Even before there was civilisation, there were tribes

Tribes
- noun: any aggregate of people united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc.
Even before there was civilisation, there were tribes. And when you think tribes, the above imagery comes to mind - naked men and women hunting for food together, and moving around in groups looking smyckenfor shelter, water, and even fire.
More tribes exist today than at any point in the history of mankind. There are tribes who believe that 'You'll never walk alone' or those that think you can simply 'Just do it!' Yes, I'm talking about brand tribes and the best thing is, tribes are not exclusive properties of big brands alone. They are out there... just waiting for you to take the first step in rounding them up.
'My tribe is the database that I send emails out to every week and spam them till kingdom comes.' Think again...
The key difference between a database and a tribe is that the latter, though likely to be a lot smaller in numbers, works harder (and more effectively) for you. These are the groups of guys who will tell everyone about your latest sale or your new product launch, both online and offline. To build a sustainable business in this age, the size of your tribe is more important than ever and the main challenge here would be to identify and leverage on it.
Unlike brands like Apple and replica rolex watches and Sony, tribes are unlikely to form naturally around your brand. You have to reel them in from a wider perspective. Here's my take on how you could possibly do that.
1. Set yourself as the expert in your field, not just the products you sell
A tribe is never without a leader. The leader guides his tribe to places which he thinks is best for his tribe, and his tribe in turn, trusts the leader. If you happen to be selling costume jewellery, you could position yourself as the expert in fashion, providing consultation on the lastest fashion trends and which jewelery is in vogue.
2. Set boundaries to your target audience
As a small business owner, you may be tempted to shout out that you provide the best plumbing service in Singapore. From a numbers perspective, casting wider nets bring in more fish. This may not be necessarily so from a marketing perspective. Instead, try building (and devoting more resources) your reputation (and tribe) as the best plumbing service in Sengkang. It's very much what real estate agents do these days, to a good effect I must add.
3. Always make your tribe feel like a million dollars
Everyone wants to feel special... more so for a group that could potentially be the mouthpiece for your brand right? Identify your tribe, and serve them goodies they can't resist. This could be exclusive sales, special free gifts, or exclusive access to information. Incentivise your tribe and the rewards could be ten-fold. [Note: I'm not saying running a promo and blasting it to your entire database]
4. Take every opportunity to cross sell your products
Tribes take to your brand faster if you have a wider offering. I run a forum that teaches Vietnamese through music. But in that forum, we also discuss travel to Vietnam, living in Vietnam, marrying a Vietnamese spouse, etc.handväskor My tribe is not one that loves learning Vietnamese, it's one that loves Vietnam.
5. Never hard sell to your tribe
After all, they are already evangelists of your brand. The biggest mistake that a business could make would be to allow your tribe to feel that they are always the first victims of your hard sell tactics. Instead, work around it by providing special information or by offer incentives for referrals.
Big brands grow their tribes from within. Small businesses grow their tribes from the outside. The most important consideration would be how your business can further engage consumers to entice them to join your tribe. In today's world where everyone is digitally connected, growing tribes have become easier and a lot faster.

Let's face it, many good to average golfers never beat their putting yip problems

Let's face it, many good to average golfers never beat their putting yip problems. To my way of thinking it's because they can't re-train their subconscious mind, therefore they always approach shortcopy wallet pressure putts with a negative mental attitude.
Over the years there have been hundreds of so-called experts arguing to and fro as to whether putting yips is a mental or physical problem. Well in my opinion "It's all in your head" based on trying all sorts of solutions over a 27 years time span.
However that said, in my case the only way I could stop yipping was by creating a grip and putting stroke that converted my subconscious mind into believing I couldn't move my hands, wrists and arms whilst executing the actual putting stroke.
The simple all shoulder action enabled me to stroke putts under 4 foot once again without feeling I would turn my right wrist over or do a block push the other way trying to mentally compensate for what I knew was going to happen.
Getting to this point was very exciting and inspiring because I once again had the feeling I could make a decent stroke on a short putt again. Then gradually over the next month or two I practiced the action until I no longer had any thought or inclination to yip short putts.
To my way of thinking people trying to solve their putting yips problems tend to make it too complicated. Also most of us do not have the mental strength to simply self-talk our way out of the yips. So you have to find a solution you can gradually implement that helps you re-train your subconscious mind into receiving positive not negative messages.
If correctly used the method I developed enables you to still play golf whilst learning to implement the grip and technique, because your subconscious mind is now convinced you will not jerk and turn over or block your hands, wrists and arms when executing the putting stroke.
When I had the yips really badly if I played a good chip to only a few feet away from the hole I would then be consumed with the thought of having to try to make the putt. By the time I got to the point of actually putting the ball I had worked myself up into such an anxious and stressful state I had virtually no hope of making the putt.
Now I don't ever think like that -- it's just another putt that I expect to make and usually do. If putting yips were purely physical you wouldn't put yourself through this negative stressful mental state and talk yourself into missing these little putts.
I beat the yips in 2005 after 27 years of sheer misery; my completely new approach enabled me to start over with a fresh new attitude leaving behind all the mental putting garbage I had built up over time. By introducing a completely new grip and technique I invented whilst practicing on the carpet inchaussures my home office.
If I can beat the dreaded putting yips with this simple but effective method -- I don't see any reason on earth why you can't, if you're prepared to do what I did.
This method gradually enabled me to re-program my subconscious mind back from the negative to the positive building my confidence week by week with short putts.

