Personal Branding and My Favorite Shoes

Recently Personal Branding has been something that I've become keenly aware of while conducting a career search.  Now in my new role as a Marketing & Sales Director I see the term used everywhere.  Before, I only noticed it used when describing a celebrity, politician or star athlete and typically not in the best light.  "Their personal brand has been negatively effected," the news reporter would say.  Do you think Kobe Bryant, John Edwards and Lindsay Lohan have strong opinions of the importance of personal branding?  Now, that would be a great round table discussion.  How fun would that be if it was moderated by former Presidential hopeful Herman Cain?  Sorry, I digress.                

While reading more about personal branding I realize that I have been fiercely protecting my own personal brand for many years now.  Every time I start a new cellphone contract I never hesitate by answering "YES" when I'm asked if I want to keep my cell number.  My friends laugh every time they hear my # ends in 2337 or "beer."  Another element to my personal branding strategy is my love for low-cut Chuck Taylor basketball shoes.  I wear them until they literally throw themselves away.  My wife and I are always mystified how they get into the trashcan.      

Chuck T's.  My Favorite

These things are apart of me and my personal brand.  Just like my game-show host hair style.  I've tried other looks but I'm just not comfortable with a flattop.  That makes me think.  Can you imagine if Howie Long had another hair cut?  No way!

What about you? How do you preserve your own personal brand?  If you haven't given it much thought then I encourage you conduct a personal brand assessment with these 3 simple steps:

1.  Start a Pinterest account .  You say you already have an account.  Well then, take a look at the interest boards you've created and realize that you're looking at a snapshot of your personal brand.  Keep pinning, you'll see it.  

2.  Visit all your social media profiles as an outsider.  More specifically, look at these as an employer and a client.  Who are they seeing in your picture galleries, posts, tweet and and pins?  

3.  Determine if you see common, relevant elements.  These must all tell the story of your true self-impression.  If so, you are doing what many great company or product brands strive for everyday.  You are creating brand equity.  Basically, you are placing value on how others perceive you in your personal and professional lives.

As a favor to yourself you need to keep a careful watch on your personal brand.  Don't fall into the Halliburton or Charlie Sheen realm of personal branding. You'll thank yourself for it.  

Note:  We constantly get hit with examples of terrible personal branding so, I thought I would leave you with an example of great personal branding.

    

   

Trinkets & Treasures and Your Brand

The advertising premium ...

Those of us in the wild world of branding call them trinkets & treasures but more often we hear them referred to as trinkets & trash.  Mainly because we have all been given a shiny new logo pen that looks fancy at first but after a short while it becomes a pile of plastic, metal, dried-up ink and a tiny little spring. Even worse if said pen decides to bust in your shirt or pants pocket.  Another popular advertising premium is the company logo baseball cap.  Well, it's popular until the adjustable strap breaks and the cap is reduced to trash.

Do you know what follows that hat into the trash?  A brand.  A brand that was built with blood, sweat and tears.  The same brand that was created after tedious research, customer surveys, and multiple trips to the printer.  The same brand established after hours and hours of overtime.  Countless client diners, lunches, coffees, company retreats and trade shows.  Story upon story of hard work and sacrifices given to build a strong, reputable brand.  Any company that plans to spend hard earned marketing dollars on advertising premiums should keep these stories in mind.      

Think about this next time your vendor gives you a shirt or a coffee mug with their logo proudly displayed.  Look at the quality.  Take a look and see where it was made. Will the stitching fray after the 1st wash or will the ink flake with a slight scratch of your fingernail?  Can you trust that this item will last past it's first use?  "Absolutely," you say.  It has the logo of your most trusted vendor.  It has to be a treasure, right?

Be Responsive to the FBLA [Future Brand Loyalist of America]

Recently, classmates from my early days and I have been reminiscing over Facebook posts of our old classroom photos.  Reflecting upon that time made me realize that my favorite year during elementary school was 4th grade.  I had a teacher that made waking up and going to school easy-peazy.  Mrs. Golightly ... an easy-going teacher with an easy-going name.  But there was one assignment that put her name to the test.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  Actually, I remembered it today when I reached for my morning glass of orange juice. Allow me to explain.

A good place to form brand loyalty

One day in her effervescent style and motherly voice,  Mrs. Golightly started class by announcing, "I want you to write a letter to a company of your choice.  In this letter you will be asking the company for product samples and brochures."  My 4th grade brain thought that Mrs. Golightly has grossly overestimated our writing abilities.  I couldn't spell my 1st name just a few years before that day.  How the heck does she expect us to write a real letter to a real person?  

We looked at each other scratching our heads thinking of which companies we would send our letters.  Mrs. Golightly made things easier by suggesting we write the companies where our parents worked.  This option was not available to me.  My folks worked in the financial industry so, requesting samples of balance sheets would have resulted in serious playground ridicule.

