While Brady and Manning threw the pigskin around you crunched on the fried pigskin. While the Giants and Patriots piled on top of each other you asked Papa John’s, who sold over 1 million pizzas during last year’s Super Bowl, to pile on the toppings. When those athletes sweated and got dehydrated after every play you gulped down a keg of Budweiser or can of Coca-Cola in their honor. —I know this because I did the same thing!!

Now I’m not the smartest or best branding person in the world, but I noticed how the ads in between plays make us gain weight. With a record breaking 170 million people watching the Super Bowl this year, the day after is low hanging fruit in the advertising world. If advertising costs are back to normal the next day, then why don’t brands [that help us lose weight or cure stomach pains] like Weight Watchers, Whole Foods, athletic apparel companies, gyms, diet pills, P90X, Tums, etc., take advantage of this opportunity?

Why aren’t gyms compiling a Super Bowl package for the new customer—even if it’s just 2 week of workout for $5? Perhaps even bring a friend and it’s $10 for 2 weeks. Companies need to be promoting their businesses this way. Think about it for a minute: we all feel disgusting because we ate too much junk after the Super Bowl. Because of this, it’s the right time for “feel-good” brands to give new customers a taste of their business; people will try your product/service and then get hooked. Once they’re hooked, they’ll remain loyal and be more than happy to pay the regular rate just to continue looking and feeling great! Wouldn’t you?

Daymond John is honored to be the brand ambassador of Shopify, a powerful e-commerce solution that includes everything you need to create an online store.

When Daymond started his career as a young entrepreneur, e-commerce didn’t exist. When he made his first sales of those tie-top hats you hear about, in front of the old New York Coliseum, he relied entirely on oldschool word of mouth marketing. Things certainly have changed. Now, in addition to Shark Tank and FUBU, Daymond is advising clients all over the world with his company Shark Branding, and will be helping entrepreneurs start their business online with Shopify.

Start Your Business with Shopify Today!

Daymond and the rest of the Sharks will be back in the boardroom listening to pitches from budding entrepreneurs hoping to turn their product or company into a reality. The new season kicks off tonight at 8 / 7pm CT on ABC.

Entertainment Weekly reports Shark Tank as its favorite underdog show. Watch its exclusive trailer for the third season here:

This is Blake.

He’s cute little guy, isn’t he? Don’t let this face fool you, though. As cute as  he is, Blake is a little thug. He constantly gets himself into trouble just to get a little attention. (He’s smart enough to get that all figured out). He would do random things to gain attention, but this time, he went a little overboard resulting in something he wasn’t expecting–I just have to share the story…

Blake loves running himself into dirt. He does this so that I can pick him up and brush him down. Sometimes I think he just enjoys getting dirty. At times I assume it’s because he loves the feeling of getting brushed once he’s out of it. What ever the case may be, any attention to him is deeply appreciated.

After dipping himself into dirt, he walked towards me scratching himself relentlessly. What he did for a simple brush and attention resulted in something he didn’t expect … the dirt mound he chose to run into this time around was infested with fleas.

To his dismay upon coming to me for a brush, I had the clippers out waiting to start giving him his haircut. (The worst part is Blake hates the buzzing sound from clippers).

… then he had to take a bath ….

(Blake has had better days)

… and get the annoying towel rub.

(Just look at how annoyed he looks)

Just when I thought his desire for attention bit him in the ass, he got just what he wanted … his behavior was all for a good ol’fashion blowdry, which is his favorite part…

The cool thing about Blake is that he’s just like his father: he would go through a little pain for gain. As the saying goes, ”Every dog has its day” and I guess this story refers to a dog, literally!

You can catch me wearing a pair of these elegant cufflinks in 14K white gold measuring 7/8″ with MOGULS engraved within the crest on season 3 of Shark Tank! I designed this unique pair of MOGULS cuff links for my personal jewelry line that represents opulence and achievement for entrepreneurs and executives alike. It has been my gifting piece for my business associates and celebrity friends who exemplify the unabridged moguls essence.

With the holidays approaching I’ve decided to let you in on my custom jewelry line and would like to give you an opportunity to own a piece of it. Only one set will be made available for purchase between the hours of 12PM-4PM on Thursday 12/22/11 (complementary Next-Day Air shipping included). This way you can have it in time for yourself or the soon to be mogul in your life! I hope these cufflinks will inspire you as much as they inspire me.

There is only one pair available. End time is subject to change immediately after the only pair is sold. There are no returns/no exchanges. PayPal payments only are accepted.

* Proceeds will be donated to non-for-profit organizations such as NFTE, WIBO and BARC Shelter

What’s Howard Stern doing in my power journal? I’ll tell you. The New York Post asked me what my thoughts were on the idea that of Howard Stern as the new judge of “America’s Got Talent.” I think it’s incredibly entertaining and I’d love to see this happen! I find this to be a great move for Howard. He now has a great opportunity to get in front of a family audience, as well as a younger demographic, to show a lighter side.

Wouldn’t you agree?

» Read the full article in the New York Post here

About two months ago Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Nilofer Merchant, Scott Case, and I (among other marketing and business experts) collectively produced a book called End Malaria that raised over $250,000 in sales and sponsorships for Malaria No More.  End Malaria hit the No.1 spot for best selling business book within 24 hours of its release on Amazon worldwide (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk); all essays in the book share a desire to inspire readers to look within themselves for solutions to their everyday dilemmas and for motivation to realize their desires. Here’s my essay in End Malaria:

Living the Brand

I remember walking around the streets of Hollis, Queens, as a little boy and feeling a new sort of energy in the community. Many people will tell you that energy came from the emergence of this new music genre called hip-hop, but it goes much further than that. You see, when Hollis natives like Russell Simmons, the members of Salt-N-Pepa (Cheryl James, Sandy Denton, and Deidra “Dee Dee” Roper), and LL Cool J became superstars, their fans didn’t idolize them for only their music. There was an obsession among millions of people, including myself, who admired how these rappers walked, talked, and most important, dressed.

