DAWN IN THE CREEKS

by Chude Jideonwo

An interactive session with students of the #NollywoodAcademy, sponsored by the US Consulate at Ultimate Studios, Lagos on Saturday, 22 February 1014

"Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room"

- Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

Tell me about yourself?

Tell me about your "brand"?

What's the Niger-Delta

brand?

Create a platform - via film - for young people to tell their own stories of social transformation

and non-violent problem-solving in the

Niger Delta

Solving its brand challenges

The process of creating a relationship or a connection between a company's product and emotional perception of

the customer for the purpose of generation segregation among

competition and building loyalty among customers

Tangible elements of brand management include the product

itself; look, price, the packaging, etc. The intangible elements are the

experience that the consumer takes away from the brand, and also the

relationship that they have with that brand

BRANDED!What's a brand really?

It isn’t just about getting noticed, published, and “known.” This isn’t

about being Yvonne Nelson at all. It’s about being yourself and managing

how people perceive you.

You can use the digital world to express your brand and stay

connected with others, with no intention of fame or fortune. I look at the behavior of my two kids. Neither one has any intention of fame. But

they use social media as a vehicle to express what’s important to them and

to connect with their network of friends.

BRANDED!What's a brand really?

The "brand architecture" - load of bull?

Break it down

Brand essence

Brand orientation

Brand consistency

Brand vehicles

Brand endpoints

Brand engagement

Brand image

Brand evolution

Brand makeover

1. What are you trying to accomplish? A question you should ask yourself multiple times throughout the day.

2. What’s your value proposition? What can you do that will add more value than someone else?

3. How are you packaging yourself? From how you dress, to the role you play with your industry.

4. Who are your competitors? Knowing your competition is a must if you’re going to be able to effectively differentiate yourself.

Ask Yourself

5. What’s your brand promise? What do you want to stand for? What is it that you say you’ll do?

6. What’s your tone and manner? People make snap judgments based on how you present your ideas and respond to situations.

7. Is your brand strategy working? A question you should be asking more than once a year. Look to feedback from 360, quarterly and/or annual reviews. Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal cues.

Ask Yourself

• Public relations and publicity

• Trade shows

• Phone directories

• Online (your website, blog, social media such as Twitter and Facebook, advertising)

• Broadcast media (television, radio)

• Print media (newspapers, magazines, specialty publications)

• Print displays and direct mail (brochures, fliers, signage)

• Professional assistance (consultants, designers, and agencies)

Etc

Vehicles

Perception is reality, always remember

Do you know people are saying about your brand? Are you taking steps to

build, polish, and refine it? The key is to remember that your brand is more than just your job; it is

your career. It is what YOU are to the world.

Who are your favorite brands?

Why?

Do you have your elevator pitch created and validated?

What are your core or key messages? Hone your elevator pitch in your

LinkedIn summary section or your blog’s bio page. That

paragraph or two should sum up your personal brand in a concise and compelling way.

Describe your brand in one sentence.

Build a brand profile in one paragraph.

The 5 values of your brand.

Exercise:

Shamoon, Sumaira, and Saiqa Tehseen. "Brand Management: What Next?" Interdisciplinary Journal Of Contemporary Research In Business 2.12 (2011): 435–441. Business Source Complete. Web. October 20, 2012.http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/08/how-to-manage-your-companys-brand.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230187http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/10_steps_to_building_and_managing_your_personal_br_15573.aspx

Sources