If you are considering a new set of irons for the 2010 golf season

If you are considering a new set of irons for the 2010 golf season, there are some fantastic choices available from many of the leading brands and manufacturers. Let's examine some of the options available this year from Callaway Golf, replica rolex watches Golf, Ping Golf, and Mizuno Golf. klockorThese companies have been among the leaders in quality and technology for the last few years and continue to provide outstanding golf clubs.
First, from Callaway Golf there are the new Diablo iron sets available in the Edge Irons series and the Forged Iron series. The Callaway Golf Diablo Edge is available in both men's and women's sizes and fall into the medium price range for golf club sets. The Edge series irons are reported to be long hitting without compromising feel or performance. The set can be customized by transitioning in hybrid golf clubs where you begin to struggle with the irons. For example, if you can hit a 5 iron solidly but struggle to hit the 4 or 3 irons consistently they will substitute hybrids for the longer irons for your set of golf clubs. Callaway's Diablo Forged Irons have the same low and deep center of gravity, but are designed with a sleek top line, less offset, and narrower sole appealing to the avid golfer and lower handicap players.
replica rolex watches Golf is marketing the Victory Iron series and will also offer both a cavity back design and a forged blade iron. The replica rolex watches Victory Red TW Cavity Irons are designed with a mild offset and claim to put the center of gravity behind the sweet spot which will orologiincrease forgiveness. They also have a thin top line and a milled face for consistent ball flight. The Victory Red Forged Blade Irons are used my most of replica rolex watches Golf's Tour players, and are designed for low handicap players and professionals. They incorporate the characteristics of traditional forged irons with a clean look. Feel, golf ball control, and workability are the focus for these performance oriented golf clubs.
Ping Golf clubs continue to provide an in depth custom-fitting experience for players of all levels. The G-15 Iron provides a high launching and forgiving design to help improve consistency. Further, the lofts are strengthened to produce longer shots without sacrificing a higher trajectory. For the higher handicap player, Ping Golf has introduced the Rapture V2 Irons. The Rapture has been designed with a steel body, titanium face, and tungsten weight in the sole to produce maximum forgiveness and a long and high ball flight.
Mizuno Golf continues to offer its vast number of MP Series Irons and MX Series Irons. The MP series, led by the new MP-57 Irons, are designed to provide solid feel and shot making ability. They achieve this in the MP-57 by using their proprietary 'Grain Flow Forging' with a cavity back design. This blend of technology is claimed to give the best of both worlds - feel of forged irons with the forgiveness of cavity back weight distribution.montre Mizuno Golf's MX Series Irons introduce the new MX-1000, with Hot Metal and Hollow Technology construction. Mizuno Golf claims this is the longest and straightest iron they have ever developed, and industry news seems to back this claim up.
Enjoy the 2010 season, and your new set of irons!

Ambush marketing is opportunistic

Ambush marketing is opportunistic. It's core goal is to take advantage of situations which allow brands/products to get extra exposure at minimal cost. Say for example, the 2010 world cup in South Africa. Ambush marketing aims to gain association with the World Cup by piggybackingmontre off the good will associated with the event and its good reputation and without the organizers receiving any money.
Now, that will be something most brands would love- get maximum exposure through minimalist budgets.. there are some well known examples of this offline to illustrate the basic idea:
*Bavaria's Brewery - At the 2006 World Cup in Germany over 1,000 Dutch fans arrived at the stadium in Stuttgart. FIFA refused them entry as they were wearing branded pants for the beer company Bavaria, when the official sponsor was Budweiser. They were allowed to enter the stadium after removing the offending item of clothing... and so they all watched the game in their underwear.
*replica rolex watches - 2002: Despite the 2002 Boston Marathon being sponsored by Adidas, replica rolex watches supplied the runners with spray painted swooshes that commemorated the day of the race, but not the race itself (clever).
*Qantas Airlines- 2000: In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the slogan for the games was "Share the Spirit." Qantas airlines adopted a slogan "The Spirit of Australia" despite the fact that Ansett Air was the official airline sponsor.
*replica rolex watches - 1998: Despite Adidas being the sponsor of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, replica rolex watches decided to sponsorBorsetta individual teams. There are many other examples around but these go to highlight the basic idea of ambush marketing.
So how can we exploit these notions online?
One simple way is to monitor the stories being promoted on digg.com, StumbleUpon, Reddit etc and insert comments with links to your website. When the story hits the frontpage or gradually accumulates visibility your links will also gain exposure... Another way is to become an expert in Linkedin Questions or Yahoo Answers and responding/answering relevant questions and plugging a link to your website.
I guess using social media will become the new digital hunting ground for ambush marketing... find a fan page or online group and start to squat. Drip in new messages, photo and video content. Find the right groups/fan pages and you potentially have 10's millions of pageviews and now new found exposure at little to no cost.
*The article is first published in Digital Marketing Inner Circle - http://www.sinotechblog.com.cn/index.php/component/content/article/48-direct-marketing/563-can-ambush-marketing-actually-work-online.
Dr. Mathew McDougall
Executive Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
SinoTech Group
Dr. Mathew McDougall is recognized Worldwide as a leadingorologi expert in Interactive Marketing and online analytics. He brings 18 years of professional experience in the Internet, wireless, new media, and software sectors. He has done business internationally in 12 countries and is a seasoned executive in strategy, international sales and marketing, and general management. Dr. McDougall founded the SinoTech Group of companies in Beijing in 2007.

