David Williams is one of the most recognizable poker players. He has come in 2nd at the WSOP and is known for living a lifestyle most people only dream about. This morning I was on Twitter (bluffdotcom) and David Williams (dwpoker) tweeted this “Do you ever question what you are supposed to do in life? I wonder if I am supposed to be a poker player. I feel I could do so much more.”. Firstly let me say I agree with David 100%, if you have ever met him he is the genuine article. I suggested he start a business outside of poker. Poker can really wear on you and he certainly would not be the first to get on the poker treadmill and wake up one day and bam, he is Sam Grizzle. So I thought it might be interesting to write some thoughts on his brand and how he could capitalize on that, using poker as a stepping stone. So I will write this article as if I were talking to him because twenty 140 word micro blogs would have sucked.
Your two best examples and how you should interpret them

I think we can both agree that Annie Duke is not that great of a poker player. So why does it say on her website that she is, well, she is branding herself as really the only option that she has. She says that she is “The best female poker player in the world”. You know and I know that she is not and probably can name five women that are better without a second thought. The point still remains, if you say something enough, people believe it. I guarantee you this, if you ask someone that has never seen televised poker (even some who have) who is the best female poker player, they will tell you Annie Duke. Annie basically took one moment (which was basically a sit and go) and transformed that into her current persona. She really never has to play cards if she does not want to because she understood the value of that moment.So the lesson to learn from Annie is to be specific. Let’s take a look at the world of hip hop at the moment. Both Jermaine Dupri and Sean Combs (diddy, p diddy, puff daddy) have web shows on youtube, occasionally other stars that they hang out with are in the videos but mostly it is just the “behind the scenes” folks. Why is that? If Janet Jackson were to appear in those videos it would take away from her brand, building Jermaine’s brand in the process. Another thing you can learn from the hip hop world is that almost no one makes money off of the record that they are likely most known for, why is that? Getting into the recording business is tough, people will do just about anything to get in, including signing contracts that really do not favor them in the beginning. The hip hop landscape is littered with “the next big thing’s” that are broke, so who makes the money? People like Sean Combs and Jermaine Dupri make the money because they own the shop.So that is the lesson you should be learning from them.
Which brings me to your brand and how you can capitalize on it

When you signed your deal with Bodog originally a lot of people did not realize that it was the most lucrative deal in poker for a poker player that was not receiving direct compensation (ownership) from a card room. You were an outsider at the time and a lot of insiders really did not like that privately, your staying power is a testament to your ability. A number of people have helped you develop your brand, but what will it take to get you to the next level? First let’s figure out where you are at right now. Pluses (most of these pluses will also be minuses) 1. In a lot of ways you should really be a more prominent face in poker, you are good looking, you do not seem full of yourself and you come off as the genuine article. 2. You date celebrities. 3. There is a real short list of people that every fan of poker would like to hang out with. You are on it. Your lifestyle is what people dream of when they think of being successful at poker. Minuses 1. #1 above is actually a big minus too, the very fact that you do not seek the limelight actually works against your public image. If you want to market yourself and make money off of your brand you have to be a bit more of an attention whore than you would probably like. 2. Someone once told me that the way to get people to tell you secrets is to be able to keep one. That is also true with dating celebrities, if they feel you are just riding their coattails they will not be interested. So it is not really something you can capitalize on much because taking advantage of it would likely have the opposite effect you want(which is dating more celebrities).
Spend money on things that build your brand and nothing else

Vegas is full of snake oil salesmen/saleswomen who prey on people like you. They will take a statement like you made this morning and milk you for every your apathy is worth. When you take more control over your brand a lot of those moments of apathy go away because you are working towards on goal. The promotion of yourself. Last year you did a video for RawVegas.tv, virtually no one saw it outside of poker. It is time for you to take the reigns, assuming you indeed mean what you tweeted. If you would have done that video on youtube people OTHER than poker players would have watched it. The first requirement of watching a video on rawvegas is that you need to know that rawvegas even exists, almost no one does. Your image and opportunities will sky rocket when you quit relying on people to handle it. Sean Combs would never leave something so important to other people. You might recall that Daniel Negreanu had a promotion that had him take on a protege (actually 2 I think). It was kind of a big deal and got a lot of play IN THE POKER WORLD. That is where I think you can separate yourself. One of the big mistakes most celebrity poker players tie themselves down to is that they can make people better poker players. Blah, who cares about that, I can get Jimmy Fricke to teach me that but Jimmy has no chance of picking up that girl at the end of the bar.
New media changes everything

Whatever you do that is interesting will get covered by the poker media. I am not saying to be rude to Cardplayer or PokerRoad but they are working in a finite system, so you do not really need them. As long as you have twitter, youtube and facebook you are gold. Friend and follow everyone that follows you, talk to them and occasionally reply. Here is a suggestion hold a contest on twitter, the person needs to follow you and in 140 words or less they need to convince you why they should be your guest in the VIP section of “insert random swanky nightclub here”. There is only one rule for the winner, you get to pick and they need to try and fit in. Fly them out first class and put them up in a great room. Do not let anyone sponsor it, it needs to be your money. The reason is, if Bodog sponsors it you are just whoring for them, this is about building your brand, not someone else’s. Tell the people that represent you to get you on Howard Stern (FYI, embracing the porn thing might be your ticket) or Jimmy Fallon’s new show. Aim high and I bet you will be surprised who is interested in your life.
Film it as a blip of an ongoing series

Part of your brand is that you are not an attention whore so do not make that one particular event a big deal. Film the process and put it on youtube. It might cost you a little bit to get a camera person out there but the value will be proven over time. Call it something like “David Williams: balling in control” or really anything, just let people know that you will be making more than one. Be committed to making a series too, at least ten, but they all need to be about you or people that are virtually unrecognizable.
Phil Ivey is not invited to this party, no matter how much he may want to join

These videos are about you and how cool it is to be you and the fact that you appreciate that anyone would care about anything you say (which I am sure is a privilege you do not take for granted). YOU ARE THE BRAND. Therefore, if you need to bring in other people it should be for short cameos, my guess is that the person that gives you massage will come off as more interesting than most of the poker players you know anyway. In conclusion my suggestion to you was to start a business outside of poker. Whatever that business is it will be enhanced by your image, so in a sense that is your real business. Plug into the virtual world and I promise you doors will open if you are committed to success. Good Luck. P.S. Your website kind of blows. Recent Posts: High Stakes Poker Vanessa Rousso Pics Matt Hawrilenko