You can now register with the Placement Project for $20 and learn personal branding tips from experts such as Lynette Xanders, founder of Wild Alchemy.
Lynette is an author and entrepreneur, serving both businesses and individuals in the arenas of branding and creativity. As CEO of Wild Alchemy, she has worked for many creative ad agencies and design firms on globally-recognized brands. Several years ago, she decided to use those same, proven techniques at an individual level and created the Brand You workshop.
For this small investment you can meet Xanders and learn how to market yourself like an experienced pro. Here is a preview:
What inspired you to create the Brand You workshop?
The alchemy of momentum is fundamentally the same whether it’s for brands or people. Having worked for some of the biggest and best brands in the world, I knew what worked in terms of creating a powerful position in people’s minds – yet wonderful, amazing, talented people I knew were frustrated because they lacked the same clarity. They were frustrated because they were starting a company and didn’t know how to create a brand, or they were having a difficult time finding their calling, or they were being passed over for promotion, or were looking for a job and couldn’t get noticed – and their frustration frustrated me. My desire to use a classic branding approach to people’s personal brands was out of a need to find a way to help people who deserved to be noticed and appreciated for their unique talents.
When it comes to branding yourself, what is a common struggle you see and what advice to you give?
People talk about their unique talents in terms such as ‘I’m great with people’ and their noble goals are things like ‘do unto others.’ They need to know that everyone believes they have this talent and it’s not what makes you exceptional, the things people tend to gravitate toward first are really the prices of entry for anyone in business. They need to know what gets you out of bed in the morning, what makes your heart sing and what you would throw yourself on a sword for. The essence of your brand, like any, is what you stand for, what your role is in the universe, and what’s your point of view in terms of your craft/category?
How is your approach different when working with an individual creating a personal brand vs. a company?
Even when someone is creating a new brand, there is often a product or service to wrap the brand around and a mechanism to externalize it. And a company’s brand is often based on what their customers think is true about them. So for companies, the discovery and crafting of their brand position can happen by others. For individuals, my role is to coax people into diving deep into self-discovery and asking questions that elicit what makes them tick and what story their work history tells because no one else knows this but them. They also must find unique ways to express their brand where companies have mechanisms to do so. So while branding is personal, branding an individual is intensely personal.
How do you see current technology influencing how people go about branding? Any advice?
Current technology provides an access point to tell people about you (perhaps too much), but is not enough to create a strong brand without intention. Would all the people looking at your social media communications use the same ten words to describe you? Would they use the same three? Would a potential employer looking at your Facebook/tweets, etc.? People who use social media seem to think more is better, and that awareness is commensurate with branding. However, communicating regularly does not a make a brand. It’s the focus and consistency of highlighting the common thread that runs through your point-of-view and taste that is the essence of your brand. You have to be focused for on how you want to be perceived and align everything to that perception. You have to close the loop for them without appearing disingenuous. The other huge question is how would other people know what you’re about it they’re not tapped into your online self? Many potential employers either won’t get that far or will glance briefly.
What have been some of your favorite branding projects and why?
I love to play anywhere passion reigns because where there is passion there is a tendency to have an internal and external tribe of ambassadors who wear the brand proudly as a badge. My job is to make people fall in love, and it’s easier to do that when people are already in love. Rejuvenation, Ski Washington, Virgin, Devine Paints, Doc Martens, Deschutes Brewery, Nikegoddess, and DoveLewis all come to mind as brands that were great fun to explore because of the richness their tribe brought to the party. If you think these brands are so strong they don’t have to continue to work on them, you’re wrong. A category can also be fun if it lends itself to being passion-based: beer, shoes, old homes, skiing, music, sense of accomplishment. DoveLewis is perhaps my favorite because the brand transcends the corporate ID to include the design of the new hospital, the manifesto on the side of the building, which espouses the beliefs of their employees and supporters. The focus they have in what they do, who they hire and how they talk to their constituencies. Not all animal hospitals and non-profits brand themselves in such a clear, heart-felt, authentic way.
