Posted by Rahna on August 26, 2010 under Branding, Personal Branding | 
Mies van der Rohe building
Do you have the guts to build your brand?
Branding takes courage, because it requires that you make some hard decisions about what you are…and what you are not. The decisions about what you are not are the hardest to make. You have to be willing to wrench away what is not serving you in the long-term development of your brand and sometimes, that can feel like you are cutting off your arm.
But take heart. You can find the courage to build your brand magnificently, by looking at examples from other areas of life.
Architecture. Editing. Gardening. Sculpture. Music.
What do these creative endeavors all have in common? Minimalistic courage. The courage to declare what they are not.
Less is more: My husband is an architect and a big proponent of the “less is more” concept made famous by Mies van der Rohe. You need to use this concept in building your brand. Your brand doesn’t need to be all things to all people. As a matter of fact, the more your brand tries to be all things to all people, the more you will water down your brand message. Be single-minded in your focus, and that will clarify your brand.
Use The Red Pen: Haven’t you ever struggled with an email communication and finally found that deleting one extraneous sentence made all the difference in the world? The resulting missive was crystal-clear in its communication and just exactly what you wanted to say? The same applies to your brand. Be crystal-clear in communicating your brand to your target audience by editing out what doesn’t need to be said.
Focus Your Energies: In gardening, you “dead-head” spent blooms and prune your flowers of the smaller, less significant buds in order to direct all the energy of a plant to creating fewer larger (more stunning) blooms. Do the same in your own business or your own brand. If you are a corporate brand manager, ask yourself, “What product groups are really not conveying our core brand message? What lines are draining our resources, taking away from our energies for where we want to go, not where we have been?” If you are an individual, take stock of your daily activities and ask yourself, “What am I doing that is draining my energy and distracting me from where I want to go and who I want to become?”
See Your Brand Vision: Have the courage to hack away that which is not serving you or your brand. When Michelangelo looked at a block of marble, he “saw” the form inside, waiting to be released. His job as the sculptor was to hack away, peeling back the marble that was not part of the form. Because he had a very clear vision of what the form was, it was easy for him to eliminate all “unnecessary “ parts of the marble. Have the courage of Michelangelo and chip away at anything that is not serving by developing a very clear image of your brand future. Anything that isn’t contributing to that future needs to be eliminated.
Harmonize: There is a fine line between streamlining and becoming a “one-trick” pony. Really take the time to identify what is the noise and what is the music of your life. When a two year old bangs on a piano, it is a noisy (although perhaps energetic) affair. A musician wants to create melodies and harmonies, not noise and dissonance. So s/he will start with a main idea (the melody) and add other notes to support and enhance the song (the harmonies). There are lots of notes, but the composer is still discerning in his/her choices. Not all notes are there. Choose the right notes for your brand. What will harmonize with your brand most effectively?
Branding is a creative effort and requires you to express both courage and creativity. Anyone who has heard me talk knows that I am an advocate for being bold in your branding efforts. You cannot take a “halting and half-way” position in building your brand. Be bold. Be brutal. Be creative. Be courageous.
Brand yourself, your company, your products courageously.
Posted by Rahna on August 16, 2010 under Branding, Leadership, Personal Branding |
Summer camp rocks.
You spend all day doing every fun activity you can possibly think of wanting to do—rock climbing, canoeing, hiking, waterskiing, soccer, tennis, sailing, “rocks & ropes,” lacrosse, basketball, kayaking, 24-hour games of “capture the flag,” woodsman adventures, roasting marshmallows for S’mores, arts ‘n crafts, and archery. What more could you want out of life?
Those activities also teach important life skills along the way, skills like teamwork, trying new things, facing challenges, camaraderie, overcoming fears, building friendships and physical mastery of various sports.
My son goes to a camp in Maine that structures its activities and programs around four pillars, one of which is the concept of “Be Your Best.” On Friday nights around the weekly “Council Fire,” the counselors impart wisdom by discussing this principal within the context of the daily fun they are having.
But this principle also applies to your branding efforts. “Be Your Best” is about trying your hardest, doing your best in everything that you do. At camp, this translates into orderly cabins ready for daily inspection and striving for excellence in all activities. For your brand, it means putting your best foot forward constantly improving what you bring to your marketplace.
