Branding “You” as a Career Strategy

Presented by: Bill TompkinsTuesday, October 1, 2002

AgendaWhy Branding?What Branding IsBenefits of BrandingExtending the Brand Concept to PersonalitiesCreating Your Own BrandWhat’s in a NameYour Mission StatementCreating Your Plan of ActionMaintaining Your Brand as You Move Forward

The Power of Brands

Nike

Branding: Why It’s Hot

Differentiation in an environment of declining profits and increasing competition/product proliferation

Example: grocery productsFewer barriers to entryDifficulty of maintaining customer loyalty

In the world of employment:

Less loyalty to firmsRise in entrepreneurship

The whole purpose of branding yourself is to differentiate yourself from the masses, to leverage your position.

Branding: What It Is

An image or identity with emotional overtonesA positioning in the mind of customers and prospects that helps to differentiate a product, store or organizationA personalityA connection between the consumer and the productA perception of the differences between your product and other similar products

Branding: What It Is

Branding is the sensory, emotive and cultural image that is uniquely associated with a company and/or its products that distinguishes it from its competitors.

A brand is the distinctive activity that differentiates a relevant, enduring, and credible promise of value associated with a product, service, or organization, and indicates the source of that promise.

Branding: What It Is

A product is different from a brand.

Products are what companies make and brands are what customers buy.

Products are the tangible assets that the brand delivers as part of the experience.

Key Attributes of A Great Brand

It tends to be first.It gets into the mind.It owns a word.It stays focused.It avoids line extension.It doesn’t change.It’s very competitive.It has a good name.It’s careful about “tomorrow.”It keeps going and going.

SOURCE: Jack Trout, “Ten Attributes of a Great Brand.”

What Brands Deliver to the Customer

ReliabilityValueCustomer satisfaction (a promise)

What Brands Deliver to the Company

Higher marginsHigh market shareConsumer loyaltyMarketplace longevity

Branding: Core Elements

Know what the brand representsLong term approachConsistencyEmotional connectionRelevantDefine the category

Extending the Brand Concept to Personalities

Extending the Brand Concept to Personalities

You are an asset that can be leveraged to serve your customer base whether it be your boss, your clients, your friends, or your soul mates.

Martha Stewart

Category: Home decorating/ entertaining

Brand Essence: “How to” information to raise the quality of life at home

Artist Formerly Known as Prince

Category: Singer/artist (a.k.a. Roger Nelson)

Brand Essence: Unconventional; Eccentric

His confidence in his uniqueness is captured in a symbol.

Bryant Gumbel

Category: Television journalist; Close association with NBC’s Today Morning Show;Next The Early Show (CBS)Now What?

Brand Essence: Relentless, tough interviewer

George W. Bush and Albert Gore, Jr.

Category: PoliticiansBrand Essence: Mr. Alluring vs. Mr. Boring?

Creating Your Own Brand

Creating Your Own Brand

For many companies the key assets they are leveraging to their customers are their employees.The demand for broad experience keeps growing.There are lots of smart people just like you.You need to be different.You need to be a brand – but how?

“Ultimately, we are all free agents in an economy of free agents, and we are best to put ourselves in a good bargaining position for next year’s free-agency market.” -- Tom Peters

Creating Your Own Brand

“Your personal brand identity is created by finding the intersection of who you are, who you want to become and what your organization and customers want from you-all relative to any competitors.”

“Your personal identity is the sensory, rational, emotional and cultural image that surrounds you.”

“Personal branding, then is about finding your own personal essence that, at the same time, is valued by people in your organization.” --Chuck Pettis

Creating Your Own Brand

How do people perceive and experience you?

THIS IS YOUR BRAND.

Your skills, abilities and experiences are the product.

Creating Your Own Brand

Your Value: Figure out what value you offer your customer, your employer.

Message: Hone your message through networking opportunities.

Strategy: Develop a strategy for getting your message out. This can be through presentations, public speaking, freelance projects or involvement in professional organizations.

Sounding Board: Have a sounding board for your brand; get feedback from your boss and mentors.Check with yourself: Review your mission statement every six months.

SOURCE: Adapted from Tom Peters.

Creating Your Own Brand

Where do you want to be in 2005?

What’s in a Name?

William G. Tompkins, Jr.

Bill Tompkins

Mission Statement for the Brand “You”

What would you want said in your obituary?How would your best friends describe you?What do you list as your objective on top of your resume?How do people introduce you?What are you known for?

Do you make the most of networking and volunteer opportunities?Are you a member of boards, community and professional organizations?Are you constantly updating your skills to keep abreast of the market?

Creating Your Own Plan

Does your resume reflect your core value?Is your message consistent throughout all your communications?

What motivates you?What are the benefits and rewards you seek?What are examples of how you have been successful?Where are you relative to your competition?

Your Value

Message

Strategy

Creating Your Own PlanNetwork Map

Outside of the Organization

Within the OrganizationAND YourDepartment

Within the OrganizationOUTSIDE ofYour Department

Seniors

Peers

Subordinates

Types of Contacts=Breadth Types of Relationships=Depth Types of Networks=Leverage

Maintaining Your Brand Going Forward

Where do you want to go from here?Are you on track?Are you satisfied with your career development?

If so, what are you doing to enhance it?If not, what are you doing to change it?

Maintaining Your Brand Going Forward

Now the clock is ticking-Start tonight!Leave an impressionReintroduce your brand to the person next to you - - and who is that?

YOU, INC.