How do you know when your brand is successful?
How do you measure that success? For both people and companies, it’s the same: when people talk lovingly about you without you initiating the conversation; when everyone talks about the brand in the same way; when people have an open preference for your brand; when they’ll pay more to have it over any other less expensive options in the category. For a person having a successful brand is knowing right away if an opportunity, client or partner is right for you based on what you know to be true about yourself and what you need to make you the best you can be.
Friday, May 29, 2009
5th Row, 4th Row, 3rd Row, 2nd Row, Front Row: a Placement Project radio-style promotion
Five days left until the biggest day in a college senior's year. No, it's not Graduation Day. It's the Placement Project!
Who cares if you graduate if you have to move back home with mom and dad?
Well, the AMA has a reward for all you procrastinators: we've reduced ticket prices for the Placement Project to $20 (the equivalent of five Starbucks caramel macchiatos), and to celebrate we're promoting it old school with a 5-4-3-2-1 giveaway.
#5 - Friday
The first FIVE people to post a comment on this blog post with their name and link to their LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile, Twitter handle (you get the idea) get a FREE pass to the Placement Project.
#4 - Saturday
The first FOUR people to write on the wall of the Placement Project's Facebook event page -- when the clock changes from 11:59 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon) -- will get a FREE pass to the Placement Project. Get to the wall through the Forward '09 Facebook Fan Page. Wall posts made before 12 p.m. (noon) will not be eligible.
#3 - Sunday
Examiner.com's Portland Job Search Strategies Columnist (and Forward '09 Committee Member) Rita Ogbeama will post an article on her online column, and the first THREE people to post a comment with their name and link to their LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile, Twitter handle (you get the idea) get a FREE pass to the Placement Project. When will she post the article? The only way to find out is to keep hitting "refresh."
#2 - Monday
Taraneh (Tara) Foster will post a discussion on the Placement Project's LinkedIn group sometime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The first TWO people to comment on the discussion will get a FREE pass to the Placement Project.
#1 - Tuesday
Are you following @forward09 on Twitter? Make sure you are before #1 Tuesday because sometime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. a @forward09 tweet will prompt our last Placement Project giveaway: the first person to REtweet the tweet will get the final FREE pass to the Placement Project.
You have five chances to win a free pass to the most important event of 2009. Don't blow it.
Winners will be listed at the end of this blog post.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Travis Williams & The Love are playing at the Forward '09: Brandologie and Placement Project Joint Networking Event
Forward ’09: Brandologie and The Placement Project will come together at the end of the day for a joint networking event in the Governor’s Heritage Ballroom. Have a martini, listen to live music by Travis Williams & The Love, and rub shoulders with your next client or coworker.
More about the band:
Travis Williams is a singer/songwriter from Portland Oregon. Travis Williams' debut album is in development, enlisting the talents of former Adio Sequence member, Peter Arvidson on bass, and long time buddy Josh Clark on Lead Guitar. Together these members make up The Love Band. The album is set to release in summer 09' on Backline Records. The LP will consist of 11 songs in the styles of Pop, Soul and Blues.
Check them out at these links:
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Travis+Williams+%2526+The+Love/
http://www.twitter.com/TravisLove
http://www.myspace.com/traviswilliamslove
Monday, May 25, 2009
Forward '09 Speaker Preview: Meet Brandologist Gavin Coombes
Gavin Coombes, CEO of FutureBrand Singapore sat down with the Forward '09: Brandologie team to share his thoughts on branding.
Why did you transition from public affairs and issues management into branding?
Public Affairs is essentially the business of keeping people out of the press (versus Public Relations, which is about getting into the press.) After three years of dealing with product recalls, waste spills and government lobbying I decided that an entire career of that sort of work would basically leave me without a soul. But I did love the challenge of grappling with major issues and helping companies communicate with their audiences in a way that was honest but compelling. I did Internet marketing and CRM software/management for a while and although this was satisfying, I felt I was working on the fringes of the brand rather that at the core. My current job enables me to work at the core of the brand and deal with tricky issues along the way but without the sour taste that Public Affairs left in my mouth. I love it and I do not ever intend to do anything else.