At camp, counselors are careful to encourage a spirit of friendly competition, one that builds campers up without denigrating the others. In corporate programs that I give, I talk about being professional as a key ingredient to developing a strong personal brand that furthers your business success. You can work to “Be Your Best” in your client dealings, in your presentations and your management of your teams, all the while still honoring the others on your team. Respect your talents (as well as others) and honor the fact that you do things in a unique and wonderful way.
So if you ever went to camp, think back to the days around the Council Fire as you are thinking about building and delivering your brand….and if you never went to camp, just pull your laptop up to a fireside and read this blog post to get the same feel!
Posted by Rahna on August 5, 2010 under Branding, Personal Branding, Strategy |
It seems a lot of companies that I talk with are undergoing a rebranding process. This can happen for many reasons, such as:
- Acquisitions of or mergers with other companies requires a “folding-in” process of many products, services and brands under one umbrella
- A company entering new markets
- New product/service introductions
- New management
- The strategic plan calls for an investment in branding
When this happens, a company needs to invest not only in external efforts to establish the new brand in the hearts and minds of its customers, consumers, investors, suppliers and other members of the external community, but also with its most valuable internal base, its employees. These are the people who will have to embody the brand day in and day out, so wouldn’t it make sense to ensure that they have a strong understanding of that branding strategy and how their individual efforts contribute to that?
In fact, this is an excellent time to consider an exploratory of this interplay between company and personal brand.
Posted by Rahna on July 29, 2010 under Branding, Personal Branding, Strategy |
How does your personal brand interact with the company brand?
There is a direct connection between someone’s personal brand and the company brand, and this is an important factor for you to consider in the development of your personal brand. The interplay between the two is real and tangible, and the impact is reciprocal. By that I mean that the company brand impacts you, and your personal brand impacts the company.
This has definitely been true in my own career. When I would mention that I worked for LEGO, people’s eyes would light up and they would tell me about the latest creation their children had made or share a fond memory from their own childhood experiences. People have an expectation about LEGO that carries over to the people that work there. If I worked for LEGO, I must be creative and fun, as these are qualities embodied in the company brand. In this way, the company brand “rubbed off” on me.
The same is true going the other way; your personal brand will “rub off” onto the company brand. Think about it for a minute. When the FedEx guy shows up at the office to pick-up and drop off packages, he is communicating something about the company’s image. At that time, he IS FedEx. If he is cheerful and efficient, then you will think that FedEx is a great company—efficient in its service and pleasant to work with. If he is grumpy, complaining and unorganized, this will negatively impact your perception of the company.
As you explore and expand your own brand, you will need to understand the impact of the other brands that surround you, most notably the company brand. A good brand manager will look to associate their brand with other strong brands that share the same values, the same target audience, and compatible brand images. You will want to do the same.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What is your company’s brand?
- How do they present themselves to the marketplace?
- If the company were a person, what type of person would they be?
- Is that a person you would want to hang out with?
- Do other people respect this company?
- What does your association with this company say about you?
If you are a leader in a company, you will want to consider this concept from the other perspective. What do your employees convey about you? How can you impact this in a positive way? One way is to bring the concept of personal branding to everyone’s attention. This has multiple effects. First, it will heighten awareness of the employee’s impact so that they are more mindful of how they behave with others. Secondly, it acts as a catalyst for change if needed. Some employees may be unaware of how they have been potentially negatively impacting the business with their behaviors. Third, it empowers employees, who begin to see that they and their actions can make a difference and contribute to a greater whole.
Posted by jos on May 24, 2010 under Branding, General, Personal Branding |
Click Here To Register
If you will be in Connecticut on June 10th and would like a day of inspiration for your marketing efforts, come to the 2010 CT Expo. I’ll be there, participating as a branding expert with a panel of other branding professionals, including Jody Ferrar of The Perfect Promotion. Click here to learn more about the great sessions on social media, marketing, sales success, and business best practices and business growth.
There will be great information sharing and tons of networking opportunities all day long. Registration is free, so there really isn’t any excuse for you not to join us!
Hope to see you there!
Posted by jos on May 20, 2010 under Branding, Personal Branding |
A few weeks ago, a group of leaders in the insurance industry went through a day-long workshop to learn more about “Building Your Leadership Brand.” Many people fall (or are thrust) into leadership positions by their extreme competence in a given area, but they don’t give much thought to what type of leader they want to be.