There are very few people that can claim the supremacy of being the best salesmen in basketball footwear

There are very few people that can claim the supremacy of being the best salesmen in basketball footwear. As a mater of fact, there are very few basketball shoe brands that can actually be considered asReplica Borsetta the best sellers. However, when it comes to this, the king of basketball shoes ultimately has to be replica rolex watches. All the way back to 1984; they have been in the industry making all the game's shoes that cater for whatever needs the players have.
Whether you are on the court during a game or off the court jogging, you need shoes that are easy and comfortable to wear. Two of the most influential players in the game's history have in the past endorsed the brand leading to its immense popularity. These two players are Chuck Taylor of Converse All Stars and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
This was inculcated into the industry back in 1910. These are some of the snickers that are preferred by players and fans of the game alike, especially if you really want to have the kind of performance that actually makes the game.
Sales volumes largely depend on the kind of relationships the shoe manufacturers develop and maintain with the heads of athletic bodies within the country. Also, the manufacturers have to cater for for the specific needs of interested parties; in this case players, coaches and fans, and be adequately in touch with current fashion trends to make sure that the designs they release each year are appealing to likely customers.
In spite of this, it is also very crucial that a manufacturer strives get customers and would be buyers to trust his brand. One of the ways for doing this is sufficient marketing campaigns and in this case what better way to market than to have players wear their brands during their matches to prove the toughness and comfort and to also have them attest to feel and comfort on and off the court. Converse Taylor All Stars has successfully applied this model as an effective marketing tool that has seen profits soar.
One of the other players that have made their mark in the basketball footwear industry has to be LeBron James. He actually became famous in this field while still in high school. The difference between him and the other players is that whilst they all had to wait until they started playing in the professional leagues to be famous, he beat them to it while still a young boy.
For this reason, replica rolex watches was able to sign him up to endorse their sport wear way before all the other companies were able to do so, in particular before he even made it to the pro league. They actually managed to design James LeBron footwear that he would actually wear during his play duration in the NBA.
When it comes to this game's footwear, these have to be by far some of the names that have made it in the industry so far. To have a clearer picture, you can ask any player that has any of these wear what it feels like, and for sure, you will get the perfect answer.
As we all know, replica rolex watches Shoe has a long timereplica orologihistory, which is known for its Kobe & James Shoe. The author also is Loyal fans of replica rolex watches, who urged the Air Max Lebron James 7 designed for all trainers. Comfortable And Durable. Maybe the classic style Lebron James 7.5 also attract your eyes.

The Day of the Dead is celebrated all over Latin America on November 2nd

The Day of the Dead is celebrated all over Latin America on November 2nd, every year. People go to cemeteries all over to visit and share some time with their dead relatives and friends. This is the only day in Borsetta,orologithe year when graveyards are visited by crowds and all the tombs are cleaned and covered with flowers. replica rolex watches decided to commemorate this day with a replica rolex watches shoe so check out this replica rolex watches Dunk High Premium "Day of the Dead Collection". These may prove to be a double occasion set of sneakers with Halloween taking place two days before Day of the Dead on October 31st. The uppers are made of genuine premium black leather. The front mud guard and back heel guard, lace guard and lace strap have been covered with purple patterns and designs that are strange yet interesting.
They give the shoe its own particular personality. The toe box of these replica rolex watches Dunk High "Day of the Dead" Halloween HOH is black and perforated for adequate ventilation and air circulation to the feet. The swoosh and inner lining are light green and create a huge contrast against the black and purple uppers. They are completely out of place in a weird nut attractive context. The inner sole has a skull and bones design over a white and yellow background. The middle sole is black with a purple outer sole which completes rolex deepseathis design. Check on your local House of Hoops for information on when and how to get your pair.
interested in latest replica rolex watches shoes release information.