At BRITE Asia '09 you are giving a presentation called "Being Digital by Being Human." What do you mean by that?
In a nutshell, my thesis for this presentation is that the most effective Internet marketing or digital branding is not about Flash or flash but virtual human connections. The most powerful digital brands have little or no razzle-dazzle but instead are open, honest and utilitarian. Think of Google, Amazon or Facebook. They do not hit you over the head with any big brand messaging but instead get you what you want in as short a time as possible. Further, a digital brand is inherently more democratic than a physical brand as the audience is an active participant in the development and management of the brand; they are like unpaid brand managers. It is essentially Karl Marx’s prophesy come to life in a different form; the workers control the means of production, but the factory is virtual. As the man himself once said: “All that is solid melts into air.”
What are your thoughts on brands that try to position themselves as "environmentally friendly," such as Cisco, Dow Chemical and Chevron?
It is interesting that you single out these three as they are examples of what I would call branding reef fish. A reef fish is a type of fish that swims in a school but when any one breaks away all the rest follow. I do not know which one was first to break away but somehow Cisco became The Human Network, Chevron became Human Energy and Dow became the Human Element in fairly quick succession a couple of years ago. I think it is fine to add a human dimension to your brand but these three are each a bit too literal and too close together. Plus, it is the type of brand positioning that can come back to haunt you in later life. For example, it is a bit tough to say Dow is living up to its brand when it is putting 5,000 of its human elements onto the unemployment line.
What brand "values" are important in Asian cultures, such as China or Singapore?
That is a big question and one that I will dig into at the conference itself. But essentially what separates an Asian brand from a Western one is a celebration of community rather than individuality. Asian cultures tend to celebrate the collective (family, company, city, country) rather than the individual and strive to keep often contrasting impulses (i.e. Charity vs. Status) in a state of balance and harmony. They are also very old cultures with strong ties to their respective history and traditions so the best Asian brands will take ancient ideas and motifs and bring them up to date. By contrast, Western brands tend to be built on more universal ideas and metaphors
Why did you transition from public affairs and issues management into branding?
Public Affairs is essentially the business of keeping people out of the press (versus Public Relations, which is about getting into the press.) After three years of dealing with product recalls, waste spills and government lobbying I decided that an entire career of that sort of work would basically leave me without a soul. But I did love the challenge of grappling with major issues and helping companies communicate with their audiences in a way that was honest but compelling. I did Internet marketing and CRM software/management for a while and although this was satisfying, I felt I was working on the fringes of the brand rather that at the core. My current job enables me to work at the core of the brand and deal with tricky issues along the way but without the sour taste that Public Affairs left in my mouth. I love it and I do not ever intend to do anything else.
At BRITE Asia '09 you are giving a presentation called "Being Digital by Being Human." What do you mean by that?
In a nutshell, my thesis for this presentation is that the most effective Internet marketing or digital branding is not about Flash or flash but virtual human connections. The most powerful digital brands have little or no razzle-dazzle but instead are open, honest and utilitarian. Think of Google, Amazon or Facebook. They do not hit you over the head with any big brand messaging but instead get you what you want in as short a time as possible. Further, a digital brand is inherently more democratic than a physical brand as the audience is an active participant in the development and management of the brand; they are like unpaid brand managers. It is essentially Karl Marx’s prophesy come to life in a different form; the workers control the means of production, but the factory is virtual. As the man himself once said: “All that is solid melts into air.”
What are your thoughts on brands that try to position themselves as "environmentally friendly," such as Cisco, Dow Chemical and Chevron?
It is interesting that you single out these three as they are examples of what I would call branding reef fish. A reef fish is a type of fish that swims in a school but when any one breaks away all the rest follow. I do not know which one was first to break away but somehow Cisco became The Human Network, Chevron became Human Energy and Dow became the Human Element in fairly quick succession a couple of years ago. I think it is fine to add a human dimension to your brand but these three are each a bit too literal and too close together. Plus, it is the type of brand positioning that can come back to haunt you in later life. For example, it is a bit tough to say Dow is living up to its brand when it is putting 5,000 of its human elements onto the unemployment line.
