Toronto is now officially home to Monocle -- Tyler Brule's latest self-indulgent retail offering. But, what stuns me the most is that Mr. Brule thinks that he is the hero of his own brand story and he is constantly telling any media outlet who will listen that he "defines" the places that his stores operate in. How self indulgent are you?

What is a "lovemark" you ask? Well, I like to say that it's all about the emotional cement. Brands that are emotionally cemented to their customers reach their hearts as well as their minds and they deliver beyond expectations of great functional performance. They capture "heartshare as well as mindshare." It really has been a bad year for lovemarks (ahem, RIM).

Dear Kevin O'Leary, building a personal brand takes time and I must start this note by congratulating you for the work that you have done thus far! But, there's just the little, tiny, smallest of small challenge of you being universally known as a one-note wonder, an annoying, small man with a huge ego -- that could be an issue. Trust me, Kev, I am sure that with some humility, good deeds and follow-through we can put some gas in your tank and start to build that ever-important legacy brand.