Nina Burokas on Better Living Through Brand

It's a Social Media World

In a social media world, rapid response is critical. A couple of recent examples of what works, what doesn’t and how to.

The overall perspective, from Ad:tech's Craig Peters: defensive branding is better titled "Crisis Communications In the Hyperlinked Era of Social Networking."

What works: Aggressively addressing negative brand perceptions – true or false
Example: Senator Hillary Clinton’s Fact Hub: “Cut through the noise and get the facts” (via The New York Times).

The context, from Clinton spokesman Phil Singer: “There’s just been a proliferation of news reporting on the Internet. As such, you’ve got a much faster echo effect when something hits the political zeitgeist, and it’s becoming increasingly urgent to have a mechanism in place that allows you to respond.”

What doesn’t: Going dark.
Example: Whole Foods Market’s Board decision to ban officials from posting messages about Whole Foods, its competitors or vendors on non-company-sponsored Internet forums (via The Wall Street Journal). As discussed during the Evangelism session at the Brand You World Personal Branding Summit, it’s absurd to pull the plug at a time when a company needs it’s greatest fans to speak out on it’s behalf.

How To:
Ad:tech's Defensive Branding 101 Session Summary
Japie Swanepoel’s takeaways from Ad:tech's Defensive Branding session

A closing reality check: from Anita Esterday, one of the waitresses in Clinton’s tipping brouhaha: “There’s kids dying in the war, the price of oil right now — there’s better things in this world to be thinking about than who served Hillary Clinton at Maid-Rite and who got a tip and who didn’t get a tip.”

Additional perspective or 411?

Every Video, Mashup, Comment Tells a Story

Three acts in an ongoing play (conversation). Credit to Pete Blackshaw's cgm for the original post, Selective & Arbitrary for a heads up on the riff and odd professor's comment, and BlogPulse for connecting the dots.

Act One: Onslaught ("Dove Self-Esteem")

Act Two: Dove/Axe Mashup (aka Talk to Your Daughter)

Act Three: A Conflicted Response with an interesting close: "which came first, the desire for ['X' (beauty or attraction, however defined)], or marketing creating a hitherto-absent desire for same?"

Walking the Brain

If you share my passion for physical fitness and mental agility (or one of the two), give The New York Times’ Exercise on the Brain article by Welcome to Your Brain (March 2008) co-authors Sandra Aamodt & Sam Wang a read.

The espresso version: Although “environmental enrichment” – computer-based brain exercise programs – has been proven to improve brain performance in laboratory animals, the findings don’t necessarily apply to humans. Also, in terms of the impact on aging, improvement seems to be limited to a specific activity or function, for example, Scrabble or memory.

What has been proven to provide a generalized mental fitness benefit is physical exercise. Exercise improves our “executive function,” a range of abilities that include processing speed, behavior response, focus and working (current) memory. Physical exercise yields three primary brain benefits: (1) reduces age-related shrinkage of the frontal cortex, (2) reduces risk of brain damage due to heart attack or stroke, and (3) stimulates connections between neurons.

Art Credit: Graham Roumieu

Living the Brand & Other Stories

No need to wait until Thursday's Brand Your World Summit to get your brand on! Click over to Personal Branding Magazine for a dose of brand attitude and expertise (37 authors on topics ranging from authenticity to social media and SEO). Annual subscription (4 issues) is $12.95. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

Issue #2 highlights: Jack Welch on Development, interviews with Linden Labs’ founder Philip Rosedale and the ever-interesting ; ) Greg Verdino (my Living the Brand column), and our “Young Turk” Publisher Dan Schawbel’s pick for 2007 Personal Brand of the Year. Kudos to editors Connie Bensen and Rebecca Thorman for distilling the essence of my 3,100 word submission. Finally, a shout-out to my Reach colleagues Rob Cuesta (Brand Assessment column) and Paul Copcutt (Engaging and Retaining Employees) - great articles!

Get Your Brand On...

...at the Brand You World Telesummit!

Join me and a global cast of bestselling authors and personal branding experts for a marathon event in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Tom Peter’s seminal “The Brand Called You” article.

Date: Thursday, November 8th
Time: 7A-7P Pacific
Program Schedule; Speakers & Panelists
Registration: Upper right hand corner, any page

Registration is free; participants are invited to make a donation to Kiva, a non-profit organization that provides microfinance loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries.

I'll be interviewing blog consultant and The Corporate Blogging Book author Debbie Weil on How to Write a Great Business Blog at 8A Pacific/11A Eastern on Line 1. Questions are welcome; ping me or submit via the session comments section.

Content Streams:
Career Management Success
Relevant for career professionals who want to apply personal branding strategies to support their career success as well as professionals in the field of career coaching, resume writing and career counseling.
Talent Management
Relevant for HR professionals and business leaders who want to discover how to attract, develop and retain talent through the application of personal branding strategies.
Entrepreneurship
Applicable for business owners and solopreneurs who want to apply personal branding strategies to grow their business.

A 21st Century Executive Competency

In an age where you are your brand, your online identity plays heavily into the image of you as the perfect candidate. – ExecuNet

According to ExecNet’s “Dealing with Your Digital Dirt 2.5” (via Cindy Kraft’s CFO Coach), reputation management is a 21st Century executive competency. To quote Joe Meissner of Executive Capital Partners, “if you’re supposed to be world-class, I should be able to find something about you online. If I Google you and you’re not there, you’re invisible to the world and that tells me you’re not a player.”

