Counterfeiters' alert! – How to decode a bank note

This is most probably my third, nay fourth consecutive entry on the beauty of commerce and money. Well what is branding if not an instrument embodying value, the tree sap of commerce. (Secretly, I think its because I still don’t have nearly enough money).

My friend, Dayo, had this interesting thought the other day. He had been researching the nature of trust in business relationships and had some brilliant ideas. We played around a bit with them and observed that a bank note could serve as conceptual model for understanding trust.

Think about it for a moment.

Money has been around since we were all born yet remains unchanged as the currency of exchange for our continued survival (You could check out my previous post, What brand is your money). Yet experiments have shown that we can nearly not tell the original coins or bank notes apart from a small group of imitations with minor alterations from the original. Hard to believe right? Yeah thought so too. Donald Norman in his book, “The Design of Everyday things” describes this as the difference between “knowledge in the world” and “knowledge in your head”. I guess that’s story for another day

Well, here are some things we discovered from observing a bank note:

• - The value it represents is darn obvious (often represents this in words and figures)
• - Security features (difficult to imitate and might only reveal themselves upon closer inspection)
• - Unique design language or theme
• - Recognizable parsonage, place or even symbol
• - Features indicating a sense of heritage (take the use of old font types for example)
• - Mystical or mysterious representations (for instance inscrutable writings or mystical figures)
• - Specific colors
• - Tactile prompts for easy identification by the visually impaired
• - Bears a unique identification number
• - Endorsed by some authority figure (e.g. the Governor of the Central Bank)
• - Name of the country

With this conceptual tool, I believe any one forging a brand could generate ideas for eliciting trust in clients. But isn’t it interesting that you are carrying in your wallet, a really cool brand strategy document?

What my next door Neighbor has to say about the Alaba economy

Alaba International is a financial hub in the heart of my adopted home city, Lagos. It’s a capital within a capital, if you know what I mean. It is a typical market but then it is different in a way. Like China town, there is an ethnic undertone to its trappings. The brand of the Alaba economy is “international” in scope in that (1) products sold here are from all over the world: from Malaysia to Italy, India to South Africa and (2) that it doesn’t discriminate in what is sold: whether imitations or originals, “no-testing” or brand new. If it can be sold, then it can be gotten at Alaba, some would say. It is a crucial muscle in economic arm of the Ibo Nation.

My neighbor like his Ibo “brothers”* is a player in this economy. His story testifies to that social contract which admits new pupils into this exchange and grooms them into astute business men. At the risk of generalizing and being somewhat simplistic, I would make a stab at how it works:

A young boy leaves his village in the care of a relative who is a Lagos-based business man. His patron feeds, clothes and generally takes over his upkeep for the tenure of this apprenticeship. The young boy works at his patron’s store and learns the rubrics of the trade usually for years. When he has proven himself and learnt what he needs, his master (as his patron is referred to) would provide him with capital in the form of money, inventory or even a few of his clients to get his ward up and running in managing his own business.

This simple system is the life blood of the entrepreneurial success of this great market place. It is replicated in different parts of Nigeria wherever Ibos may be found. I remember visiting a village in the North which was roughly a street long. True to nature, an Ibo trader was there running a store. Where ever there are people who have got money to buy, there is an Ibo man to sell, people joke.

These businessmen have had their minds stewed in the fundamentals of business, from negotiation to international strategy. Small wonder they command vast empires of wealth while some MBAs in my country are still on the unemployment line.

There is a system of doing business that enables these businessmen circumvent the more formal sector with its bureaucracies, expenses and delays. In the place of these bottlenecks, Alaba economics accommodates entrepreneurs raising capital from money lenders or “brothers”; monetary transactions across international boundaries without banking routes; the presence of agents of their own ethnicity resident in foreign countries serving as some unofficial “Chambers of Commerce” to protect and facilitate their business interests there. Their capabilities are numerous. They have perfected an extralegal system that is as old as an empire. And it works.

In truth, the Alaba brand epitomizes that unique ability to adapt to change. Or what do you think?

*The word “brother” is a colloquial expression common among some Nigerian ethnicities. It could refer to friend, relative or even business partner.

What brand is your money?

Although I don’t make nearly enough of it, I have a theory about money. Its history is long and convoluted and I never tire of telling a condensed version. These days, I am careful not to emphasis my imaginative bits which bridge the gaps between the islands of facts. Well, here it goes.