What is your personal leadership brand? What do you stand for? How can you contribute to your team, your company, your community? In our Signature for Success program, leaders are challenged to think about the specific messages they convey to their direct reports, their broader teams and to their senior management and colleagues. These sessions are very personal, as most leaders discover that they are passionate about something—customer service, absolute quality, excellence in their field, never giving up. But our workshops don’t stop at simply discovering what individuals care about. The magic of our exploratory work comes in the development of action plans for how best to convey this leadership to interested parties. What specific action plans are you executing to project your leadership brand to others? Do you have actionable plans in place to increase your exposure to (either internal or external) target audiences to increase your influence to your colleagues, your clients, your world?
If you’d like to have your leadership team inspired to greater effectiveness and influence in your company, give us a call. We’d love to help!
Posted by jos on April 26, 2010 under Branding, Consumer Engagement, Media, Strategy |
Advertising works.
That’s something that not many people will dispute. The question becomes, “What should we say in our advertising?” And there are many schools of thought to answer that question.
Last August, I read a discussion about whether drug advertising should be regulated or abolished in the New York Times “Room for Debate” article (which can be read here). Marcia Angell, a senior lecturer in social medicine at Harvard Medical School was quoted, “Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising does exactly what it is intended to do — increase sales for drug companies. Increasingly, it does that by promoting medical conditions, as well as drugs. If the industry can convince essentially normal people that minor complaints require long-term drug treatment, its market will grow.”
Some advertising sells pain; some sells pleasure. That “pleasure” is referred to in advertising circles as the “end benefit” to the consumer. I’ve always been a positive person, so I am drawn (both as a marketer and as a consumer) to that which sells pleasure. At Miracle-Gro, we always showed the amazing results and beautiful gardens achieved with product use; with LEGO, the advertising celebrated and highlighted for kids the joy of building. I am bothered by the barrage of negativity ever put before us, as I believe pharmaceutical ads simply sell sickness. Yes, I am one of those people who push the mute button every time the TV starts talking about restless leg syndrome, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction. I choose not to fill my head with such negative images.
I am watching, as many Americans are, our country’s struggles to deal with healthcare issues. One productive answer might lie in the same premise, that advertising works. Maybe the insurance companies should be advertising wellness—the joys of exercise, the fun of not smoking, the confidence inspired by good eating habits.
But what does this have to do with your brand and your business? Well, my question to you is, “What images are you putting top-of-mind with your consumers?”
Maybe you don’t have a multi-million dollar budget, but every company (large or small) has ways to heighten awareness of something—through an online video, a TV ad, a windshield flyer or even in a simple email communication. Everyone can bring a product/service/problem/solution to the forefront of someone’s mind in order to move them to action.
If you’d like help strategizing the best messages to keep top of mind with your customers, give us a call. We’re experts at identifying the compelling, motivating, get-them-off-the-couch end benefits so that you can highlight them in your marketing efforts. We’d love to help you.
Posted by jos on April 22, 2010 under Branding, Personal Branding |
Wish you were doing more meaningful work?
Wish you were working in the perfect job, getting paid to do what you love to do?
Then join me on May 14th for a full-day workshop in Connecticut to clarify your personal brand! (And if you cannot make this workshop or cannot travel to Connecticut to attend, please let us know that you are interested. We have been working to schedule a possible webinar sometime in the near future.)
The Signature For Success program has been designed to take someone systematically through a process for identifying and planning an individual’s personal brand. It is meant to help you discover your personal brand and map a clear path to evolve your brand to realize your full potential in any economic environment. No matter whether you work as a solo-preneur or in a big corporate environment, strong personal branding can make a huge difference in your career!!
This deeply thought-provoking, business-oriented program has been designed to inspire greater personal performance, expand your unique value in the workplace and jumpstart your promotability within any organization.
Over the course of the day, you will learn:
- What a Personal Brand is & how it can transform your career
- How to discover your unique Personal Brand
- How to develop an action plan to clarify your Personal Brand to others (Including tips for using tools like Facebook or LinkedIn to enhance your personal brand!)
Seats are limited, so register now! I hope to see you there!
To learn more about the Signature for Success Program and register for the Workshop, please click here.