Online Search Statistics:
* 83% of recruiters have used search engines to research candidates (up from 77% in 2006 and 75% in 2005)
* 43% of recruiters have eliminated candidates based on their findings (up from 35% in 2006 and 26% in 2005)

The awareness-action disconnect: although 76% of senior executives expect to be Googled, 22% haven’t done a baseline search on their name. This is particularly odd given a related statistic: 11% of executives fear that their online identity could impact their viability as a job candidate.

Denial is not a reasonable response to changing market dynamics. Especially given that online identity is built – or repaired – over time. Proactively managing your digital brand is a critical action item, regardless of rank, technical expertise or search status.

Gaming the Loser's Game

Directed to those charged with driving growth through innovation, The Economist’s "A Dark Art No More" article highlights emerging thought on innovation as a management practice. Like economics, innovation has traditionally been more art than science. The essential elusiveness of the concept is expressed by one senior executive who argues that it can’t be defined precisely, but “like pornography, I know it when I see it.”  Author (Jamming: The Art & Discipline of Business Creativity) John Kao’s jazz analogy is more useful: “there is no fixed score in any given improvisation, but that does not mean there are no underlying principles either.”

Opinions on the underlying principles - that is, how to nurture innovation - are predictably divergent, with P&G and GE pursuing an analytical approach and Google and IDEO endorsing a more fluid approach. To quote P&G Chairman, President & CEO A.G. Lafley: “It is possible to measure the yield of each process, the quality and the end product.” The counter, from IDEO President & CEO Tim Brown: “A lot of innovation is anti-Six Sigma. You want a lot of variance.”

Although both creativity and execution are essential ingredients, the focus is increasingly on the idea filtering process, or “fast failing.” To quote Insead’s Ron Adner, “Innovation is a loser’s game.” Given the pace of global innovation, failing fast and learning from those failures are critical competencies. Toyota’s Advanced Technology National Manager Bill Reinert captures the required mindset: “We are convinced that we are entering a disruptive future, and we want to be ready for it.”

A Dark Art No More is one of the articles in The Economist's October 13th Special Report on Innovation. Special Report content and reprints.

Related reading: IBM’s 2006 Global CEO Study: Expanding the Innovation Horizon
Business Week Get Creative! Special Report (August 2005)

Keeping It Hot - Debra Feldman on Strategic Networking

Strategic Networking Q&A with - & 3 Essential Action Items from - "Job Whiz" Debra Feldman

1. Being a strategic networker requires more than simply adopting a "pay it forward" mindset. What's your networking philosophy?

Debra: Once you establish rapport, keep up the contact periodically on a regular basis, eg. monthly, quarterly, etc. by exchanging some news or information that the recipient will appreciate and remember you by. Depending on how close the connection is as well as an opportunity to send someone or something relevant their way.

2. What’s the most critical mistake experienced networkers make and how can it be avoided?

Debra: Lack of consistent follow up and lack of a direct, clear focused message that unquestionably says that you are a go to resource willing to offer assistance anytime. Position yourself as not only an eager networker, but make sure they understand your prospective value proposition and what you can do for them and others (eg., she knows how to get gatekeepers to make an appointment for her! Or she can spot and fix barriers to getting a new job just like that!)

3. Given the power of weak ties, what process do you use or recommend for building a diverse network?

Debra: Rely on your connections to generate additional introductions, take them up on an offer to connect you with others and definitely follow up on leads offered – it is good business and good manners.Circle back to the originator thanking them and tell them the results of the interaction they initiated for you.

4. What tool or technique have you found most effective in facilitating the ongoing process of adding value to your network?

Keeping It Hot - The Concept

"Keeping it hot" is all about your intention...about being both a fierce competitor and a strong team player. It's a phrase I was originally introduced to as an outrigger paddler.

Outrigger canoeing is a competitive sport in Southern California (and internationally), with local races along the coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego. During the season, individual boats are composed of six people; the steersperson in seat six is the boat coach, providing encouragement and feedback. One of our steersmen used a phrase I found particularly motivating: "it’s all about the intention". For me, this phrase sums up the three key elements of performance, be it sports, business or life: focus, timing and passion, or "keeping it hot".

This series is dedicated to those from whom I have learned and continue to learn. The idea is simply to share our experience and raise our collective game. Ping me if you have a story or expertise you want to share.

It don't mean a thing...

…if you ain’t got the swing. The swing, in the case of personal branding, is not "spin" – as the current Business Week Creating Brand You article suggests – but authenticity. As Valeria Maltoni notes in her Baron Hilton vs. Paris Hilton post, building brand value is not about selling the sizzle, it’s about delivering on the brand promise.

Perhaps the Gen X writer was more interested in cultivating her "skeptical, doubting" brand than providing insight. My pick of her "Make 'Em Take Notice" recommendations: mimic a popular brand. Good advice if you aspire to be a #2.

Runner up for bad advice/attitude (though credit for being on-brand): Trump's comment that most people don't have 'it' [what it takes to be a brand]. The reality is that we all have the potential to be unique and compelling brands.

My counter: forget the superficiality and manipulation and show some emotion. For perspective on jazz, business and life, check out Brand Autopsy’s (John Moore) Jazzy Business Quotes | 4 and Presentation Zen's Jazz & the Art of Connecting (Garr Reynolds).

Image credit: Your Guide to Jazz Guitar