Every school boy knows that barter was the early means of commercial exchanges. You know, the “I-trade-you-a-piece-of-lamb-chops-for-some-tubers-of-yam” business. With the obvious limitations of divisibility or a standard of what value represents what or difficulty in moving cumbersome inventory for exchange at the market or the risk of spoilage of perishable item etc, it fell to other representations to be veritable carriers of value. Modern man toyed around with a few standards and then settled on gold. It was the perfect candidate: precious metal, scare, inanimate and definitely not perishable. He even took upon himself to fragment it into smaller standardized pieces for ease of carriage. And for a while, things were peachy in the world of commercial exchanges. At least up until, certain individuals began to dope gold with lesser metals after heating them at very high temperatures. This was in order to increase the quantity and hence the size of the “gold” coins after they had cooled in the melting pots. In this way, these individuals were able to literally increase their wealth. To curb this, the ruling government began to brand gold with a special seal on one side, attesting to the authenticity of every coin and then perhaps later began to imprint the value of specific gold coins on the flip side. The apparent progenitor of the coins we use today.

Another interesting occurrence was the increasing popularity of gold smiths in the community. Together with merchants, these artisans began to keep gold for members in the community in their safes (the gold smith worked on gold items and as such had to develop strong safes against robbery and theft – duuuuh!). You see, the fear of being dispossessed of their valuables led people to begin to pay a fee to the gold smith in the community in order to have their money kept in his safe. He in return would issue a receipt which may have read something like “this receipt backs such and such number of gold coins which have been deposited on this day [state date] in my vault, signed: Goldsmith”. With time, the gold smith would even begin to issue receipts to individuals as loans even when there was no gold to back it up. And they even did this with interest!

Lets take a scenario in which a man wants to return the money he owes or wants to make a purchase at the market but doesn’t have his gold with him but he has his receipt from the gold smith. Now the gold smith is known and respected in his community. He is practically an institution. So its not a problem if this man simply hands over his receipt in payment. This was to become the precursor of the paper money we use today. Hence, that old idea that money was backed with gold. Unwittingly, these “bankers” had established a new financial system in which the essence of money which is value was now travelling in paper form in place of gold itself.

So we leap, say, another century. Then comes fiat money. Perhaps, some genius in government decides that the best way to go was to remove the backing of gold from money as we know it. Bank notes could then be printed at the discretion of the authorities irrespective of the quantity of gold in their vaults. Thus the government was putting out its reputation that these notes (or currency as they would now be known) represented their said value. In other words, the brand of the government was money’s new backing. And then the story goes on….

What I think is obvious from this lengthy tale is that the essence of Money is value but if we take a closer look, we notice something else - the entire financial system is credit driven. From the time when vault receipts were like glorified IOUs claiming that there was some money somewhere which you could access when you wanted. Or that in issuing a bank note out to someone today, what you are saying is that some government or bank somewhere is promising the recipient that they are good for it. All of this rests on the concept of trust.

From value to credit to trust. Quite the leap, I admit. But it all comes down to trust. The very basis of all commerce – “I trust that this product am buying would deliver” or that “the TV repair man possesses the skill to do my work”. It is one of the earliest feelings we learn, psychologist tell us, in the oral stage of psychosexual development.

Perhaps that is the reason why Money is the ultimate brand document. A bank note even encodes some of the most important concepts on trust. Maybe more on that next time.

What Iya oni robo taught me on my way to Lagos

She appeared to eye us cautiously – or was it a weariness I sensed? – but then it was fleeting. She was alive again, bracing herself and gathering her wares as she approached our station wagon. You see, we had stopped at a petrol station on our way to Lagos and while the driver hurried to get the tank filled, we chatted amongst ourselves or tried to keep awake in the back seat.

This woman (who I would go on to call Iya oni robo), displayed a small transparent plastic bucket half filled with what appeared to be miniature brownish balls which had coloured the water they were soaked in. This was robo, in its pristine form. “Factory-fresh”, so to speak. She shoved her display into my field of vision and launched into a spiel.

“Brother”, she said in the Yoruba dialect, “how many should I bring.” Here she broke into familiarity both with the use of the appellation and the tribal tongue that suggested I was one of her own. And as such would be more favorably disposed towards her as we had something in common. Also, she lightly ventured an assumption: that I had made a decision to buy her product. Apparently, the only question was how many.

