You Are the Brand

Introduction

You are the brand.Yes—you. Sure, as a business person, you probably have a basic marketing plan that focuses on ways to reach your target audience. But what about a branding plan that focuses on you—your reputation and your unique position in a highly competitive market? You know branding is a big deal for organizations and celebrities such as BP, Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks, Oprah, the New York Yankees, Tiger Woods, Martha Stewart, Lebron James, and Trump. But, it’s not just Tiger who needs to work on his personal image (and I mean really work on his image). Branding is important for you, too—that is, if you want to be more successful than you are right now. You Are the Brand is your case-study guidebook to making yourself stand out and above all others in your field of business. What’s in It for You? Branding is important for you no matter where you are in your professional life—whether you have a job or are looking for a job, whether you are a veteran in your field or a newbie, whether you are working in a company or working on your own, whether you are already quite successful or are still hanging on to a shoestring budget. The tips, strategies, methods, and advice you are about to read are sound, proven, and effective and will help you reach your business goals. Who says so? The thirty-eight people and companies whose stories of branding you’re about to explore in this book say so. Flip back to the table of contents, and you’ll see lots of notable names. Celebrities like Tiger Woods, Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Bobbi Brown, and Oprah Winfrey sure know the value of branding. And you’ll see the brands everybody knows about, such as Starbucks, Coke, BlackBerry, Toyota, BP Oil, and E*TRADE. You’ll also see 1 Introduction Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:27 AM Page 1 political brands from Obama to Chris Christie, Sarah Palin and the Kennedys. Personally and professionally, I find it fascinating to analyze and dissect the branding strategies of famous people and companies —How does Coke make the stupid mistake of rebranding a “new” Coke? How has the Oprah Winfrey brand managed to stay strong for so long on so many media and communication platforms ? Can BP ever regain its reputation? How do two banks effectively merge into one organization with one name? Why does a powerful institution like the Catholic Church keep making the same egregious branding and public relations mistakes again and again, expecting a different outcome each time? What was Tiger thinking? Why does a law firm like Gibbons or an accounting firm like JH Cohn undertake multi-tiered branding and “out of the box” marketing initiatives in industries not known for either? And, how does the TODAY show endure in an ever-changing media landscape? When I face similar issues in my own work, these cases serve as illustrative models. Even when the facts of the cases are far removed from my business life, I’ve got to say that they still make for entertaining reading! Another look at the table of contents will show you names of people who are not so notable at all. Looking at these chapter titles, you may say to yourself, “Why do I care about Daniela Costanzo, or Nick Matarazzo, orTJ Nelligan, or Michael Port, or BuddyValastro?” Believe me—you should care. It’s folks like Daniela, Nick, TJ, Michael, and Buddy who often have a whole lot to teach about creating a buzz in the world of the average guy—the world where you live, the world where professional PR agencies aren’t in charge of molding a client’s reputation, the world in which you can look at yourself and say, “I can do that!” Consider the case of Buddy Valastro, otherwise known as the “Cake Boss” on the TLC hit reality series. Before the wider public knew his name, Hoboken-based Buddy worked hard to develop a solid reputation as a customer-service-obsessed chef with a big personality. Those tools and a savvy business sense helped Buddy parlay his success into a national cable TV career and a series of 2 YOU ARE THE BRAND Adubato_(Brand)_final 4/11/11 11:27 AM Page 2 spinoff products and business opportunities.Those same tools can...