I recently was invited to speak at EMERGE a conference in Los Angeles organized by my friend Mariano Faget, the publisher of Hispanic Magazine and Hispanic Enterprise. Mariano asked me speak on developing your personal brand. I found the topic interesting and compelled me to examine what I counsel companies to do in shaping their brands.
While we all know that brand is the holy grail of advertising, your personal brand can be the foundation of your success. The magazine, Fast Company, calls this ”Brand You.” We are lucky as Americans because we have so many examples of people who have successful re-made their brand. From Benjamin Franklin who went from being an inventor and scientist to a world renown diplomat to Ronald Reagan who after a successful career in the movie business transformed himself into a legendary politician who reshaped American politics to the Diva of Pop, Madonna, who reinvents herself every few years, we have great examples to draw from. Fast Company stresses that “Brand You” is not a one time thing. I couldn’t agree more. You need to revolutionize your portfolio of skills at least every half dozens years. This is a minimum survival necessity.
In this world, the only way to truly Brand You is to be the boss of your own show. Today, ordinary is boring. If you grew up thinking you were going to work at a bank for 40 years you are simply not going to survive today. Here’s some advice I gave those attending the conference on how to develop your personal brand.
Land the Best Gig Possible. Everyone who is successful turns projects into stuff that gets you noticed.
Promote, Promote, Promote. Market your worth. Spread the word about the great results you achieved.
Master Something. Find something you love and become good at it. Make yourself indispensible.
Its ok to Re-Invent Yourself. You have to able to change course. Love the game enough to thrive on new challenges and assignments.
Above All Loyalty. Loyalty is not dead. Be true to your colleagues, your work and your clients. This will grow your network of professional contacts.
Embrace the New. You don’t have to be an expert at everything but be aware of what’s going to change the world and how that impacts your work (i.e. who ever heard of blogging three years ago?)
Never Be Satisfied. Always strive to do your job better.
If you follow these principals you will establish Brand You and successfully position yourself. There’s no guarantee this will work, but it will make your professional life more engaging and fulfilling.
Few people today would deny that race relations are better today than ever before. Finally, our country has made some significant leaps in understanding and accepting diversity. A recent ABC News survey asked people whether there’s anyone of another race that you consider a close friend. A large number of people said yes. Twenty years ago that response would have been very different. However, the survey also showed African Americans, Whites and Hispanics view race differently. White respondents are far more in agreement that most or all of the goals of the civil rights movement have been achieved. Moreover, nearly 7 or 10 African Americans believe they face discrimination in applying for jobs, while only 20 percent of Whites agree.
As for college admissions, more than 40 percent of African Americans and 7 percent of Whites said Black applicants almost always face discrimination. Yet if some Whites turn a blind eye to possible discrimination others according to the Manhattan Institute’s Center for race and Ethnicity consider themselves “honorary Blacks” because they are very sensitive to the travails of African Americans. Interesting with the changing demographics of the country we are seeing that the racial divide is no longer just between African Americans and Whites. The Democratic presidential primary drew fresh attention to long standing strains between African Americans and Hispanics, according to Ad Age. A Pew polling survey last year, showed that Hispanic and African Americans saw themselves as getting along only pretty well. Richard Rodriguez, editor of NAM, sees Hispanic and African American tension in a broader historical context. As immigration grows, many in the African American community are seeing jobs and neighborhoods going to Hispanics. This has produced as it did in the late 1800s tension among the two largest ethnic groups in the country.
Looking ahead though, the country has made great strides in embracing change and moving beyond race. There’s a multicultural awakening which is producing a unique appreciation for everything ethnic. In communities across the country, that influence is so felt that ethnic culture has become mainstream influencing food, fashion, entertainment and yes even politics. The strong candidacy of Barack Obama is a reflection of that and potentially a catalyst for change in racial thinking. Some would argue that its even a sign that despite some lingering problems ”America has already become a post-racial society.”
There’s no better time for communicators to reflect on the enduring cultural impact, and marketplace significance, of the African-American man. Here are just a few cases in point:
The historic presidential candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama has clearly provoked thought and action about the political and economic significance of black America. Sen. Obama’s candidacy is, perhaps, the largest proof that remaining doubts about a black man’s ability to lead at the highest level of an institution are fading. For African-Americans, Sen. Obama represents black manhood at its finest.
This leads us to the next case in point. Ebony Magazine, for years the most significant national media outlet for African Americans, recently unveiled its “25 Coolest Brothers of All Time.” The list includes luminaries such as Obama, Sidney Poitier, Jimi Hendrix, Ed Bradley, Jay-Z and Muhammad Ali.
