It’s about building my personal brand and about building brands in general. Everything in life, be it, corporate or personal is about building a brand (you could easily interchange the word “reputation” in place of “brand”). Everything we do in communications contains components of branding.
I have over 25 years of experiences in building brands. I know there are millions of pages written on this topic already but like a human being a brand is complex. I am hoping my diverse background will add another unique viewpoint and insights that may help others with their branding opportunities. As human being we have a built-in DNA that gives us a starting point for projecting our brand. In a company you have the opportunity to shape many aspects of the brand and how the company is portrayed.
You will also notice a wine theme happening. Wine is also another passion of mine. Making great wine is as complex as building great brands. There is as much science as there is art in building both (and sometimes luck doesn’t hurt).
In starting my journey I searched the internet to learn from others on how to begin building an online personal brand. I have found two wonderful bloggers who have build unique online brands that I am using as my guides. Thank you guys for your support. There is no shortage of resources on the topic of personal branding should you contemplate building a personal brand.
As I begin to write this for all to see (assume someone will read it). I ask the question: should you consciously build a personal brand and what is the risk if you do or don’t? It is true that we are all brands - distinct personality but most of us go through life unaware of what their brand essence. Nor do we consciously accentuate our positive traits to further build our brand. Or do we?
I must say that I am rather skeptical about the community/network rage (i.e., Facebook, LinkedIn, Zoominfo, Naymz, MySpace). Do I need more communications? Do I need to be a part of an online community? I don’t know. So I am going to go head first into this to “learn by doing” (the 4-H motto).
But before I begin I must reconfirm what a brand is.
The brand definition
Here are some that I have learnt over the years:
The advertising guru of the 80’s David Ogilvy describes a brand as “the intangible sum of a product's attributes: its name, packaging, and price, its history, its reputation, and the way it's advertised.”
It’s a set of expectations based on past experiences. A brand is a promise that products, services and employees must live up to.
A brand is not an advertising campaign, a symbol or a logo.
A brand is a trusted, reliable old friend that you enjoy being associated with. It’s a positive relationship.
Brand architecture
As I recognize my brand and move it forward in a conscious manner I must be cognizant of the key components for a successful brand, which are:
Unique & memorable
Relevant & meaningful
Recognizable & clear
Consistent & actionable
Likeable
The brand audit
The first thing I did was step back and look at my brand. What was my promise? How am I perceived? These questions must be answered to understand my brand.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) I have research to fall back on to help answer these questions as I wasn’t sure I could objectively answer them myself. I mean really, who can objectively look into the mirror and analysis themselves?
Last year, I had a 360 degree assessment of my leadership skills. A 360 degree assessment is a survey conducted against your peers, boss, suppliers and direct reports. They have to rate you on a number of leadership skill areas and have the opportunity to provide both positive and negative feedback. From this I was able to pull out some key personality traits.
My brand audit begins with the traditional SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Upbeat, positive and professional Excellent communicator Sensitive & respectful Good attitude & sense of humor Well organized Good at reading people A leader who can build great team spirit Excellent strategic thinker | Need to share more Seek out other opinions & viewpoints Solicit more feedback Doesn't always express his views Share his viewpoints more often |
| Threats | Opportunities |
| Keeping up with new technologies & new business models Time management Spread himself too thin to make a difference | Seek out more areas to influence Can make a positive contribution with his unique viewpoint |
With this as the foundation, I now have to focus on the essence of my brand.
So what is my brand promise? What am I going to be first in to capture a place in my consumer’s mind?
As a connoisseur of fine brands, I will take my brand appreciation and insights and like a Sommeliers I will be eager to impart my knowledge and opinion in savoring the many brands that identify our lives. Brands define us and in return we define brands.
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