Finally replica rolex watches has brought back a classic basketball trainer back in line with the South Africa World Cup

replica rolex watches Quick strikes are a tier of replica rolex watches shoe releases that is made in limited numbers and availability to only exclusive stores such as our selves. There are a number rolex deepseaof ranges on the replica rolex watches Quick strike range i.e. premium all court trainers, Air Max 90's, Dunks, Air Pegasus, Footscape, SB's, etc.
replica rolex watches have released a range along side the Quick Strike Packs in relation to the forth coming world cup hosted in the South Africa 2010. This new range have color ways which are related to the top class teams in the world such as England, France, Brazil, Netherlands and Spain etc.
The world cup pack has seen a new breed of trainers such as Air max BW's gen 2 which are cross breed of the classic Air Max BW's lace up trainer with a current sole, mesh panels joined to with suede paneling and a classic bubble. The Air Max BW's gen 2 are featured in a number of colors black and white with more color ways to follow. Also replica rolex watches have re-released a revamp of the replica rolex watches Zoom Tempo's with a full grey leather shell, white leather swoosh, rubber white and green sole in a classic indoor style of replica rolex watches Tempo football boot. This particular color way is part of the replica rolex watches world cup pack (brazil) and also part of the replica rolex watches quick strike range.
The replica rolex watches premium all courts are a blend of materials from canvas, panted leather paneling, to rubber soles and toes, which are available in a number of different colors such white, black, navy, lime green and green. replica rolex watches have revitalized this classic trainer premium all courts trainer.
replica rolex watches Luna Chukka is again part of the next generation styles of comfortable trainers from replica rolex watches with a green foam sole, black woven finish and lace up mid trainer. The replica rolex watches Luna Chukka are very similar to the replica rolex watches Rejueven8's in terms of styling and comfort. This particular replica rolex watches Luna Chukka is also part of the replica rolex watches Quick Strike range and part of the Brazil World cup pack.
replica rolex watches Rejuven8's are made from similar materials used on the replica rolex watches Luna Chukka's with a white foam sole, lace up trainer, tourch material which are used on new age football boots and a blend of different color ways related to the 2010 south Africa world cup.
Finally replica rolex watches has brought back a classic basketball trainer back in line with the South Africa World Cup. The replica rolex watches AC Dunk High are all canvas with rubber soles, lace ups and colors rolex seamasterthemed to match the World Cup teams. A classic pine green and yellow trimming around the sole relates too the South African Colors. These trainers put comfort first for the wearer of the trainer.

For a company that is so well known by its name that is inspired by the Greek goddess of victory

The company that is known around the world to anyone in any country that has ever kicked a ball or watched any sort of televised sports or athletic event in his or her life is replica rolex watches, Omega Speedmasteran American Company that is one of the largest athletic shoe and apparel manufacturers in the world and one of the most highly respected and recognized brands in the world.
For a company that is so well known by its name that is inspired by the Greek goddess of victory, few people know that the company was not actually started with this name and actually changed its name to replica rolex watches in 1978, almost a decade and a half after it was first started. The company was started in 1964 under the name Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. Phil was a track athlete at the University of Oregon and his coach Bill Bowerman had set up the company to sell shoes form a Japanese manufacturer at track meets. This was done on a very small scale to begin with, most sales were made fromthe back of Phil Knight's car.
Things moved very fast and the duo were making good sales and great profits and soon enough Blue Ribbon Sports had opened its first retail store in the area. A few years later when the contract that Blue Ribbon Sports had with the Japanese company was expiring, Knight and Bowerman decided to start manufacturing and selling their own shoes called replica rolex watches Trainers instead of reselling the Japanese company's products any longer.
The first shoe that Knight and Bowerman sold to the public that had the replica rolex watches logo on it was in the year 1971. Soon replica rolex watches trainers were selling better than the duo had ever expected and in just a few years later they would begin selling shoes that they had designed themselves.
At this time Bowerman was experimenting with different styles of shoe soles that would grip the running tracks better and give athletes that extra amount of traction. While he was experimenting with different sorts of tread patterns he happened to pour some polyurethane on a waffle iron with which one normally makes waffles and upon conducting experiments with the sole that he derived, he found that it gave a lot more grip than any previous sole that he had come up with. This gave rise to the famous replica rolex watches Trainers with their waffle design soles that became one of the most popular products of the Blue Ribbon Sports company, so much so that a few years later in 1978, Knight and Bowerman changed the name of the company to replica rolex watches Inc.
This was also the first year that replica rolex watches Inc.Replica Borsetta decided to use the endorsement of a famous athlete for its brand and for replica rolex watches shoes, something that the company would make popular and today replica rolex watches is known as much for its celebrity athlete endorsements and its brilliant and cutting edge advertising as it is for it high performance shoes and sports apparel.