After careful consideration, a light bulb turned on in my head and I started writing to my favorite orange juice maker ______ ... let's just say the brand rhymes with moonfist.  My Mom always had it in the fridge and at the time and I was drinking OJ like it was required to live.  Writing my letter I remember my mind racing as I imagined how great it would be to open a box of oranges or maybe juice boxes that I could share with my classmates.  I would reach an unimaginable level of coolness and it would probably get me the coveted front of the line spot for the monkey bars.  My feet were floating as I stamped my letter and walked it over to Mrs. Golightly's desk.  

A week had passed and our classroom was filled with excitement and corporate responses.  A classmate of mine who's father worked at Duncan Yo-Yos was the envy of the class.  And when the huge box from Frito-Lay arrived it was like Elvis had walked in.  There were sunglasses, soft drinks, hair brushes, t-shirts, pilot wings from the Eastern Airlines and even a toy alligator from The Okefenokee Wildlife refuge.  Know what was missing?  You guess it.  A response for my letter and Mrs. Golightly grew more impatient with each passing day.

Well, after a 2nd week had passed Mrs. Golightly sat me down and congratulated me on a well written letter.  Even though my letter didn't receive a response she handed me a copy of my letter with a great big "80" written in red ink.  Mrs. Golightly added her special touch by making the "0" a smiley face.  You see, I received a 80 because I was unable to complete the assignment which was to write a thank you letter to the company for their kind response.  

From that day forward my parents didn't allow that brand of OJ to return to our fridge.  Years after the 4th grade I ran into Mrs. Golightly.  We had a good laugh when she told me that brand of OJ never darkened her fridge again either.  Now for me, I've have forgiven the unresponsive OJ company long, long ago.  However, this morning when I reached into my fridge for a glass of orange juice I noticed my brand loyalty has been with another company as long as I can remember.  Jeez, maybe I am turning into my parents.  I'm cool with that.

A Tagline is Worth 1000 Words

As a kid my camera toting parents were heard often spouting the phrase, "Now that's a Kodak Moment!"  There was a time in my childhood when this tagline was uttered in rapid fire fashion.  During Easter biting the ears of my chocolate bunny, my little sister's dance receital, action shots on the soccer field or even a moment I'm still very fond of ... a self taken photo of my 1st pair of canvas nike tennis shoes.  This picture was worth 1000 words; exciting newness, classic design, beautiful laces untouched by a spec of dirt and kenetic potential to dominate any playground activity.  I couldn't resist!  This was a Kodak Moment indeed.         

Kodak recently filed Chapter 11 which could mark the end of the Kodak Moment.  This was a troubling bit of news because like my parents I find myself saying the familiar tagline when I snap a photo.  I said it just today when my dog "Doug" began playing with a soccer ball.  Luckily I had my iPhone at the ready when he placed his front paws atop of the ball and yawned.  I like to believe he belted out a mighty roar!  As you can see from the photo it was an incredibly cute shot.  After giving the photo a few special Instagram touches I said to myself, "Now that's a Kodak Moment." 

Intimidated?

Many articles that I have read regarding Kodak's bankruptcy filing indicated that the company failed to keep up with the fast-paced, ever changing times.  If you visit Kodak.com you will think otherwise.  You will be impressed, as I have been, at how well Kodak is positioned to manage modern day demands.  There are mobile apps, photo sharing, tips from the Pros, market segmentation and many other bells-n-whistles designed to maintain Kodak's relevance.  Obvious signs that they are not going away without industrious effort.  Not exactly the beaten-down titan riding solemnly into extinction.  Far from it.  Kodak should be applauded for continuing efforts to effectively evolve their brand of products and services.  Along the way they have had to make several extremely difficult sacrifices.   

Could it be they find themselves hanging by the thin thread of bancruptcy because they failed to evolve the one thing that helped their brand establish past dominance?  Clearly the tagline Kodak Moment did not wash away from our minds when we started using digital cameras and smartphones  to take our pictures.  What did go away was Kodak's use of a highly effective tagline and definining what a Kodak Moment looks like in 2012.  Maybe it's a soccer playing Shih Tzu, who knows? 

Power in a Title

What if Martin Luther King Jr's speech was titled "I woke up and Voilà!?"  Would the power and significance of his mighty "I Have a Dream" speech been lessened with a lackluster title? Probably not. The strength and efficacious words contained within this speech changed the course of history because America, no the world, desperately needed a new, more humane direction. 

I was not around on that amazing summer afternoon on August 28th 1963.  Born the following decade I often find myself thankful for Martin Luther King Jr's dream.  Thankful that my classrooms and playgrounds were filled will friends with a wide range of skin colors.  Never a thought entered my mind that we were different when we sat together at the lunch table trading desserts or took turns sharing our Coleco handheld games.    