“I will sell one to you for ten naira while two for fifteen naira”, she smiled, luring us to purchase a product we perhaps did not cared for. I think by offering us an apparently good deal, she would tip us from our indecision in her favour. She had formulated the perfect antidote to buyer’s remorse.

And then one person bought a few which she eagerly presented in a polythene bag. And then another passenger perhaps sensing a silence endorsement of the product in the previous purchase, offered money for some. A third grew curious and asked questions about what it was made from and she happily explained the production process. It is made from melonm she said - bringing the unfamiliar finished product into the context of its familiar raw material. Two more passengers volunteered that they had tried it and it was nice.

Whether its is actively displaying a product/service offering; knowing the customer; assuming the customer already has a need your product or service would sate; the buy-one, get-one-free, gimmick or the generation of word of mouth marketing, I realized that the fundamentals of selling remain the same. It could be an insurance salesman in a business suit or a small time trader who both produces and markets her product by the road side.

As the car pulled away, I smiled and waved at Iya oni robo, musing over the last five minutes of my practical MBA as I scribbled my next blog entry into my note pad.

Coming soon

Would have 2 blog entries coming up over the next couple of weeks

Confessions of a brand hit man

(conversations with my dark alter ego on how to tank a brand)

What Iya oni robo* taught me on my way to Lagos

(my elective MBA)

*a yoruba expression for a woman who sells robo, a south western Nigerian snack made from melon

Mini case study: Personal brand positioning

Here is the question:

A friend of mine had this bit on his mind. You see, he is a football aficionado and as a result has done a bit of sports journalism. He often serves as a sport’s analyst on TV and radio shows. However, he had developed interests in brands and branding and has begun building a career for himself as a brand strategist. Yet he finds that he is more recognized as a sport’s analyst than a brand strategist. In a sense he has come to occupy a position in the collective consciousness of his audience as an analyst.

Posted on my wardrobe door in my room is a quote by a Peruvian economist, Hernando de Soto. He wrote “It is always easier to remember a difficult concept in one of its tangible forms than in its essence”. This brings two things to mind:

1. 1. It is imperative to articulate the essence of an idea beyond its tangible forms and

2. 2. Most people may find it easier to remember the tangible representations than the essence of an idea.

And so while in branding one works from the brand concept or values (essence) to the brand collaterals (tangible representations), the audience appreciates it from the other way round. it is the same way one appreciates a work of art from the brush strokes to its prevailing mood.

Back to my friend: now he is an energetic chap with a bit of an infectious personality. So how about that for essence. But then like we observed, his audience wont necessarily experience his “energy” without the tangible representations. In this case, his talent as a sport’s analyst. And as such they are more likely to remember this.

So for instance, if he builds his brand on the essence of “energy”, he would have to craft his collaterals in a form his audience would be familiar with and recognize. To fail at this might lead to him confusing his audience and diluting his brand in his bid to extend it.

What I think is, he could grow his interests in sports branding. That would marry sports and branding suitably in the mind of his audience. And then he could extend to branding across other industries while maintaining his position as a sports analyst.

Or what do you think?

Brand+Architecture

An old article comes to mind. It must have been one of those design or architecture magazines. It featured a piece on five office buildings and the corporations they housed. The idea was integrating design and business strategy.

One was of a paper company which had just had their interior redone to the theme of the history of the printing press or something of that sort. I believe the table in one of the meeting rooms was a replica of an old printing press. The story goes that a prospective client with a large account had offered to attend a presentation on their brief at the paper company’s premises. The client eventually signed on not because of the paper company’s proposal but they were persuaded by what they saw.

The use of building design (whether interior or exterior) might indeed present itself as a viable parameter in brand positioning. However, it has not enjoyed the popularity it deserves. The reason for this may not be far fetched considering the cost and long term view of implementing such as strategy.

Buildings are commonly done in the ubiquitous boring block-like design lacking a bit more imagination. To all intent and purpose, they all appear a little similar. Hence, it presents an opportunity for the brand to break free from the pack.

Recognizing building design as an important touch point for the brand audience to interact with the brand is a crucial first step.

