The Brand of Clinton

Bill Clinton has become a leading brand in the giving industry. Having left the White House under something of a cloud, he has since transformed himself into one of the hottest brands in the booming business of giving away money.

This is a remarkable piece of rebranding, to say the least, for a man never blessed with spare cash to give. "I entered the White House with the lowest net worth of any president in the 20th century, and I left it $10m-12m in debt," Mr Clinton says. Speaking fees have helped of late, but only a bit. His genius has been to get other people to attach his name to their money-like a sort of philanthropic version of Donald Trump-to increase its impact.

Full-text article via The Economist, 9.20.07.