Now that I think about it, maybe I should be thanking all the adults that helped raise me.   Thanks Mom and Dad, Teachers, Coaches for allowing Dr. King's speech to permeate your lives.  You allowed my generation to be the 1st to effectively benefit from from the seismic change in race relations lead by Dr. King.  Thank you for providing me a world where I drank from the same waterfountains, shared the same seats on the schoolbus and wore the same uniforms while enjoying the sports we loved.  I honestly can't imagine the divisive world you had to endure when you were kids.  Your courage, strength of character and moral correctness enriched my childhood immensely.

 Mahalia Jackson 1911 - 1972

When MLK Jr. stepped up to the podium to deliver his 17 minute speeach before a crowd of over 200,000 the tile on his speech read "Normalcy, Never Again."  Perhaps we should all be thanking  the great Mahalia Jackson for shouting from the crowd ... "tell them about the dream, Martin."               

Does Your Packaging Enhance Brand Loyalty or Kick it in the Nuts?

When the courier rang the door bell my new puppy and I raced to the door with our tongues out and tails wagging.  Opening the door I acknowledged the kind delivery guy and scribbled my signature on his digital clipboard.  He handed me a plain brown box with a lonely packaging label then wish me a good day.  Squinting my eyes I could see that it was sent from the manufacture of "MY NEW LAPTOP!  HECK YEAH!"   

Oooo! What's inside?

Running back inside with the box I couldn't wait to open it!  Packaging bubbles flew over my shoulders until I found styrofoam molds that smartly held my laptop and charging cord.  Below that was was a zip-lock envelope that held instructions and warranty documents which will never be read.  Wanting to be sure I uncovered all contents I threw the remaining packaging over my shoulders until I hit the bottom of the plain brown box. 

I give this manufacture top marks for shipping their product efficiently and safely.  I understand for security reasons that the outside of the box should not draw attention of unwanted eyes.   However, I was dumbfounded not to find a packing slip, thank you letter or even a catalog.  No sign that this company was appreciative of my business.  More importantly, no sign of their effort to secure my loyalty to their brand.  It was almost like they were saying to me, "Oh yeah, here's your laptop."       

Alright, if it sounds like I'm a spoiled online consumer then you have me pegged.  You see, for years I have been a loyal buyer of T-shirts from Noisebot.com.  In short, they have mastered the art of securing (my) brand loyalty.  I know for a fact that Noisebot LOVES my business and wants me to make return purchases.  They indicate this by carefully executing one highly effective touch.  On every packaging slip I find a small handwritten note..  Simply saying "thank you from Noisebot" or "You ROCK!"  A perfect warm-n-fuzzy jesture that makes me feel appreciated and compeled to open their online catalog that lands in my inbox 2 - 3x's a year. 

So what do you think? Should I get it?

 

       

 

       

     

Are your walls killing your business?

I n the mix of "to-dos" for the new year I wanted to get my financial ducks in a row.  Maybe it was the weight of blowing out 40 candles that motivated me but I knew I couldn't continue the strategy of "feed it and ignore it." For too many years my retirement plan has moved like frozen molasses.

I did my homework, followed a recommendation and was confident I found the perfect financial services firm to manage my little nest egg.  Driving there I was beaming with optimism. 

As I approached the door of the business I noticed there was a paper sign taped to the door that listed office hours and a note that indicated brokers meet by appointment only.  I shrugged it off and continued inside.  Another red flag was raised when I was greeted by a lonely reception area equipped with a few boring chairs, and coffee table void of reading material.  Oh, and sitting on an empty reception desk I found a silver bell to ring for assistance

I broke the dead-quiet air with a loud ring of the bell.  A few seconds later I heard a creaky chair moan, roll back and a tall, casually dressed older gentlemen breached the closest office.  He looked me in the eye, said he was glad to meet me and we exchanged a firm handshake. I thanked him for taking my appointment and he politely showed me to his office.  A textbook professional greeting that began to lift my confidence that this guy was capable of managing my hard earned money.   

Well, that didn't last long.  Before I even sat down I began shutting off my ears to his thoughtful pitch that I would retire early and start my vintage car collection before my hair I turned [completely] gray.  The walls in his office were bare of any artwork, bowling trophies, pictures of family, crayon drawings from grandchildren or academic achievements.  The dust collecting on the faux tree in the corner and the 1990's computer monitor were the final signs that helped me make my decision.  I'll be taking my business elsewhere.    

After the meeting I drove home heart broken that my trust in this kind, grandfatherly gentlemen was not where I hoped. The online feedback was quite positive, his website was informative and my research found that he possessed impressive academic credentials.  However, I could not get past that his office conveyed a lack of pride, permanence, identity and warmth. 

Are your walls killing your business?  Well, you might answer I don't have client walk-ins.  My next question would be do you have vendors visit from time to time?  Does your accountant drop by occasionally?  Maybe you plan to conduct interviews to find a hot new hire that will help you take your business to the next level.  This doesn't happen much anymore but maybe your bank partner will pay you a courtesy visit to thank you for your business. 

Nah, that would never happen ... or would it?  Quick, you better go dust off your faux tree!