3.2: The Importance of a Personal Brand (Libretext)

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Managing Your Brand

If others can change the way you view yourself, is it possible for you to change the way others view you? The short answer is “yes,” and the process is known as impression management. In the business world, it would be known as “brand management.”

What is a brand? Many people, even some who work in communications, think of a brand as a symbol that represents a product. You’re familiar with these symbols:

Ford logo Cherios logo PGCC logo NBC logo TRUMP logo

These are all brand symbols. To which do you relate well – which brands do you like – and why? Which brands do you dislike and why?

Reflect: In an online class, write the answer to the above question. In a face-to-face class, be prepared to discuss your answer.

This exercise should lead you to the conclusion that a brand is not the artwork, but rather the cumulative reputation of the person or entity behind the brand. Take, for instance, the Ford brand. Almost everyone can identify it as the brand of an automobile. If you’ve owned a Ford and you’ve had a good experience, you’ll feel positively toward the brand. If you had a bad experience, you won’t.

For those who know history, Ford is not only the brand of a contemporary automobile but also the brand of an industrial pioneer that in the first half of the 20th century helped to make America great. Read about the man and the company that:

· invented the moving assembly line,

· was the first to give its workers a $5-a-day wage (double the existing pay rate for factory workers),

· reduced the work day to eight hours from nine,

· put the world on wheels with a simple, durable, affordable automobile,

· built the largest integrated factory that included steel mills, a tire factory, a glass factory, a power plant – everything needed to make an automobile. Or, to make antisubmarine patrol boats, ambulances, and trucks.

· Built one of the first airplanes used by commercial airlines. To spur the development of the aviation industry, Ford offered the plane’s 35 patents free of royalties, including his patent for the navigational radio beam.

· Developed the first V8 engine.

· In 1941, before World War II, Ford began producing Jeeps for the U.S. military.

· By the end of World War II Ford had produced more than 8,000 B-24 Liberator bombers.

Rosie the Riveter We Can Do it — Figure $\PageIndex{1}$: Rosie the Riveter (CC0; J. Howard Miller via Wikipedia)

· Ford says one of its workers, Rose Will Monroe, who was working as a rivet gun operator, became known as “Rosie the Riveter.” She’s the woman depicted on the famous “We Can Do It!” poster by J. Howard Miller, a Pittsburgh artist hired by Westinghouse Company to create a series of pictures for the war effort. Read about how World War II vastly expanded the role of women in the U.S. workforce. Who the real model for Rosie remains disputed.

· After World War II, Ford introduced several new car models, including the Ford Mustang.

· Built NASA’s Mission Control Center used to put a man on the moon.

· Introduced the retractable seat belts used in all cars today.

· Was the only American auto manufacturer to avoid receiving a government bailout loan during the 2008-09 financial crisis.

If you enjoyed Cheerios, you perceive Cheerios to be a good, perhaps great, cereal. Likewise, if you enjoy your college experience, you’ll be there when the college needs you. I’ve put the logo of Prince George’s Community College in our brand portfolio. My faculty colleagues and I are tremendously proud of the work PGCC does to transform lives, especially the lives of first-generation and minority students. PGCC hasn’t had a life-or-death crisis, but Sweet Briar College did. It was saved by its alumnae.

A College Saved From Closure

On March 3, 2015, Sweet Briar College’s president announced the school would close. Watch this CBS Evening News report on that announcement. Sweet Briar is a small, all-women’s college with an enrollment of around 600 students. It could have been the end, but it wasn’t.

The announcement stunned, then infuriated the alumnae who hadn’t had any warning that the school might be in peril. In a matter of 90 days, they raised $20 million to address any financial issues the college might have and to retain a top law firm which achieved a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that because the college was a trust created under the will of Indiana Fletcher Williams, the trustees did not have the power to close the institution. The alumni then hired Roger C. Stone as interim president with the mission of revitalizing the rebound. He was successful, and after two years, Stone announced he was retiring and the college hired Meredith Woo, who had been a dean at the University of Virginia, as its president. In 2021, the college welcomed 205 new students, bringing total enrollment to about 475, its highest since the attempted closing.

Lots of small colleges fail. Over 100 closed in the 12 months ended June 30, 2021. What made the difference for Sweet Briar? Alumni involvement. Why were the alumni involved? Because they had had a positive experience at a small, liberal arts, women’s college in rural Virginia and wanted that option to be available to future generations. This is the power of a positive brand for an organization.

The threatened closure, however, sharpened Sweet Briar’s brand. Before March 2015, it was known for its ABET-accredited engineering program and its nationally ranked equestrian team. After the rebirth, it developed an innovative leadership curriculum, is gaining national attention for its new programs in sustainable agriculture and is ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s Most Innovative Schools.

Your Personal Brand

People have brands, too. If you didn’t watch the video of Ann Bastianelli’s TEDx Talk on personal branding, watch it now. Pay particular attention to these points:

· What are the two types of people in the world?

· How does real life differ from college?

· What are the three benefits of a strong personal brand?

· Describe the personal brand(s) of Bob Knight

Think about your personal brand. Can you define how other people know you to be? This is your perceived self. Ask friends, colleagues other peers what it’s like to know you or work with you.

Your perceived self is how people know you. Your presenting self is how you want people to think of you. According to Ann Bastianelli, what are the three steps to building a strong personal brand?