Posted by Rahna on March 18, 2010 under Branding, Consumer Engagement, Strategy |
If you’ve been keeping up on your business and marketing news recently, you already know that the HUMMER brand is dead. General Motors has decided to retire this iconic brand. They tried to sell it to a Japanese company, but in the end, they found no takers.
What happened?
The market shifted and HUMMER did not.
The funny thing is, the brand enjoys very strong recognition levels–so much so that it is number one in mass-market brand scores for the latest J.D. Power & Associates Consumer Service Index. Branding without relevance doesn’t work, as this case study clearly shows. With the seismic shifts in the global economy, the “bling bling” era came to a crashing halt in 2007 and with that, HUMMER sales plummeted (50% decline in both 2008 AND 2009-Yikes!). The age of conspicuous consumption, gone. Mix in with that America’s increasing emphasis on environmentally friendly solutions and “green marketing,” millions of people laid off from work, and it’s easy to see why it died.
The tragic thing from a marketer’s perspective is that it didn’t have to die. Those brand managers could had figured out a way to bridge the legacy that it had built up into an area where it would still have some viability and perhaps the brand could’ve survived. For several years, I was involved in the development and marketing of HUMMER vehicles, so I know the strength of the brand, one part ostentation and two parts rugged individualism. HUMMER brand managers could have leveraged that brand’s affinity into more niche markets — perhaps snowmobiles, ATVs or some other extreme sports. Who knows … maybe it will get resurrected somewhere, somehow.
To me, it’s a lesson in staying relevant. You must stay on top of consumer trends and know where your customers are going. You cannot simply rest on your laurels or you will become as irrelevant as an Edsel, a Pontiac, Oldsmobile or now, a HUMMER.
Don’t let that happen to you! If you’re looking for consumer insights or trends, let us help you! With over 25 years in building and rebuilding brands, keeping top brands on top and expanding brands into new product categories successfully, we can help you to stay relevant to today’s consumers in today’s markets.
Posted by Rahna on February 18, 2010 under Branding, Personal Branding |
Click for Video
As the Olympic Games unfold, there are countless wonderful stories of triumph & trial, of determination as well as disappointment, and it’s always fun to watch. Throughout the Games, we are getting glimpses of these athletes’ personal brands. And as a marketer and personal branding expert, I am always asking myself: What lessons can we learn from these athletes? What can we bring to our personal lives as guidelines for living and expressing our own personal brands? How can we stand out in our own worlds?
Olympian and snowboarding sensation Shaun White has a HUGE personal brand (which is one reason he is so in demand with sponsors). But the fame and glory have come as an after-effect, as a result of him expressing his unique personal brand. If you want an Olympic-sized personal brand, here are some learnings from the half-pipe:
1) Do your thing-Shaun White loves what he does and does not apologize for that. He works at it. He strives for perfection, innovation, and more! Whatever is part of your personal brand—do it! Can you imagine Shaun with short hair? Nope. That’s not to say that that will not happen someday, but that’s not really who he is right now. He’s outrageous, and his hair matches who he is.
2) Put yourself out there in a HUGE WAY (even if it results in a few crashes along the way) – NBC did a comparison of Shaun’s “air” versus another competitor’s air. The difference? At least five or six feet! How does Shaun stand out? By doing what he does in a HUGE way. Will he always have a perfect landing? No. But he does everything in a big, Shaun White way.
3) Never be satisfied-This Olympian is always pushing and pushing and pushing to innovate in this sport. Once outrageous moves are now considered standard. Once that happens, he moves on, looking for new outrageousness—and that marks his personal style. He built his own half-pipe on the side of a mountain so that he could practice new tricks and perfect his moves—over and over and over again!
4) Continually find new ways to delight your audience - There was so much anticipation about a super-secret new move that Shaun had been working on which was to be unveiled during these Olympics. In the half-pipe event, each competitor gets two runs and the best of the two becomes the score. Shaun was able to win with his first run (without the new move), so he didn’t have to go on the second run. You could overhear the conversation as he was celebrating with his coaches and there was mention of him just sliding down the middle of the pipe. But that wouldn’t have been in keeping with his brand! Even though he already had won, he put on a show and performed the new move (even improving on his already-winning score). Ever the showman, Shaun didn’t disappoint. For a longer video, showing both of Shaun’s runs, click here.
