Investor's Business Daily Finds Wolfgang Puck Brand

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Four years after publication of Super Chef (2004) and nine years after listing on the first Forbes Celebrity 100 issue (1999), Investor's Business Daily has woken up to discover that Wolfgang Puck has a brand, going by the magazine's recent article. So... what's new? Wolfgang has had one of the long-lasting American chef brands, and he has grown to one of the biggest. The article shuffles through a few quotes from Puck's cookbooks, other magazines like Forbes, and university professors. However, there are no new words of wisdom from Wolfgang himself. Nor is there mention of business partner and former wife Barbara Lazaroff as the key to understanding how he bridged the gap between classically trained chef and mass marketeer. Here is Kevin Keller, professor of marketing at Dartmouth College from the article: A lot of branding is being distinctive, and that varies how it happens. Part is to be distinctive, finding ways to break out of the pack. From a branding standpoint, he's really established himself as a brand. One thing you just have to take into account is just the name 'Wolfgang Puck.' I mean that's not Bob Smith; it's just an unusual and memorable name. With that awareness he's able to craft his image. That combination of who he is, what he is and what he does really builds the brand. Is that all that Professor Keller had to attribute to Puck's rise and long-time career? One would think from this statement that Professor Keller had never eaten at Spago and tends to prefer multiple concepts/outlets (MCOs) with higher brand recognition like Olive Garden -- and McDonald's?... When Puck broke out, there were few celebrity chefs, and most chefs of any note were foreign-born with "memorable" names -- Jacques Pepin. (At least one important exception would be the dynamic duo of Jeremiah Tower and Alice Waters -- whose names, one supposes, do not qualify as exotic or unusual.) The combination of clever, accessible food like pizza, and the proximate to Hollywood glitz, may set the stage, but hard work, risk (disaster and recovery) and a constant flow of investment, were key to building the brand. Read about that drama in Super Chef. Previous articles: Wolfgang Puck: Wherever You Are Who Pays for Wolfgang Puck's Wedding to Gelila Assefa? FOOD FLICKS: Wolfgang Puck on Foie Gras Foie Gras War: Wolfgang Puck Clean Hands Puck+Mina Do Detroit: Naming Names Wolfgang Puck: Newseum Museum Catering Celebrity Cooking Showdown: Online Now Celebrity Cooking Showdown Wolf's Oscar Party: Menu & Food Photos Wolf's Oscar Party: Prep Photos Wolf's Oscar Party: Room Photos Chef-Crashing Into Oscars Wolfgang Puck on 'Las Vegas' Wolfgang Puck: 'Vegas' TV Restaurant Rob Kautz: Cursed to 99 Cents Only? Requiem for Granita Fly Avion (Wolfgang Puck Included) Romancing the Stove - or The Way We Worked? Applause for Gamal Aziz and Tom Kaplan Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali vs. Puck Todd English: Pots and Pans Pucked? Wolfgang Puck: Eastern Empire Wolf Want Meat: Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse Iron Chef America: Running on Empty Wolfgang Puck Inaugurates Washington Wolfgang Puck Returns to Indiana Coffee Puck: Heats in Your Hands Fly With Wolfgang Puck Express And Now Puck Paints, Two! Wolf Wines & Dines, or Puck's Party Euro Puck Puck in a Box Wolfgang Puck Examines the Examiner [Wolfgang Puck (complete articles)] [Chefs & Branding - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Wolfgang Puck --> back to Super Chef