Mo Abudu and the Lagos street children fiasco

There has been some report in Nigeria on talk show host Mo Abudu and her partnership with the Lagos state government in some charity benefit. I have included below my comment which I sent to NEXT newspapers:

It appears I am revisiting an issue which should be dead and buried by now but as an admirer of Mo Abudu. Perhaps that’s the reason why the debate over the street children project (involving her Inspire Africa foundation, UNICEF and the Lagos State government ) is particularly bothersome.

The issue here is not whether the allegations made against her and her foundation in the media (and fueled by word of mouth) are true or not. That’s beside the point. For rumors to spread, they do not have be truths or half truths at that. Life is unfair, at least in that sense. As a matter of fact, the important ingredient driving a story in the society’s consciousness is the good old conflict. And that trumps truth any day of the week.

Am no expert but I once read somewhere that the spread of rumors is proportional to: (a) paucity of information on the issue at hand and (b) importance/relevance of the issue to the populace in which the rumor spreads. Mitigate any or both of these two factors and you may be unto staving its spread.

To the best of my knowledge, the first factor was addressed to a degree in this publication a week ago in the form of a paid advert by the Inspire Africa foundation stating their side of the story. But this was a good two weeks after the allegations were reported in the same publication whereas what you do within the first 24 to 48 hours may make or break your case with the public. A week or so later may be well too late.

Also these reports were made by perceived third parties (the media and commentators). Readers are especially credible independent third parties with nothing to gain or lose for sharing their opinions on issues. Now that would be tough to beat.

It is worthy of note that a recurring theme in the responses of readers to the report was “transparency” or the lack of it by the foundation. Whether real or imagined, I fear that for Ms Abudu to retain her coveted position with the public, this must be addressed soon.

Admittedly this is not a PR disaster of epic proportions. I hope it doesn’t however impact negatively on the foundations future projects.

Hernando de Soto was on to something

In his book titled, “The Mystery of Capital”, he spoke about how 80% of the population in developing and former communist countries, who have been classified as being some of the world’s poorest. His idea goes contrary to folk wisdom and identifies this population as possessing far more in terms of assets than their current worth. Unfortunately in these countries, there is lacking the prerequisite economic and political infrastructure to explore these assets in their full potential as capital. For instance, in parts of Latin America a building may only serve three purposes or so: place of abode for the owner, leased accommodation, a storage facility or a few others. However, his research organization (the Institute for Liberty and Democracy) have identified up to a hundred uses that same building may serve in a place like the United States.

The key is the ability of these assets (more accurately referred to as “Capital”) to take on another form independent of their physical forms. To take on parallel lives primarily through the economic instrument of documentation. He gives an example of the Peruvian telephone company which was valued at the stock exchange at $53 million dollars and was up for privatization. By extending it beyond its physical assets to its potential to generate more value, they were able to sell it at $2 billion (a staggering 37 times its original value!)

Applying this economic framework to branding, it is clear that the brand in its intangible form takes on a “parallel life” in the mind of its audience through interaction with expressions from corporate culture to visual ID.

It is imperative that a more empirical view be taken on branding. Brand equity presupposes measurements through which brands may be compared with each other especially in terms of monetary value. According to Nitza Sasson and Idan Doron of Tefen IL in their article “Measuring Brand Equity: the first crucial step maximizing value”, measurement of brand equity has some relevance in Mergers & Acquisition, settlement disputes, events of ownerships, lawsuits, partnership conflicts and licensing agreement. The methodologies for assessing this are varied and out of the scope of this article.

The important point is brand value needs to be unpacked further beyond just merchandising and sponsorships. With the dramatic changes in the world today, as noted in the internet revolution for instance; are their new ways to “unpack” this value. Can brand value be harnessed by the consumer just the same way money is?

I admit I have not thought this through but it is obvious there is room for some pretty good ideas in this area. Or what do you think?

What color are your pants?

I think one of the best movies of 2006 was the biopic, "The Pursuit of Happyness". Based on the on the early life of a wall street success, Chris Gardner, it documents the tough patch he had to go through sometime in 1981 before he got his break at Dean Witter, a brokerage firm (by the way, great acting by Will Smith and his son, Jaden).