That energy was less about a new type of music and more about the birth of a new lifestyle.

After FUBU turned into a multibillion-dollar brand, many other companies tried to emulate our formula, but failed. Their mistakes had to do with the assumption that FUBU succeeded solely because it appealed to a new demographic. Thinking that this was the way to communicate to African-Americans, companies began putting rapping, bald black guys in their ads. You can still see this problem today with the rise of Latin-targeted advertisements. When they put a white guy speaking Spanish in a commercial, that doesn’t mean that it will attract the Latin community.

Remember, the easiest thing to sell is the truth.

Consumers could see that the messaging of these new brands wasn’t authentic, so they didn’t buy it. These companies didn’t understand that what drove FUBU, as well as the handful of other similar fashion lines, to success was that its creators were living the brand and were able to communicate this effectively. Once people started to catch on, they embraced the brands that were truly made for us and by us.

The key that many companies and brands miss is that simply being different is not enough. By focusing their energy on figuring out how they can stand out from their competitors, they suddenly become passive, reactionary companies, and they dismiss the most important element of their business—living the brand they market. Unless you partner with someone or hire a professional spokesperson who specializes in what you’re marketing, you’re left with no choice but to fully understand the brand by living it. You will find that when you practice what you preach, you’re already about your brand, and that will simplify the way you communicate about it. Consumers know when you’re not being authentic, and when this occurs, your brand will instantly be tainted.

The big idea here is that you can’t just be about it; you need to live it.

You have no idea how often the power of authenticity is overlooked. Even when I’m consulting with top brands, it always goes back to making sure the message is delivered in the appropriate tone, language, and communication channels. If you don’t, how else will consumers understand you and your brand?

» Purchase End Malaria
» Read more about our project

Does something look a little off to you? Well, it should. We often see Hershey’s logo on Reese’s packaging, but you don’t see the Hershey’s logo anywhere here. Instead you see Betty Crocker’s signature spoon. What this picture shows you is a great example of what brand extension and licensing looks like; here is Reese’s in the world of dessert mix—a category Betty Crocker is deeply rooted in.

On Shark Tank you often hear us say, “We should license this product out.”

Let’s reference our image to better explain what licensing is. First thing you need to know is that in licensing, there are two (or more) parties involved; there’s a licensor and a licensee. In this case Reese’s/Hershey’s is the licensor and Betty Crocker is the licensee. The licensee’s responsibility is to produce, advertise, market and distribute the product while the licensor collects royalties ranging from 5%-15%. Betty Crocker handles the production, marketing sales and distribution because of its experience and expertise in the market position to generate revenue that Reese’s isn’t equipped to do on its own.

The reason why businesses do this is to generate more revenue together when it’s done strategically. Reese’s can generate more revenue by extending its brand into an unfamiliar area; in return Betty Crocker increases its revenues by renting a legendary brand that is appealing.

This is a win-win scenario. What do you think?

After Forbes’ report about my investment in Sweet (dis)Solve at NFTE’s 2011 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge,  I received overwhelming responses from fans and readers. A good portion of the comments were expressions of appreciation, whereas a huge portion were remarks about how they’re glad to see that I’m involved with a program that supports inner-city kids of low-income families. Some people expressed how they felt that it’s unfair that companies often overlook the void to invest in the needed demographic. Their comments made me take a step back to re-evaluate why it’s being said.

Thinking about it, too many criticisms are made about companies who don’t help out the ones who need help, yet no praises are given to them when they do. With that said, allow me to enlighten you with some notable companies who shared the stage with me that night so that we give credit where credit is due and tip our hats off to them, too.

Imagine yourself sitting alongside a panel of entrepreneurs from MasterCard, E*Trade, GlobalHue, Coca-Cola, HappyBaby and Buzz Marketing Group. Now picture the reason why you’re sitting there; it’s to judge realistic business plans created by the youth where   MasterCard donates $10,000 to the winner, $5000 to second place winner and $3500 to third place; Ron Garrow, the Global Head, Global Talent Acquisition Management & Development of MasterCard Worldwide co-hosts the event; Samsung donates a laptop; Tina Wells of Buzz Marketing Group offers to help Hayley Hoverter’s marketing campaigns;  Donald A. Coleman CEO of GlobalHue surprises the grand prize winner with $5000 towards her business.

Now put yourself in my shoes during the NFTE challenge. I was surrounded by people who were just so willing to give and was swept right into the tide.   You bet that the whole room was filled with such a feel-good aura! What happened at NFTE’s 2011 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is how entrepreneurship begins. Here we all are, both small and large companies, embracing the essence of entrepreneurship by being there and investing in business plans created by NFTE’s students.

Inspirational. Visionary. Rebel. Ground-breaking. Fighter. Game Changer. Genius. Driven. Survivor. Titan. These are just a few titles Steve Jobs held throughout his successful life.

Most people strive their entire lives to reach just one of these milestone titles—many of them never come close to holding just one of these titles. Steve Jobs mastered all of them! The saying, “Anything in life worth doing, is worth over doing” was only dwarfed by his drive.

Jobs had many iobs and got through them all with no compromise or regret! I am deeply saddened by the loss of such a great legend and always will be inspired by the legacy you left us with.

If you somehow come across this up in iCloud, I just want to say “Thank you Steve.. Rest In Peace.”

DAYMOND JOHN