Across the Desk: Shameless Exploitation by Paul Newman and AE Hochter

Celebrities can create some interesting opportunities for themselves but it's not all easy peasy. They fall in to some traps where they might rely on their name to push a crappy product just for the sake of pushing a product. (Kardashian's anyone?)Or they aren't taken seriously even though the product IS worthwhile because they're a celebrity. That isn't fair either. Then there are the celebrities that fall in to the 3rd group where they decide to do things their way to promote a great product and won't go for the shameless exploitation. Paul Newman was that guy. A celebrity who happened to have a great idea for a high quality salad dressing but who initially refused to use his celebrity to make it happen. He believed enough in the product to try and make it on quality alone. Reality proved to be more of a challenge than movies and he eventually had to resort to a bit of shameless exploitation in order to get his product out. The game changer? He didn't do it for himself. He didn't do it to add to his bank account. He was willing to put his face and name on a product for one reason: kids. The altruistic and philanthropic focus of helping kids dealing with life threatening illness go to camp and forget about being a sick kid for a time. If there's any good reason to go for shameless exploitation, then his Hole in the Wall Gang camps would be it. This was a great read and provided some insight in to a celebrity that has left a legacy far beyond his movie roles. For any business owner, you'll find inspiration and ideas in this book to help you stick to your vision and deliver a product worthy of your name and, if you choose, face.