One of the most dramatic scenes in the movie was when he turned up for the job interview for an internship position at the firm, appearing slovenly with paint stains on his hair and clothes (actually he had just spent a night in prison after being arrested - when painting his apartment - for not paying his paying his parking tickets). At the end of the interview, the most senior executive on the panel asked him what he (i.e. Chris) would say if he learnt that the executive had hired a man who came for an interview without a shirt on.

What followed for me was the most beautiful few seconds of the entire movie. You could tell Chris was a bit taken aback by the question. But I think his response changed everything:

“He must have had some very nice pants on” (or words to that effect).

Needless to say Chris passed the interview.

I guess in life, we may possess these sort of “nice pants”, which differentiate us and more importantly, mitigate our shortcomings. For some it’s the quick wit they have about them, some uncanny ability to think on their feet. For others it’s a rare skill they possess which makes them invaluable to their audience. Yet for others, it is the ability to be known for something specific, to own an idea in the minds of everyone (think of Hernando de Soto and his "Mystery of Capital" or Nassim Nicholas Taleb and his "Black Swan" theory).

Whatever the case, our “nice pants” shine more even when our foibles are evident, the latter acting as foils across which that which is remarkable appears to be more so. They make people forgive us yet admire us.

A friend of mine puts it this way: imagine an architect walks into a meeting with board members of a multi national dressed in a T-shirt and pair of dirty thorn jeans pants (lets throw in a nose ring and tattoos for good measure), yet he makes a presentation of his concept of their proposed building that blows their minds. It those “nice pants”, that inner “genius” that wins them over.

For successful brands (individuals, places or organizations), it could be that thing they are known for. That crucial differentiator. We can see evidence of such in great brands like Apple with their culture which builds loyalty the world over.

So this begs the question, what color are your pants?

Great branding, resumes-style!

Couple of days ago...doing my thing...surfing the blogosphere, I came across an interesting comment on Brand wire by the creator of a rather unique "invention" called The Bioblog. It is a radical idea - present resumes (yeah, those dull documents) in an attention grabbing format.

This is no visual CV but relies heavily on use of graphics and fonts in a bold thematic way. Sometimes, it is designed as a one-page advert, with dramatic declarations of the attributes the resume writer possesses. At other times, its a calling card with a cartoon like portrait of you. The ideas go on and on. By being eye-catching, it distinguishes your resume from the rest of the pack. And when it comes to looking for a job, you need all the "diffrentiation" you can get.

This resume writing method could help clarify your personal brand. At the very least, the recruiting officer would want to meet you. It could get you a foot in (at least up untill the next round).

Hey, you check it out here and let me know what you think.

On Rebranding Nigeria

Was at a forum the other day on the issue of rebranding Nigeria. I have included my comment below:

I think that Nigeria doesn't have to solve all its problems before embarking on a rebranding campaign. The honest truth is we don't have to have good electricity, infrastructure and phone networks for us to build a successful brand (though I would be the first to admit, it does help a great deal).
The aim of a brand campaign is not to be all things to all people (that would make Nigeria a mere commodity). Neither should we try to compete on the same footing of development and its perks with the rest of the world.
I believe, we need a honest and bold approach. One citizens of this country and the rest of the world could buy into.
Through our brand, we should be able to say, YES, we have a reputation for corruption, record of poor governance, fraud and failing infrastructure. But more importantly, pick our brand position by admitting that WE ARE WILLING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THAT WE ARE WILLING TO CHANGE.
I fear only with a healthy marriage of the negatives of our past and the positives we hold of this change, will we be able to annihilate the former and birth that brand-new Nigeria.

Sound Branding

Try this. Close your eyes. Imagine. It is just after 8 o’clock in the morning. There is the sound of an engine sputtering nearby, above the hum of passing cars, trucks and motorcycles and their clanging horns; the spiel of hawkers parading their wares; shouts announcing various places in sing song voices (destinations?); blaring music from large stereos. The noise is a confluence of voices, music and ambient sounds. You can tell almost with a certainty, you are in a bus park, somewhere in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria…say Ojuelegba?

And then you open your eyes….

For those few seconds, in your imagination, you experienced this entity (in this case, a busy hub in the Lagos metropolis), through the unique interface of your ears. In this way, you have attempted to reconstruct the brand Ojuelegba through the sense of sound.

The mind is wired to interact with the environment with its 5 senses (sight, smell, touch, taste and sound). Through stimuli integrated from these various sources, the mind is fed and develops the dimensional representation we call the brand.

