Who's got the brand? The Boom or Amanda?

Or both.

The Web 2.0 (or New Web) world just got its first big dose of the complexities of show biz branding. Last week Rocketboom was the hot brand in video blogging. Quirky, perky, Amanda Congdon won fans far and wide as the on-camera host. Rockeboom scored deals with Akimbo and TiVo. But as of now, Amanda and Rocketboom are splitsville. Both Amanda and Rocketboom are now in the midst of their Technorati boomlet as the vlogoshpere (where do we get these words?) churns away at the story. This isn't about that.

What this is about is where is the brand value going forward? Does Amanda walk away with the franchise? Does Rocketboom retain its cachet going forward? Is this mitosis? or a dissolution? Showbiz brands are multi-layered. Psycho is a brand. But so is Hitchcock. So is Janet Leigh. 24 is a brand. But so is Jack Bauer. And so is Kiefer Sutherland. Would the Superman movie carry as much weight in the movies without the Bryan Singer brand?

So who's got the power brand in this split--the Rocketboom or Amanda? One thing is clear--at least if you go by Technorati--her ex-partner, whathisname, who has the majority interest in Rocketboom is not a brand.

No prognosis from me. Just a hope that we wind up with two powerful, quirky, entertaining brands. I hope neither side winds up tucking their long tail between their legs and slinking off to the sunset. Maybe the Ninja has anything to say about this?

Best bits to come out of this are from Jason Calcanis who tries to hire Amanda, and Robert Scoble, who tries to hire Jason. Dave Winer has the antidote for anyone who's going through Rocketboom withdrawal: Ze Frank.

(tags: Amanda Congdon, Rocketboom, Ask a Ninja, Scoble, Calcanis, Ze Frank)