Shoes are one of the most impressive types of the fashion accessories

Shoes are one of the most impressive types of the fashion accessories. This is the reason the shoes manufacturing industry of the world is developing dynamic ranges of the shoes of all kinds. Even the casual shoes fake iwc watcheslike the sneakers have now been evolved to make room for the dress sneakers, which are worn by the people to complement their formal attires and to add a personalized look to their appearances.
Everyone who is conscious about their looks is sifting through the collection of the shoes to find themselves the perfect pair of the shoes that are considered trendy according to the fashion of the season. All those who want to get an idea of the type of the shoes that are being fashionable for the current season, should make sure to sift through the fashion magazines and the various shoes catalogues of the season. One can even check out the collection of the leading brands and the designers at the various shoes retails and the shops to find out the style of the shoes that are being offered for the season.
One can also make use of the World Wide Web and utilize the search engines in generating a list of the websites that feature the latest collection of the shoes designed by the leading shoes manufacturing brands and the designers all over the world. While the businessmen might be able to find the latest styles in the impressive Italian shoes collection on the web, the women on the other hand can get update information about the formal shoes and their release dates, so that they are able to buy them on first come first basis.
Buying the shoes through the World Wide Web is becoming popular all over the world. The reason for this inclination is the busy schedules which have become a norm of our daily lives. Thus, most of us hardly get time to shop for ourselves. Moreover, in some of the areas, the retails do not have a wide variety of the shoes. In such scenarios the internet plays a vital role in sifting through the collection of the various online retails and the shoes stores, which manage the shipment and delivery of the products at the specified address in a hassle free manner.
However, those who are looking forth to buying the genuine br123brands and the shoes in a lower than the market rates, should make sure to visit the shops of the shoes wholesalers to find the perfect pair of shoes they require. This will allow them to buy these shoes without having to worry about the retail markups.

Zinc is a trace mineral that has many important roles in the human body

Zinc is a trace mineral that has many important roles in the human body. All of these roles are essential for the growth of thick, healthy hair. Zinc helps the body reproduce cells, absorb vitamins replica cartier tank(yes, even those all important vitamins for hair loss), controlling hormones and the synthesis of proteins.
Whilst all of these are obviously important one of the more important ways zinc helps the body is by controlling hormones, most importantly testosterone. By keeping an eye on your testosterone levels zinc is doing its part to not only hold on to your precious hair, but also help you grow more!
So now we all know that zinc is important to stop normal hair loss the next question is how do we get enough zinc in our bodies? The most obvious choice is through our food. Food that is rich in zinc include: shellfish, wheat germ, veal liver, squash seeds and peanuts. Unfortunately their are a few issues when it comes to getting all of your zinc from food. The main issue is that the body only absorbs a small amount of zinc that is present in our foods, between 25-30% in fact. The other is that what you consume the food with affects how much zinc is absorbed. Both calcium and fibre prevent the body absorbing zinc completely. Calcium competes with zinc for consumption whilst zinc and fibre bind together so that your hard earned zinc ends up in the toilet bowl.
With normal consumption of zinc through eating food being hit and miss at best, then getting zinc through supplementation seems to be the obvious choice. Whilst most zinc supplements aren't primarily considered a thinning hair product they do help against normal hair loss and aid growth. Another option to make sure that your body and hair get all the zinc they need is to take a hair growth supplement that not only contains zinc but also other vitamins for hair loss, such as b6 and biotin. This shouldn't be difficult as all of the best hair loss treatment products contain a range of vitamins and minerals that will give you luscious, sexy hair.
Bear in mind that the recommended daily amount of zinc isrolex GMT Master around 15mg per day and going over this could have adverse effects on not only your hair growth but also your body in general.
Remember that truly healthy hair can only be achieved when you have a healthy body. However thick hair comes from a healthy clean scalp so consider a hair growth system qith cleansing elements such as Nioxin.

Looking for a great online job that is interested in hiring teens?

Looking for a great online job that is interested in hiring teens? Just because you're not 18+ doesn't mean you can't earn your own way! There are literally tens of thousands of teens that are earning Louis Vuitton de bolsos hundreds of dollars every single month using survey websites. The minimum age is just 13 and it's free to sign up, you get paid by mail, it couldn't be a more perfect job for an honest teen!
This is not only an excellent job for teens/kids, but it's also being used by thousands of adults! Doing surveys online through these websites has gotten so popular that there are now thousands of adults earning there living online! The beauty of the internet is that it's completely anonymous, so as a kid you're not discriminated against. The internet is a kids only option to a stable job that is hiring.
What exactly will you be doing in this job?
Simply filling out surveys! Companies want to know what's hot and what's not, they need to know if rolex watches is in style or if K-swiss is the way to go. They need advice, especially from teens, so they can setup there marketing campaigns. If they know what the kids are buying, they save millions in marketing campaigns. Imagine if rolex watches spent 25 million dollars advertising in a Teen magazine, just to realize later teens don't want rolex watches at all!
You're getting paid for filling out forums with your opinions, it's that simple.
Also, if you recruit others to the survey service your using, you receive a commission! For every friend that you sign up, you get paid cash! Don't just limit your self to doing the offers, spread the word to your friendsrelogios and family and any online friends! This is the premier job thats hiring teens on the internet.
GPT Infinity is the #1 rated job for teens. Start survey filling today and make a big nice wad of cash!

