as good as the celebrities and faux-celebrities of this world.  Here are some modest (and genuine) little humblebrags as recounted by the Independent.

‘I just realised I’ve only showered in ONE of my FIVE showers since I’ve moved in here. This must change.’

‘Signing photos of myself never ceases being a strange and awkward experience.’

‘In New York City in my bum clothes, and I’ve honestly never been hit on by so many guys in one day. I must be ovulating, or something.’

It’s not surprising that Australians have adopted the humblebrag with amazing enthusiasm.  Who wants to appear a show off, or worse, a wanker?  So, in an effort to avoid that sort of backlash, we lessen the impact by wrapping it in a show of humility.

What’s so bad about wanting to share our good luck or a success with our friends?  Why can’t we just say it like it is?  During our sessions with clients we suggest that they first ask themselves why they want to publicise their achievements. Perhaps, if it’s primarily to gain approval from others, it’s not such a good idea. But if we are really excited about our achievements, by all means be proud and let everyone know. We might inspire others to change their lives and achieve the same as we have.

Our experience also suggests that there could be another deeper social anxiety going on.  Perhaps we are diminishing our achievements so that we don’t make others feel inferior.  After all, they may have issues we are not aware of. Things may not be going too well for them. However, this does seem rather extreme.  Most of us will be thinking such sensitivity can be taken a little far.

So, what do we do?  What exactly is the social etiquette when networking?  When someone asks you personally what’s happening with you, you should feel able to respond openly and honestly.  On the other hand, you run the risk of being labelled as ‘up yourself’ if you shout your good news out to the world, especially in an “egalitarian” culture like Australia. My experiences in other parts of the world especially in the US suggests otherwise.

Maybe you just need to keep things real.  No boasting, no false modesty.  Leave the humblebrags to try and out-do each other.  Just receive your accolades and be happy with yourself… but occasionally do blow your own horn albeit subtly.  We’ll love you for it.

Check out the following article that recently appeared in the Telegraph.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/chinese-children-too-fragile-for-real-life-20120109-1prsq.html

Customers recently accused retailer J.C. Penney of being sexist for selling a sweatshirt promoting the message, “I’m Too Pretty to do Homework, so My Brother Has to Do It For Me”.

Marketed to 7-16 year olds, the sweatshirt appeared in J.C. Penney’s back-to-school range.

Consumers and critics accused the retailer of sending out the wrong message to the tween-age generation and branded the sweatshirt sexist.

An online petition against the sale of the sweatshirt received over a thousand signatures.

J.C Penney quickly acted on this and pulled the sweatshirts from its website and stores within hours.

Speaking at the time to American media through a spokesperson, J.C. Penney said, “We agree that the ‘Too Pretty’ t-shirt does not deliver an appropriate message and we have immediately discontinued its sale … We would like to apologise for any concern we may have caused”.

The US retailer added that it will now investigate how the sweatshirt slipped through the screening process.

In our opinion the decision to pull this rubbish from their shelves is a sound one especially in an era where young kids are constantly exploited with messages that are counterproductive to their self-esteem; the sad statistics on depression are evidence of this.

Do you think Australian retailers would have allowed this sweatshirt to be sold in their stores?

The country’s four Mafia groups have broken out of their traditional strongholds and spread across the whole country, taking advantage of the economic crisis to snap up ailing businesses and ramp up their loan-shark operations.

They have estimated cash reserves of €65 billion and estimated annual profits of €100 billion, about 7 per cent of Italy’s GDP, says a study released by Confesercenti, an employers’ association.

It seems the average mobster is no longer a machine gun-toting hoodlum but a savvy businessman with a smart phone and a sophisticated knowledge of finance. ”Mafia Inc is Italy’s No.1 bank with €65 billion in liquidity,” the association said in its report, Criminality’s Grip on Business.

With the economic crisis meaning banks are loath to lend, Mafia dons have profited as desperate businesses turn to loan sharks demanding crippling rates of interest.

”Among the illegal activities of Mafia organisations is loan-sharking, which with the economic crisis has become a national emergency,” said Marco Venturi, the president of Confesercenti. ”According to our estimates, loan-sharking caused the closure in 2010 of 1800 businesses and destroyed thousands of jobs. Right now, Mafia Inc. is the only business enterprise willing to make substantial investments.”

Small business owners with tight margins and limited cash flow were the most vulnerable – some 200,000 had fallen victim to usury, Mr Venturi said.

They were also being hit by extortion and straightforward robbery by the mob – at a rate of one crime a minute.

Confesercenti, which represents 270,000 small-to-medium businesses, said the new technocrat government of Mario Monti had to help firms ”retake territory occupied by the Mafia”.

But it will be an uphill battle. The mafia has become a super brand that controls everything from gambling to construction and the disposal of industrial and household waste, making it a powerful force in the political and economical layout of crisis hit Italy.Times have certaintly changed.

The mafia as depicted in The Godfather.