I wrote a blog about Sandra Bullock the day after she won her Academy Award. I never posted it. In it, I waxed and waned about why I admired her and the romantic contrast of “Sandra Bullock the Brand” (SBTB), before and after marrying Jesse James. Although heartfelt when I wrote it, it seemed a bit bandwagon-y when I re-read it a few hours later so I opted to wait on posting it. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for.

Less than two weeks later, the personal world of Sandra Bullock took a dramatic turn with the unsavory tales of her tattooed husband. Since there’s more than enough being written about all of this, I won't add more conjecture to the overflowing, heartbreaking pot. Instead, I'll follow Betty White’s lead and wish Sandy well as she resolves her relationship privately.

What I will speculate about, however, is this: What will happen to SBTB?

In a word, she will thrive.

SBTB will thrive because her brand foundation is deeply rooted in authenticity and integrity. She walks the walk and that matters – a lot – in branding (and in life). It’s why we are drawn to her. It’s why this story is front-page news. A bad thing is happening to a good person. We care about the story because we care about her. (Well, we care about SBTB because we don’t actually know her. We only have our perception and that's SBTB.) Her husband’s alleged bad behavior only enhances the contrast of his dark to her light and, in turn, makes her brighter. (The same can not necessarily be said, by the way, about Hillary’s brand when Bill Clinton misbehaves in his marriage.)

So what’s the lesson for brands? It's simple but not easy. True authenticity and integrity go a longggggggggg way. And, if bad things happen to you, true loyalists will have your back.

Shine on, Sandy. Be the bright star that you are (and I’m not talking about Hollywood.)

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