Why Charlie Sheen Keeps Winning and Lindsay Lohan Keeps Losing

By Jo Piazza Posted Mar 18th 2011 01:00PM

At first glance the similarities between Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen seem to trump their differences. Both were wildly successful in their own rights -- she in teen flicks, he in sitcoms. Both have addiction and relationship dramas, both have daddy issues and both screw up. A lot.

But while Sheen seems to be encased in kryptonic armor protecting him and his bank account from all of his misdeeds, Lohan can't even keep a movie gig, and no one wants to pay her to do much of anything, even sell tights.

What gives? Is it a male/female thing? The age difference? I don't think so. Sheen has simply made better personal branding choices. He gives America the product they want.

Bret Easton Ellis wrote in Newsweek this week that Sheen simply gets modern celebrity. A modern celebrity is one that doesn't give a crap about what the public thinks about them. They are going to do it their way, whether you like it or not. The irony is that you do like it and you will end up paying good money for more of it. Using that construction, Lohan's problem is that she cares much too much. She desperately wants everyone to like her. She proves that she becomes offended when anyone, say the cast of 'Glee,' pokes fun at her expense.

How would Sheen respond in such a situation? We imagine if New Directions started in on the actor he would be the first one to come on the show to sing his latest anthem, 'Duh, Winning, in A Minor,' and he would demand $1 million to do it. Ryan Murphy wouldn't know why he was doing it, but he'd be signing that check.

Sheen has created a brand out of screwing up. He embraces what one of my favorite business coaches, Suzanne Evans, says: "Make your mess your message," when it comes to developing your personal brand. Sheen has become the king of this idiom. In fact his messy path has become his hero's journey.

Lohan hasn't been able to commit to a message, whether messy or otherwise in the past five years. She was almost in a lesbian relationship with DJ Sam Ronson, but never fully committed to the homosexual lifestyle. She posed nude for New York magazine, but has never committed to being a sex kitten. Her multiple rehabs haven't worked, yet she has never fully embraced her bad girl persona either. She never seemed to enjoy her benders very much. Not like Sheen.

Lohan is a commodity without a brand message and that is her problem. It's also why the American public doesn't know what to make of her. We know what Charlie Sheen is. He's crazy like a fox, and he has been bringing that crazy to everything he has done in the past three weeks. Each new Sheen's Korner is crazier than the last. His live show promises to be one of the craziest nights of one-man performance since Gallagher stopped smashing watermelons.

Because Lohan hasn't embraced any single brand message, she has become unlikable. Seriously unlikeable. In 2004, Lohan had a brand awareness of only 20 percent. Her positive Q score (a score advertisers and brands use to determine how well-liked a celebrity asset is) was a 19, and her negative was a 20. By last year 84 percent of those polled were familiar with Lohan. Her positive rating reached a low of 9, and her negative rating hovered at 52. More than five times more people despised Lohan than liked her.

Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen has never been more adored. They're both messy, but Charlie's decision to embrace his mess will prove to be the best business decision he has ever made. We never thought we'd say it, but Lindsay could learn something from the warlock.

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Tags: charlie sheen, lindsay lohan

Comments

(56)

Friday 25 March

By JD

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Charlie Sheen is hurting everyone around him, including his poor children. At least Lindsay is only harming herself and is not trying to capitalize on it.

Friday 18 March

By Monkey Love

I dig Charlie's "F-You" attitude. 'Nuff said.

By jennifert63

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Exactly! I love that Charlie OWNS his behavior and could give a sh@t what anyone thinks.

By Polar Patrol

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Charlie is "bangin 7-gram rocks" and Lindsay is banging Kombucha Tea with .05% alcohol content. And she's the one in more trouble. Go figure.

By Lee

This is a ridiculous article..Charlie Sheen is not adored by anyone other than fellow drug abusers and sex addicts..He is having a profound effect on his children..He is a total sleazebag! Lindsey on the other hand is just a messed up kid that is constantly demonized by the press with horrible parents that have exploited her success!

Saturday 19 March

By Patti

Lindsey is messed up...yes...a kid...I don't think so. Most of us have children & jobs & lives by her age & manage them & don't totally derail & go buy fish lips. Poor Lindsey? Hmpf...wonder if she's tried church? John Travolta & Kelly Preston, where are you? Call her.

By Bayleon02

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Well stated Lee. Charlie thinks he has this whole "bad boy" thing going but the guy is 45 years old and has five kids, four of them are very young. He has money, so he has enablers. If he was hauling trash or working on a road crew, people would think he was a crazy you know what, and all his ex's would be after him for child support. Bad boys might be fun in the short term but long term they're a major pain. Their spouses kick them out, and their kids can't count on them which they all too quickly learn.

By Michael Prymula

You're dead wrong, Lindsay is FAR more likeable then Sheen ever was and ever will be! Lindsay at least still has a chance to recover from all this and she's at least trying to turn her life around(i won't even get into the bogus necklace thing) Sheen is much too far gone to be able to stop his behavior(and he probably dosen't want to anyways) and it's only a matter of time before he ends up seriously injuring or killing someone, so hopefully karma WILL catch up to him one day and show him that he's not untouchable and dosen't have "tiger blood" or anything like that. Also you know what's interesting? Sheen himself was defending Lindsay and said that people should just leave her alone(couldn't agree more myself) so Make of that what you will.

By Carlos

Plus, Lindsay's a total babe. Charlie's aged 25 years in the last 10. He looks older than his dad.

By Anon

It boils down to truthfulness. Sheen has never lied about who he is and we, while not accepting his lifestyle, accept his honesty. Lohan, on the other hand, has done nothing but lie about all areas of her life. She lies in magazine articles, TV interviews, etc., but her actions speak louder than her words.

By hummerpoo2

EXCUSE ME? Charlie Sheen is "winning" (if you can call it that) because the general public is enabling him. They are apparently just about as polluted as he is but they don't have the money to pull it off.

By tony

because charlies a warlock,lohans a troll.

By Todd

Charlie doesn't violate probation..just women.

By Andy

Good one

By kim korpics

I think Charlie and Lindsay...should get married they make a perfect couple..........could y imagine if they had any children............

By leon

Why Charlie Sheen Keeps Winning and Lindsay Lohan Keeps Losing

That is because Lindsey is the 4 letter "C" word.
Charlie is the 3 letter "A" word.

By llednez

Charley is winning!?!? Really??? What is he winning? He's been fired from his show, he's more of a whack job than Sarah Palin, and if he keeps up with the drinking and the drugging, he'll be dead with the year. If you call that winning, I'd prefer to be losing.

By Gunsmoke

Hey Lindsay, if you can't beat Charlie, you might as well join Him as one of His Angels.

By Russ

Guys,
Linsey's a loser. Bad one, at that.
Charlie's a loser, too. But not a bad one.

By Brad

Have I missed something? I guess I have a different definition for the word "winning." I think maybe they confused it with "whining."

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