Therefore, to consciously craft a brand while focusing more on the visual experiences (visual logos, identity system, design and architecture etc) while ignoring other senses such as sound identifies a large gap in the branding experience. Although the above example allows us appreciate a place brand through sound, this kind of thinking can be extended to other types of brands as well.

For instance, when a bank consumer is using an ATM, we engage his visual sense as well as his sense of sound through the jingles or music that is played. By exploring other senses, the audience may be better engaged and a better articulated brand image may be created.*

Here are a few examples of how the sound component of a dimensional brand may be explored

• Sound logo: this is the acoustic representation of the brand. It may be used in conjunction with the visual logo (in multimedia for instance) or alone
• Jingles: radio, television or internet adverts for instance
• Corporate songs or anthems
• Ring tones (remember the unique ringtone used in the hit TV series, “24”?)
• Ambient music in the organizations facility
• Switch board music
• Cultural language used by stakeholders of the brand (e.g. employee branding)
• Sound of the brand’s name, products or services

The list goes. The important question to ask is “how does my brand use sounds?”. The idea is to mine each of the brand’s touch point for its potential as a sound portal.

*the word “image” does not imply visual representation. It is from the Latin root word “imitari” which means “to imitate”. Therefore the brand image is more accurately a replica of the brand in the minds of its audience.

Simplifying branding

Most organizations are jostling for some spot in the customer's mind. Brand theorists even have a fancy name for it - Mind share. For most, it is the holy grail of a successful brand strategy which is all of 3 steps really:

1 - Deciding on what you want to represent

2 - Doing it

3 - Show that you are doing it.

Ok, ok, it is not always so cold and calculated. Afterall some of the world's most exciting brands didn't set out with such an obvious agenda - at least not intentionally anyway. For these, "the brand" grew - so to speak - as a by-product of them doing a great job at serving their customers.

"It's all in the name, really"

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, I suppose it does not make much of a difference. The name change, that is. This blog used to be known as "BRANKS!" up untill about a few minutes ago or so.

After a 6 months hiatus, I felt this need to do away with the old name (which was some sort of modification of "bankable brands") and see about a new one. The term "BRAND Nation" represents more accurately what I perceive our conversations should be about - an uncanny interest in brands, branding and their implications.

Here's to another 6 months of (theorizing). Cheers!

Conceptual theory (I)

I came upon the study of conceptual models (also known as conceptual schemes or mental models) awhile ago. It stems from their presence all around us. From definitions of entities to the meanings of signs to the route you take to work. As creatures of habit, our minds are wired to sense patterns. They enable us leapfrog, certain processes preventing mental and sensory overload. In a sense the conceptual model is our recognition and interpretation of a pattern.

For example, the definition of a chair is “a seat for one person with support for the back”. Therefore where it’s long or short, made of wood or metal, ancient or contemporary in design, one is still able to recognize it so long as it fits this definition. Here we attempt to recognize a pattern (in this case, the definition) and assess every material accordingly before admitting it to this class of furniture.

When you really get to the basics, a conceptual model is our perspective on how the world really is. It belies of our need to classify, to name, to bring within the sphere of what we know, what we do not know.

In other words, it alludes to a universal truth which is abstracted in different forms. It is our attempt at simplification or discovery of the simplicity of the world we live in.

In the theory of branding, similar transference of meaning occurs. Although in this case, it is the reverse, the brand on its own being, for the sake of our discussion, a fundamental truth (a pattern) which expresses itself through images and representations. It is in these images that the core of this brand or pattern may be recognized. This means that just as the experience of the brand begins from the representation to the pattern, brand strategy works from pattern to representation.

KING OF THE MEME

2008 may have been the year of the rat. But on the Nigerian scene, it was definitely the year of the sunglasses We witnessed the rise and rise of a Nigerian musician on a national and continent wide scale. Decked in his trademark dark shades, D’banj helped define pop culture, with a message that resonates with all through humorous appellations and jives. His loud sayings (koko, kokolet, mamalet, no long thing…the list goes on) entered our vocabulary and with it a new perspective on what it means to be of the Nijar breed.