That coffee travel mug you're carrying -- ah, you're a Starbucks woman!

That cross-trainer you're wearing -- one look at the distinctive swoosh on the side tells everyone who's got you branded. That coffee travel mug you're carrying -- ah, you're a Starbucks woman! Your T-shirt with the distinctive Champion "C" on the sleeve, the blue jeans with the prominent Levi's rivets, bolsasthe watch with the hey-this-certifies-I-made-it icon on the face, your fountain pen with the maker's symbol crafted into the end ...
You're branded, branded, branded, branded.
It's time for me -- and you -- to take a lesson from the big brands, a lesson that's true for anyone who's interested in what it takes to stand out and prosper in the new world of work.
Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.
It's that simple -- and that hard. And that inescapable.
Behemoth companies may take turns buying each other or acquiring every hot startup that catches their eye -- mergers in 1996 set records. Hollywood may be interested in only blockbusters and book publishers may want to put out only guaranteed best-sellers. But don't be fooled by all the frenzy at the humongous end of the size spectrum.
The real action is at the other end: the main chance is becoming a free agent in an economy of free agents, looking to have the best season you can imagine in your field, looking to do your best work and chalk up a remarkable track record, and looking to establish your own micro equivalent of the rolex watches swoosh. Because if you do, you'll not only reach out toward every opportunity within arm's (or laptop's) length, you'll not only make a noteworthy contribution to your team's success -- you'll also put yourself in a great bargaining position for next season's free-agency market.
The good news -- and it is largely good news -- is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.
Who understands this fundamental principle? The big companies do. They've come a long way in a short time: it was just over four years ago, April 2, 1993 to be precise, when Philip Morris cut the price of Marlboro cigarettes by 40 cents a pack. That was on a Friday. On Monday, the stock market value of packaged goods companies fell by $25 billion. Everybody agreed: brands were doomed.
Today brands are everything, and all kinds of products and services -- from accounting firms to sneaker makers to restaurants -- are figuring out how to transcend the narrow boundaries of their categories and become a brand surrounded by a Tommy Hilfiger-like buzz.
Who else understands it? Every single Website sponsor. In fact, the Web makes the case for branding more directly than any packaged good or consumer product ever could. Here's what the Web says: Anyone can have a Website. And today, because anyone can ... anyone does! So how do you know which sites are worth visiting, which sites to bookmark, which sites are worth going to more than once? The answer: branding. The sites you go back to are the sites you trust. They're the sites where the brand name tells you that the visit will be worth your time -- again and again. The brand is a promise of the value you'll receive.
The same holds true for that other killer app of the Net -- email. When everybody has email and anybody can send you email, how do you decide whose messages you're going to read and respond to first -- and whose you're going to send to the trash unread? The answer: personal branding. The name of the email sender is every bit as important a brand -- is a brand -- as the name of the Web site you visit. It's a promise of the value you'll receive for the time you spend reading the message.
Nobody understands branding better than professional services firms. Look at McKinsey for a model of the new rules of branding at the company and personal level. Almost every professional services firm works with the same business model. They have almost no hard assets -- my guess is that most probably go so far as to rent or lease every tangible item they possibly can to keep from having to own anything. They have lots of soft assets -- more conventionally known as people, preferably smart, motivated, talented people. And they have huge revenues -- and astounding profits.
They also have a very clear culture of work and life. You're hired, you report to work, you join a team -- and you immediately start figuring out how to deliver value to the customer. Along the way, you learn stuff, develop your skills, hone your abilities, move from project to project. And if you're really smart, you figure out how to distinguish yourself from all the other very smart people walking around with $1,500 suits, high-powered laptops, and well-polished resumes. Along the way, if you're really smart, you figure out what it takes to create a distinctive role for yourself -- you create a message and a strategy to promote the brand called You.
What makes You different?
Start right now: as of this moment you're going to think of yourself differently! You're not an "employee" of General Motors, you're not a "staffer" at General Mills, you're not a "worker" at General Electric or a "human resource" at General Dynamics (ooops, it's gone!). Forget the Generals! You don't "belong to" any company for life, and your chief affiliation isn't to any particular "function." You're not defined by your job title and you're not confined by your job description.
Starting today you are a brand.
You're every bit as much a brand as rolex watches, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at rolex watches, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times.
If your answer wouldn't light up the eyes of a prospective client or command a vote of confidence from a satisfied past client, or -- worst of all -- if it doesn't grab you, then you've got a big problem. It's time to give some serious thought and even more serious effort to imagining and developing yourself as a brand.
Start by identifying the qualities or characteristics that make you distinctive from your competitors -- or your colleagues. What have you done lately -- this week -- to make yourself stand out? What would your colleagues or your customers say is your greatest and clearest strength? Your most noteworthy (as in, worthy of note) personal trait?