William Jelani Cobb, associate professor of history at Spelman College in Atlanta, writes in his introduction to Ebony’s list: “The truth is that minus the tradition of Black cool, this nation would be a far less funky place and that funklessness would cost America money. (Black cool) is absolutely the reason why the NBA can sell Iverson jerseys in Eastern Europe, the reason why jazz and hip-hop are prime American exports and the reason why brand-conscious marketers fling products at Black icons of cool, hoping some of it will translate into market share. In short, cool sells.”
This brings us to our final case in point. Radio One Inc. and research firm Yankelovich recently presented what they call “one of the largest-ever studies of black America.” Their “Black America Study” is a must read for those looking to better understand the diversity of the black experience in today’s America.
Esteemed researcher, Pepper Miller, was part of the team that worked with Radio One and Yankelovich. She recently wrote about the study in AdvertisingAge. She carries Cobb’s point even further, offering perspective on one of the market segments identified in the study:
“Black Onliners are exciting and baffling. The majority are males who are serious web users, are more engaged in Black media, are very brand-conscious and place a greater importance on being with other Blacks. I scratch my head in puzzlement because Black men — who don’t look to other cultures for cues about swagger, language, fashion, music and what is cool — are the fuel behind the trends that the world follows. Yet, beyond automobiles and alcoholic beverages, this segment is rarely on marketers’ radars.”
So what is a marketer to do about black men in particular as we all seek to embrace the opportunities presented by a marketplace increasingly shaped by people of color? We should encourage clients to understand that black men’s “coolness” is not just found on BET or on basketball courts. It is a power that can be tapped and leveraged in all fields of endeavor, at all income levels and in every region of the world.
Indeed, the African-American market is one that can still be tapped more easily than many of today’s most highly-sought international markets, as Target Market News’ “The Buying Power of Black America” report notes. Just looking at men, that report adds that African-American men’s total earned income of more than $400 billion is larger than the gross national income of Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Indonesia, Denmark and many other nations.
The smart client understands that black manhood, if harnessed appropriately and targeted intelligently, is a power source that can take any brand initiative in wildly profitable directions.
Kevin Hooks and David Rudd of The Axis Agency can help you leverage African-American male insights, and more, as you create leading-edge programs for your teams and your clients.
On the 233rd birthday of the U.S. Army this video seems very appropriate. We are proud of our work for the U.S. Army and salute the Soldiers who keep us safe at home and protect our freedom. Hooah!
Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released the latest Hispanic population estimates. What stood out is Hispanic population growth was overwhelmingly (62%) driven by natural increase and not net immigration in contrast with 2000 when natural increase and immigration were nearly equal.
The 2007 report showed that Hispanic births have steadily increased year-over-year, while at the same time Non-Hispanic births have shown significant declines. Hispanic childbirths are up 3% since 2000, while Non-Hispanic childbirths are down 20%. Also, Hispanic babies are now 24% of the nation’s total vs. 20% in 2000.
Famous for reviving the career of many celebs, Dancing with the Stars has done it again with Crisitian de la Fuente. Known to few outside Telemundo telenovela viewers, Cristian has cha cha’d his way to the center stage and general market audiences are loving it!Some might say that his recent injury on the show might give him sympathy votes… but it’s clear that Latinos can rumba like no other. So make room on the dance floor and on the tv screen… cause this new latin heartthrob is on the move in Hollywood!
Colombian singer, Fanny Lu hit the airwaves today in a U.S. satellite media tour to talk about eco-friendly tips on behalf of ABSOLUT Vodka. Part of the new ABSOLUT Global Cooling initiative, Fanny Lu encourages all of us to turn the lights off, go outside and host a Global Cooling party.
As the American economy continues to move sluggishly, African-American households are curtailing their spending in many categories, including food, clothing and basic household items, while investing more in home repair, home entertainment and consumer electronics. Although they are trimming back, black consumers are still spending more than their white counterparts on most of these products.
According to the newest edition of “The Buying Power of Black America†report, African-American households are tightening their belts when it comes to dining out, expanding their wardrobes, and leisure activities out of the home. At the same time, they are increasing their spending on home repairs and remodeling, audio and visual electronics, and online purchases of books. The report also estimates that black households collectively had earned income of $679 billion in 2004.
According to the report, black households had $679 billion in earned income in 2004, an increase of 3.5% over the $656 earned in 2003.
Among the products and services that showed the greatest one-year increase were sound systems (+127%), computer online services (+38%) and sports and recreational equipment (+19%), dishwashers (+ 42%), washing machines (+45%), and contributions to churches (+19%).
â€This change in expenditures by black consumers means that obtaining and holding on to their loyal will be more competitive for marketers,†said Smikle. “This represents a time of opportunity for those companies that can demonstrate they are serious about providing value for these customers.â€
