I can say with unwavering certainty that I am able to find a lesson in anything I hear or see. So when I was watching ESPN’s First Take this morning, a great lesson slapped me right in the face. The topic was: will a second Super Bowl ring make Eli Manning more popular and translate into more endorsement deals?

The long and the short of it can be summed up with one word: No.

• Eli Manning is an excellent role model for children. 
• Eli Manning is an even-kiel sportsman.
• Eli Manning is, by all accounts, a good person that stays out of trouble.

But one thing Eli Manning isn’t, is marketable. Nice guys actually do finish last in some things, and end up going to the prom alone. With that being said, in the marketing and promotions world — they’re never going to get the girl. I can hear you right now too, you’re screaming WHAT ABOUT TIM TEBOW RYAN!?!? Well the #Tebowing phenomenon isn’t comparable. He’s a very vocal Christian, and we are all well aware that sex, politics, and religion sell. Does Tebow want to make money off of his Christianity? No, I truly believe he doesn’t — nor do I think his faith is based on its ability to make him more money. But Tebow ruffles feathers because of who he IS not who he is NOT. Consequently, marketers have no problem exploiting him and that fact to get impressions and make money.

Eli is not his brother Peyton. All of their father Archie’s charisma wen to Peyton, and none was left for Eli. Peyton can sell more pizzas. Eli can’t. Unfortunately for Eli, this isn’t one of those scenarios where can’t should be a word in your vocabulary.

And what about Tim Duncan you ask? 

Well when was the last time you saw Tim Duncan in a commercial? His most recent Bridgestone Super Bowl commercial with Steve Nash is the first time I remember seeing him in any kind of promotional material in four to five years…AT LEAST! Duncan is a go-about-his-business, no non-sense, unassuming guy. And that’s about as appealing to marketing departments as this —————————>

As a business owner don’t be Eli Manning or Tim Duncan. We don’t remember the Eli’s and Tim’s of the world. Here’s two examples, national and local:

• Mike Arrington founder of Tech Crunch and now Crunch Fund 
• Scott Wise founder of Scotty’s Brewhouse & Thr3ewisemen  

Say what you want about them, one being more polarizing (Mike) than the other (Scott) … but if you’ve ever met either of them I bet you remember them. That’s the point. Be memorable.

Here is what I am not saying: you need to be brash, polarizing, and loud. 

Here is what I am saying: you need to be confident, approachable, and vocal.

You don’t have to be the Chad Ochocinco (formerly Chad Johnson) of local restaurants or Meta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) of Internet software. At the end of the day, even the greatest business owner personalities can fail. If a business has an unsatisfactory product/service (and/or) it becomes known from having more talk than late night television and it cannot back it up — well, they’ll weed themselves out. It’s been that way in business cycles since humankinds first trade. 

You are your brand. Bad brands can bounce back with continued great service/product coupled with the fact that with so much information flowing through the web on a daily basis, we are a society that forgives and forgets rather quickly. (Sans obvious exceptions to that rule) Boring brands, however, can’t bounce back. We simply decided to talk about the Peyton’s of the world, and thus we forgot to invite the Eli’s to the party.