Go back to the comparison between brand You and brand X -- the approach the corporate biggies take to creating a brand. The standard model they use is feature-benefit: every feature they offer in their product or service yields an identifiable and distinguishable benefit for their customer or client. A dominant feature of Nordstrom department stores is the personalized service it lavishes on each and every customer. The customer benefit: a feeling of being accorded individualized attention -- along with all of the choice of a large department store.
So what is the "feature-benefit model" that the brand called You offers? Do you deliver your work on time, every time? Your internal or external customer gets dependable, reliable service that meets its strategic needs. Do you anticipate and solve problems before they become crises? Your client saves money and headaches just by having you on the team. Do you always complete your projects within the allotted budget? I can't name a single client of a professional services firm who doesn't go ballistic at cost overruns.
Your next step is to cast aside all the usual descriptors that employees and workers depend on to locate themselves in the company structure. Forget your job title. Ask yourself: What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguished, distinctive value? Forget your job description. Ask yourself: What do I do that I am most proud of? Most of all, forget about the standard rungs of progression you've climbed in your career up to now. Burn that damnable "ladder" and ask yourself: What have I accomplished that I can unabashedly brag about? If you're going to be a brand, you've got to become relentlessly focused on what you do that adds value, that you're proud of, and most important, that you can shamelessly take credit for.
When you've done that, sit down and ask yourself one more question to define your brand: What do I want to be famous for? That's right -- famous for!
What's the pitch for You?
So it's a cliché: don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle. it's also a principle that every corporate brand understands implicitly, from Omaha Steaks's through-the-mail sales program to Wendy's "we're just regular folks" ad replica de bolsascampaign. No matter how beefy your set of skills, no matter how tasty you've made that feature-benefit proposition, you still have to market the bejesus out of your brand -- to customers, colleagues, and your virtual network of associates.
For most branding campaigns, the first step is visibility. If you're General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler, that usually means a full flight of TV and print ads designed to get billions of "impressions" of your brand in front of the consuming public. If you're brand You, you've got the same need for visibility -- but no budget to buy it.
So how do you market brand You?
There's literally no limit to the ways you can go about enhancing your profile. Try moonlighting! Sign up for an extra project inside your organization, just to introduce yourself to new colleagues and showcase your skills -- or work on new ones. Or, if you can carve out the time, take on a freelance project that gets you in touch with a totally novel group of people. If you can get them singing your praises, they'll help spread the word about what a remarkable contributor you are.
If those ideas don't appeal, try teaching a class at a community college, in an adult education program, or in your own company. You get credit for being an expert, you increase your standing as a professional, and you increase the likelihood that people will come back to you with more requests and more opportunities to stand out from the crowd.
If you're a better writer than you are a teacher, try contributing a column or an opinion piece to your local newspaper. And when I say local, I mean local. You don't have to make the op-ed page of the New York Times to make the grade. Community newspapers, professional newsletters, even inhouse company publications have white space they need to fill. Once you get started, you've got a track record -- and clips that you can use to snatch more chances.
And if you're a better talker than you are teacher or writer, try to get yourself on a panel discussion at a conference or sign up to make a presentation at a workshop. Visibility has a funny way of multiplying; the hardest part is getting started. But a couple of good panel presentations can earn you a chance to give a "little" solo speech -- and from there it's just a few jumps to a major address at your industry's annual convention.
The second important thing to remember about your personal visibility campaign is: it all matters. When you're promoting brand You, everything you do -- and everything you choose not to do -- communicates the value and character of the brand. Everything from the way you handle phone conversations to the email messages you send to the way you conduct business in a meeting is part of the larger message you're sending about your brand.
Partly it's a matter of substance: what you have to say and how well you get it said. But it's also a matter of style. On the Net, do your communications demonstrate a command of the technology? In meetings, do you keep your contributions short and to the point? It even gets down to the level of your brand You business card: Have you designed a cool-looking logo for your own card? Are you demonstrating an appreciation for design that shows you understand that packaging counts -- a lot -- in a crowded world?
The key to any personal branding campaign is "word-of-mouth marketing." Your network of friends, colleagues, clients, and customers is the most important marketing vehicle you've got; what they say about you and your contributions is what the market will ultimately gauge as the value of your brand. So the big trick to building your brand is to find ways to nurture your network of colleagues -- consciously.
What's the real power of You?
If you want to grow your brand, you've got to come to terms with power -- your own. The key lesson: power is not a dirty word!
In fact, power for the most part is a badly misunderstood term and a badly misused capability. I'm talking about a different kind of power than we usually refer to. It's not ladder power, as in who's best at climbing over the adjacent bods. It's not who's-got-the-biggest-office-by-six-square-inches power or who's-got-the-fanciest-title power.
It's influence power.
It's being known for making the most significant contribution in your particular area. It's reputational power. If you were a scholar, you'd measure it by the number of times your publications get cited by other people. If you were a consultant, you'd measure it by the number of CEOs who've got your business card in their Rolodexes. (And better yet, the number who know your beeper number by heart.)