His gibberish have gained the popularity that is the envy of any brand adverting. His strings of memes (his behavior, style or lyrics) are at that point of conflict between what the ideals of the society are and our understanding of who we are. The ideological contradictions, which results between both parties, enable us experience desires which must be creatively satisfied. His brand resonates with our spirits and allows us to an outlet (assuredly humorous, maybe a little naughty even) through which we can express this newfound identity and satisfaction. I think that’s the strength of memes. The ability to be contextually relevant greatly boosts their ready transmission/spread. It is the same way great literature gives voice to our unspoken thoughts and articulate truths which lie within us and art accurately mirrors our experiences in its expression, affirming our connection to the core of the world

BRAND U

I discovered this hit TV show a while ago. A combination of channel surfing and luck landed me on The Style Network one evening when the programme “Peter Perfect” was on the air. You see, Peter was the kind of guy you called an image or brand consultant (at least in my own mind). His playing field was the world of perception. The idea was each week Peter would work with entrepreneurs who were not doing so well in terms of building their businesses. Most times, he would work out their problems as stemming from how poorly these businesses and/or their owners where perceived by everyone from current to potential customers, suppliers to investors. Most times, he is correct. It’s amazing how much the worth of a business is attached to something as seemingly intangible as how people perceive you or what your brand really is. It appears to exist in that grey area in the margins of a business’ accounts book but could make all the difference in breaking even.

That is why some say we live in a reputation economy within which the currency of transaction is a strong image or brand. Take shoes for instance. The stamp of a famous brand – say Jimmy Choo – markedly pushes up its market value though the cost of production is significantly reduced. Simply put a good reputation as crystallized in a brand is a means of building this new form of capital and power.

Now branding is not just the within the purview of corporate organizations and government agencies. Individuals from Oprah to Obama or Madonna to Mandela have consciously or unconsciously adopted strong messages through their brands. Messages which deeply resonate with many; developing for them a following, admitting a throng of admirers who accede to what they are about – love it or respect it.

A personal brand is what you represent in the mind of those who come in contact with you. It begs questions such as: What aura do you carry? What word pops into mind when people see you or relate with you? What would you be more readily associated with?

This presents an evident problem. While this runs the risk of appearing contrived as window dressing, one should view the brand as an outward representation of what is within or what you aspire to. The brand is an interface, a device through the seemingly intangible is made less so. It is not an attempt to hood wink any observer but to synthesize a coherent message and afford yourself a favourable representation in every mind.

But what people think of you resides in their own minds and in that sense is not under your control. However the materials with which they construct these impressions could be heavily influenced by their own values, perspective on the world, experiences or even culture. It is largely out of your own control what people think only as far as you are able to design expressions which help elicit the sort of mental reaction from others which you desire. This is the appeal of a conscious effort at a personal brand.

Another way to look at the idea of the personal brand is to consider how we view stereotypes. The image of the school boy brings up a specific picture in your mind. Say young, dressed in a uniform, bearing a bag of books on his way to school in the morning. These are examples of characteristics which you associate with that entity of a school boy. May be if you look closer, you would discover he is a bit scruffy looking (after a hard day), or wears a beret. If we go a little deeper still, we come across features which for the sake of this write up, we would call image components. Words like learning, independent, puberty, energized or playful and the likes could come to mind.

Note that these image components could have been derived as subsets of a typical school boy based on our frequent contact with school boys either physically, in stories or even what others have said about them. For instance you might never have met an Eskimo before, but I bet you would recognize one if you did. Invariably, we bring these image components to the table each time we meet someone and assemble them in a form that is readily recognizable. Because the sum total of these image components may elicit specific mental reactions in the observer, it is possible to express what lies within you accurately.

Naturally, we gravitate towards expressions in such a manner. How many times have you developed particular affinity for a song because it mirrors what you feel within or a book/story because it characters convey virtues we admire or aspire to? So even our likes and dislikes are a reflection of what lies within no more than my father would prefer old school jazz to contemporary hip hop because that is just him.

Some strong brands have been developed from strategic campaigns in growing favourable perceptions from logos to blogs. Others have inadvertently or by stroke of genius created and sustained such brands through their daily activities or interactions. What is most important is that at every point of interaction (touch points for short), the brand is perceived as a complete whole.

You don’t need to be movie star or internet millionaire to build and sustain your brand. You don’t need to be able to afford to deploy some PR campaign to be able to improve your market value. Every single one of us is a brand anyway. The point is to ask yourself what you represent and do you think it matters.