What brand "values" are important in Asian cultures, such as China or Singapore?
That is a big question and one that I will dig into at the conference itself. But essentially what separates an Asian brand from a Western one is a celebration of community rather than individuality. Asian cultures tend to celebrate the collective (family, company, city, country) rather than the individual and strive to keep often contrasting impulses (i.e. Charity vs. Status) in a state of balance and harmony. They are also very old cultures with strong ties to their respective history and traditions so the best Asian brands will take ancient ideas and motifs and bring them up to date. By contrast, Western brands tend to be built on more universal ideas and metaphors
AMA Digital Brand Strategist, Keith Gerr with Opus Creative Talks Branding
Portland's Keith Gerr is a part of this year's AMA conference Forward '09 advisory board. He is a Digital Brand Strategist with Opus Creative and shares with us his views about branding.
What does "brandologie" mean to you?
It’s an awareness and passion for all the multi-sensory goodness that brands must embody – respect the head, touch the heart, satisfy the gut.
You've been quoted as saying "there is at least as much to be learned from your detractors as from your loyalists." Why?
Understanding why people don’t like your product or service is core data that can be plowed back into R&D. Just because someone doesn’t like your brand doesn’t mean that their criticism isn’t valid or valuable. If more companies stopped drinking their home-brewed cool-aid and hung out at the public water-cooler, they’d be amazed at what they could learn.
Why did you help create MAGNET magazine? How did you develop its brand?
While in college, I was selling ad space for a local Philly music rag – The Philly Rock Guide. Increasingly, our coverage of regional bands shifted to bands from around the country. Everyone on staff (all 7 of us) thought we should publish a magazine that would be dedicated to independent musicians and record labels – hence the birth of MAGNET. At the heart of the MAGNET brand was a desire to publicize and share our thoughts on what people should be listening to. So many good artists are ignored because they’re rejected by mainstream media and retailers. I’m proud to have been a founding member of a respected, enduring independent brand.
At Opus Creative, how do you help your clients "say hello"?
This may sound funny, but I encourage them to depend less on Opus – or any agency that they work with. I encourage clients to put their voice out there – through blogs, images, videos, podcasts etc. Branded communications has its place, but more and more, the world wants the straight dope.
Live strong or Wrist strong?
Cask-strength
What does "brandologie" mean to you?
It’s an awareness and passion for all the multi-sensory goodness that brands must embody – respect the head, touch the heart, satisfy the gut.
You've been quoted as saying "there is at least as much to be learned from your detractors as from your loyalists." Why?
Understanding why people don’t like your product or service is core data that can be plowed back into R&D. Just because someone doesn’t like your brand doesn’t mean that their criticism isn’t valid or valuable. If more companies stopped drinking their home-brewed cool-aid and hung out at the public water-cooler, they’d be amazed at what they could learn.
Why did you help create MAGNET magazine? How did you develop its brand?
While in college, I was selling ad space for a local Philly music rag – The Philly Rock Guide. Increasingly, our coverage of regional bands shifted to bands from around the country. Everyone on staff (all 7 of us) thought we should publish a magazine that would be dedicated to independent musicians and record labels – hence the birth of MAGNET. At the heart of the MAGNET brand was a desire to publicize and share our thoughts on what people should be listening to. So many good artists are ignored because they’re rejected by mainstream media and retailers. I’m proud to have been a founding member of a respected, enduring independent brand.
At Opus Creative, how do you help your clients "say hello"?
This may sound funny, but I encourage them to depend less on Opus – or any agency that they work with. I encourage clients to put their voice out there – through blogs, images, videos, podcasts etc. Branded communications has its place, but more and more, the world wants the straight dope.
Live strong or Wrist strong?
Cask-strength
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
