Beam me up, Scotty

Talk about building brand equity!  Nobody does it better than William Shatner.  This 75-year old hotshot has managed to grow his personal brand for the last 30+ years -- and he has done so with the most delightful savvy. 

Becoming the pitchman for www.priceline.com.  Playing an Alzheimer's-addled boob (yet with tremendous appeal) on "Boston Legal" (and winning a handful of Emmy nominations).  Auctioning his kidney stone for $100K and using the proceeds to build a house for Hurricane Katrina relief.  Setting up his own MySpace site (with 16,588 friends, for Gawd's sake). 

Sheesh!  This guy has managed to stay AHEAD for longer than most professional service firms have even been in business. 

I think I'm jealous.  If you're not, you should be too.  This guy could teach us marketers about evolving a brand, that's for sure.