Grant Cardone in The Washington Examiner

There is no doubt Penn State University has taken a big hit from the child sex abuse scandal.

The university got rid of its president, athletic director and the face of the school, Joe Paterno. So where does it go from here, and how does Penn State rebrand itself?

For the answers, I sought the advice of Grant Cardone, New York Times best-selling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s “Turnaround King.” He is a world-renowned sales expert who has rescued numerous struggling companies.

How tough will it be to rebrand Penn State without Joe Paterno?

Cardone » “This is always difficult when a brand is so tied to one individual. In the case of Paterno, he was the cash machine for the school, and they will have a long road back — from where to start to how to get the energy and focus off the past and back onto the future. Penn State has been around for 150 years, and they are going to have to be very aggressive about rebuilding their brand, making their good works known and attaching to people that can bring them forward.”

The football program is responsible for such a large part of the athletic budget. How do you save the football brand?

Cardone » “The way to save any brand is don’t give up on it — which they won’t. Then bring in great people that will take the team back to the winning column. No team or business can rest on their laurels or past successes. The ability to raise money is tied to winning. Some examples are in the cell phone business, RIM [Blackberry] and Apple. RIM has relied too heavily on past successes and has gone from 43 percent market share to 19 percent … while Apple gets into the phone world with a zero share of the market and now dominates. RIM will have to repackage and reinvent itself. … Any brand can come back with enough commitment, a plan and the right resources.”

How important is landing a big-time coach?

Cardone » “In order to re-establish the direction of Penn State’s football program, I would go for a top name replacement and make a statement. ‘We are in the game. We are not going away. … We are moving forward combining winning and ethics.’?”

Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!, on washingtonexaminer.com.

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Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/sports/blogs/watch/2011/11/jim-williams-rebranding-penn-state#ixzz1e4ygHwWL