You probably don't remember the last time you heard the words 'Anna Nichole Smith' and 'genius' in the same sentence. Odds are you probably never heard them in the same sentence. Was Anna Nichole Smith a marketing genius? Let's look at some facts and you decide.

1. It's been almost a month since she passed away and she's still dominating the headlines
2. Every day another potential father stakes his claim as the father of her daughter. (This may be because she was challenging Wilt Chamberlain's record of sleeping with more than 10,000 partners instead of being a marketing genius)
3. She started her career working at Wal Mart and eventually became Playmate of the Year, a model for Guess jeans, host of her own reality show, spokesperson for a dietary supplement and has been featured in the tabloids and in the news almost daily for the past 5 years.

Whether you were a fan or thought she was the biggest tramp in history you have to give her credit for making a name for herself. How many Wal Mart employees evolved and lived the luxurious life Anna Nichole lived?

Look at the names that dominate the headlines daily. Donald Trump, Anna Nichole, George Bush, Howard Stern, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and on and on. You either love these people or you hate them. There's no middle ground. They've created a persona for themselves that you absolutely love or absolutely hate. That polarization is what gets them in the headlines every day and makes them famous.

You need to create a persona for yourself and share it with you clients and potential clients. Be personal with them and let them know how you stand on the issues. People want to do business with people that share the same values and opinions. If you don't share your opinions with your clients and prospects how will they know what you stand for? Sure you may alienate some potential clients but the clients that like your message become raving fans. Think about your best customers. What do you have in common with them? Think about your worst customers. What do you have in common with them?

Anna Nichole created a persona for herself and built a huge following of fans. People that hate Howard Stern listen to him just to hear what outrageous stunt he will pull next so they can complain about him. In fact polls say that his listeners that hate him outnumber his fans by a 2 to 1 margin. That's successful marketing! Whether you loved Anna Nichole Smith, hated her of just thought she was a gold digger, you have to give her credit for being one of the most successful marketing geniuses of all time.

By Ted Prodromou