The Power of Personal Branding: Brenda Christensen Of Stellar PR On How Publicists Shape Influential Leaders
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Authenticity rules — there is no substitute for passion and devotion to your brand. Jaclyn Smith is a prime and successful example of this and I urge anyone and everyone to read as much as possible about her and the history of her personal brand.
In today’s digital-first world, personal branding has emerged as a cornerstone of professional success and influence. Behind many of the most recognized leaders and personalities stands a strategic partnership with skilled publicists who craft and convey their stories, values, and visions to the world. I had the pleasure of interviewing Brenda Christensen.
Brenda Christensen is CEO of Stellar Public Relations, a world leader in public relations, investor relations, branding, funding, and corporate guidance with direct attributable growth worth millions of dollars. Ms. Christensen currently serves as an adviser on private boards in North America, and previously served as corporate officer for a publicly held technology company, across multiple continents.
Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share your “origin story” with our readers? How did you begin your journey, and what challenges did you face in the early days?
I was very fortunate to have had a solid background with a degree in newspaper journalism from a leading university. Not only did this tough program teach me discipline, it taught me about the power of words. I was lucky enough to land at a top 10 PR firm almost immediately out of college and worked on Fortune 500 accounts, like GM, Kmart, Domino’s and others.
Can you share a transformative moment or campaign in your career where you significantly altered the personal brand of a leader, and what was the impact of that change?
At this same agency, I was assigned to launch what is now the most successful brand in history — Jaclyn Smith for Kmart. Not only was it one of the first ‘celebrity brands’ it was also one of the first female brands ever launched. I was their typical target market — what was then called a “Yuppie” — Young Upwardly-mobile Professional. The brand was aimed at young professionals who could not yet afford expensive clothing — particularly for the office environment. I used my journalism and fashion degree to leverage key demographics into buying her line. It was a momentous task, as Kmart at the time was not known for fashionable clothing. But I believed in the mission of the brand and most importantly, Jaclyn Smith. To this day, she has thanked me for launching what became the most transformative brand ever.
What are the most common misconceptions leaders have about personal branding, and how do you address these in your work?
The most common misconception is that the lifestyle brand is something the person represents in their own life. Sometimes, this is true but most of the time it is not. Especially today, you will find celebrities who get paid to launch or rebrand and they really have very little input or passion for the product or service. Case in point is Oprah with Weight Watchers. That was a crisis communications debacle when she admitted to using Ozempic. I can’t think of a more car crash event than that. Same with Meghan Markle — her new launch, while admittedly very professionally done, lacks authenticity and is seen as a desperate attempt to “rebrand” — and there is nothing worse.
How do you navigate the balance between a leader’s authentic self and the public persona you craft for them in their branding strategy?
Interesting that this question follows my last answer, as this is the issue! I think past generations were okay with a celebrity getting “caught” or “found out” if they were seen using a product that wasn’t representative of the brand. But today, especially Gen Z and Gen A, consumers have amazing acuity and can sniff out inauthenticity. As a result, they will align their allegiance elsewhere — as was the case with Shein’s disastrous China factory debacle on social media.
It’s best to navigate these strategies with a deep vetting of the leader’s personal likes and passions. I was a bit ahead of the curve on this due to my experience with the Jaclyn Smith brand — she was deeply involved in every aspect which shone like a north star throughout. I also advised two tech titans to choose projects or nonprofits that they not only had an affinity for, but were deeply passionate about — nothing else works, especially in the long haul. You will be found out. Guaranteed.
What are the most common misconceptions leaders have about personal branding, and how do you address these in your work?
The most common misconception is that it’s only the realm of celebrities or titans like Elon Musk or others. Actually, everyone should attend to their own personal brand at all times for a successful career. I leveraged my success with fashion retailing brands in the tech world, guiding personal branding for John McAfee, Dmitri Alperovitch and many others. I brought the world of fashion into tech when it was unpopular to do so, but had great success with many well known launches for Tinder, Apple and others.
In a crisis situation, what steps do you take to protect or rehabilitate the personal brand of a leader?
As an expert in crisis communication as well as personal branding, the goal is to have such a well-defined and strategic program that a crisis never happens. While the top professionals like myself in this business are hard to come by, the best advice I can share is pay attention to the details and never make assumptions about anything. I authored an entire 60-page crisis communications handbook for any and every potential issue that’s still at all Domino’s locations around the world to this day. It covered everything — from what to do if a customer chokes on a mushroom to a delivery safety campaign. Every touch point can become a crisis — you cannot overprepare.
“5 Things You Need to Know to Shape a Personal Brand” based on your experiences and insights?
1 . Authenticity rules — there is no substitute for passion and devotion to your brand. Jaclyn Smith is a prime and successful example of this and I urge anyone and everyone to read as much as possible about her and the history of her personal brand.
2 . Prepare for the worst — there is conflict around every corner and crisis in every closet, just waiting to be found. Explore and plan for all outcomes.
3 . Leverage AI — the most successful brands have done their research and then do more research. It’s not only important to know and understand your market — you must live it, breathe and be it. AI is great for this by casting all scenarios and outcomes for strategic plans.
4 . Do your homework — if you don’t vet your personal brand, others will gladly do it for you, and not in a pleasant way. Be sure your plan and strategy is ironclad before it even sees the light of day. For example, Megan Markle’s multiple restarts and relaunches have damaged her personal brand in such a way that it will never be recovered.
5 . Social media is yesterday’s news — it’s a battlefield out there and the elasticity of the environment demands 24/7 monitoring and planning. Gen A is already veering away from social media due to its inauthenticity. Also, it’s so unstable, today’s launch could be tomorrow’s crisis in the blink of an Insta post. There are too many numerous examples to list them all, but Bud Light was historic.
Looking forward, how do you see the role of technology and social media evolving in the way publicists shape and manage the personal brands of leaders?
I am a pioneer in the AI industry and have been working in this sector for decades — having even invented Automated Processes for marketing. Social media has already lost its luster and is going to transition into personalized AI-driven messaging platforms. The future belongs to those who will leverage LLMs.
How can our readers follow your work?
Best place to reach me and follow my content is on LinkedIn — for now. AI will soon change all of that and new personalized AI-driven platforms will emerge.
Thank you for offering such valuable insights into the power of personal branding. We wish you continued success in all of your work.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com
