Tuesday, August 18, 2009

personal branding


Today I went to a luncheon put on by the KC chapter of the American Marketing Association. Danny O'Neill of The Roasterie was the speaker.
His talk on branding was pretty good.
What I kept thinking about was how HE had a strong personal brand.
I'm so envious of folks who are so focused this way.
Danny is passionate and knowledgeable about coffee. He's also in love with Kansas City, his family, his company, all that makes a strong personal brand. Has a strong presence. And no, it doesn't hurt that he's really handsome too.
Another example of personal branding - Manon. She's a colleague I saw at this same lunch today that I haven't seen in quite awhile. She's really sharp and so sweet. Always extra polite and so, so nice. Manon is the living brand of dependable and sweet.
A personal brand for Angela?
Geez.
Marketing consultant. Non-profit executive. Yoga teacher. Business owner. Now a Mom.
Who the heck is this woman?
I read this book back in 2002 when it was new hoping to master this personal branding thing. Since then I've just discovered even more hobbies, books and people that interest me.
I suppose if you believe "variety is the spice of life" then I am a well-seasoned woman. :)
And at some point I'll discover or create a brand that folks can understand.