Getting and using power -- intelligently, responsibly, and yes, powerfully -- are essential skills for growing your brand. One of the things that attracts us to certain brands is the power they project. As a consumer, you want to associate with brands whose powerful presence creates a halo effect that rubs off on you.
It's the same in the workplace. There are power trips that are worth taking -- and that you can take without appearing to be a self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing megalomaniacal jerk. You can do it in small, slow, and subtle ways.bolsos Is your team having a hard time organizing productive meetings? Volunteer to write the agenda for the next meeting. You're contributing to the team, and you get to decide what's on and off the agenda. When it's time to write a post-project report, does everyone on your team head for the door? Beg for the chance to write the report -- because the hand that holds the pen (or taps the keyboard) gets to write or at least shape the organization's history.
Most important, remember that power is largely a matter of perception. If you want people to see you as a powerful brand, act like a credible leader. When you're thinking like brand You, you don't need org-chart authority to be a leader. The fact is you are a leader. You're leading You!
One key to growing your power is to recognize the simple fact that we now live in a project world. Almost all work today is organized into bite-sized packets called projects. A project-based world is ideal for growing your brand: projects exist around deliverables, they create measurables, and they leave you with braggables. If you're not spending at least 70% of your time working on projects, creating projects, or organizing your (apparently mundane) tasks into projects, you are sadly living in the past. Today you have to think, breathe, act, and work in projects.
Project World makes it easier for you to assess -- and advertise -- the strength of brand You. Once again, think like the giants do. Imagine yourself a brand manager at Procter & Gamble: When you look at your brand's assets, what can you add to boost your power and felt presence? Would you be better off with a simple line extension -- taking on a project that adds incrementally to your existing base of skills and accomplishments? Or would you be better off with a whole new product line? Is it time to move overseas for a couple of years, venturing outside your comfort zone (even taking a lateral move -- damn the ladders), tackling something new and completely different?
Whatever you decide, you should look at your brand's power as an exercise in new-look résumé; management -- an exercise that you start by doing away once and for all with the word "résumé." You don't have an old-fashioned résumé anymore! You've got a marketing brochure for brand You. Instead of a static list of titles held and positions occupied, your marketing brochure brings to life the skills you've mastered, the projects you've delivered, the braggables you can take credit for. And like any good marketing brochure, yours needs constant updating to reflect the growth -- breadth and depth -- of brand You.
What's loyalty to You?
Everyone is saying that loyalty is gone; loyalty is dead; loyalty is over. I think that's a bunch of crap.
I think loyalty is much more important than it ever was in the past. A 40-year career with the same company once may have been called loyalty; from here it looks a lot like a work life with very few options, very few opportunities, and very little individual power. That's what we used to call indentured servitude.
Today loyalty is the only thing that matters. But it isn't blind loyalty to the company. It's loyalty to your colleagues, loyalty to your team, loyalty to your project, loyalty to your customers, and loyalty to yourself. I see it as a much deeper sense of loyalty than mindless loyalty to the Company Z logo.
I know this may sound like selfishness. But being CEO of Me Inc. requires you to act selfishly -- to grow yourself, to promote yourself, to get the market to reward yourself. Of course, the other side of the selfish coin is that any company you work for ought to applaud every single one of the efforts you make to develop yourself. After all, everything you do to grow Me Inc. is gravy for them: the projects you lead, the networks you develop, the customers you delight, the braggables you create generate credit for the firm. As long as you're learning, growing, building relationships, and delivering great results, it's good for you and it's great for the company.
That win-win logic holds for as long as you happen to be at that particular company. Which is precisely where the age of free agency comes into play. If you're treating your résumé as if it's a marketing brochure, you've learned the first lesson of free agency. The second lesson is one that today's professional athletes have all learned: you've got to check with the market on a regular basis to have a reliable read on your brand's value. You don't have to be looking for a job to go on a job interview. For that matter, you don't even have to go on an actual job interview to get useful, important feedback.
The real question is: How is brand You doing? Put together your own "user's group" -- the personal brand You equivalent of a software review group. Ask for -- insist on -- honest, helpful feedback on your performance, your growth, your value. It's the only way to know what you would be worth on the open market. It's the only way to make sure that, when you declare your free agency, you'll be in a strong bargaining position. It's not disloyalty to "them"; it's responsible brand management for brand You -- which also generates credit for them.
It's this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else.
Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru a leading Corporate Branding and Branding Research firm in Boston, MA.
Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation.
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Over the course of his 15-year branding career, Scott White has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, restaurants, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.
Brand Identity Guru clients include: Sun Life Financial, Coca Cola, HP, Sun, Nordstrom, American Federal Mortgage, Franklin Sports and many others, including numerous emerging growth companies.