Living below capacity does not only frustrate an individual but also the society. When an individual lives below his/her capacity, many people will be affected namely the individual involved, his associates and the society at large. Every underutilized potential robs the society a vital ingredient that would have aided the development of another generation. Living below installed capacity slows down any system. Just look at any factory and examine all the engines installed to produce at a certain capacity. When one of the engines is not doing well, it has tendency of slowing down the maximum productive level of others. Other machines   will be slow down in terms of their performance.

This also applies to human society. All of us are born with innate ability. When fully utilized, these innate abilities will increase the lot of the society. Come to think of it, what will happen if personal brands like Alexander Graham Bell, The wright Brothers, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther king Jnr, Newton, Bill Gates, Trumps, Obafemi Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay and Barrack Obama of this world had remained silent without a commitment to the change they brought? What do you think our world will look like?

It is time to take a cursory look at the life we live individually. Can we all say this is the best form I can be for now? Are we really harnessing all the potentials that make us unique? How much do you know about your personality that you can deploy for personal and communal use?  Can we actually say this is what success means to us and how do we gauge success? Do we do that with our own yardstick or with what the society demands from us?

While trying to answer this question, a friend of mine (Emmanuel Utomi) sent me the manuscript of his about to release book ‘Living at Installed Capacity’. These are some of the lessons I learnt from the book

Understand your personality: the first step that will lead anyone to live at installed capacity is to discover personal features as contained in his/her personality. Have you taken time to know who you are? Have you identified your peculiar features and how you  have that can be harnessed?

What are your values: while trying to live at installed capacity, you may have to first craft your core values. Craft your brand philosophy from the beginning otherwise anything will go. Without personal values, most super brands have destroyed great future. Such acts had nullified their great impact. We are all human being but with right principles we can overcome some ‘childish’ immoral behaviour or lack of decorum.

For those who may want to dig deeper, you can buy a copy of the book.

Over the years I have seen some brands fall and some rise. Reasons for the positive part of this assertion can’t be farfetched from the abilities of brand builders to effectively create an appealing perception for their brands in the mind of consumers. This is however created not merely through product identification and creation alone, but through an all-round creation and development of meaningful brand elements. What then are brand elements?

Brand Elements are brand equity drivers. They are those ‘trademarkable’ devices that identify and differentiate the brand in the market place. They are chosen to build as much brand equity as possible and to enhance the brand knowledge and association. The test of the brand building-ability of these elements is what consumers would think or feel about your product if the brand elements were all they knew. To build a strong brand you have to build powerful elements that will in turn build a powerful perception for your product in the customer’s mind.

Brand elements basically consist of the following:

• Brand Name, Logo, slogan or unique positioning statement, quality, character, symbols, jingles, package, etc.

The above mentioned brand elements help the consumer grasp what the brand stands for and what differentiate it from the rest in its category. To choose a meaningful brand element you have to consider the following paradigms.

• Memorability: are the brand elements Memorable? This has to do with how easily the brand element can be recalled and recognized during and after purchase by the consumers. Some of the thriving brands in the world today (Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc.) have taken advantage of short, sensory and memorable brand names.
• Expressibility: Is it Expressive? This has to do with the suggestibility and credibility of the element in relations to the brand category. Does the element suggest something about a product ingredient or type of person who might use the brand? Or what the brand stands for. (Think Coca-Cola, Kleenex, etc.)
• Amiability: Aesthetically how alluring is the brand element? Is it visually or verbally likeable? Does it project a likeable image? Does the element sparks up interest at contact with consumers and prospects?
• Simplicity: Is the brand element easy enough to project the brand? Is it easily understandable to customer and prospects?
• Visibility: how visible are the elements? A brand element should be visible enough for the customers and prospects.

Adjustability: Is the element adaptable or can be updated?(Mobil gasoline stations once used to feature Pegasus, by dropping the flying horse and designing a simple logotype with blue letters and a red O, Mobil greatly increased the visibility of its stations).

• Protectibility: Uniqueness and authenticity plays a vital role here. How legally protectable is the brand element? How competitively protectable? Names that become synonymous with products categories such as- Maggi, Mclean, Indomie, Xerox, etc. all retain their trademark rights so as not to become generic, though they’ve all at one time or the other fall victim of being used to describe a category due to their being first in their respective categories.

Brand elements and its associations is what give the brand (product) meaning in the consumer’s mind. Understanding how human mind works plays a cogent role in choosing and developing brand elements that will create a favourable perception.

Brand elements plays vital role in building brands. It enhances consumers’ decision in choosing products to use. For this reason, brand elements should be easy to recall, refreshed, recognized, convincing and inherently descriptive at contact with consumers. The likability and appeal of a brand element also play vital role in awareness and associations leading to the brand equity.

N.B. The author of this piece seun Adeogun is a brand specialist in Lagos

Recently I was reading an interview in the latest edition of Personal Branding Magazine by Dan Schawbel. The interview is centred on Monica Von Neumann giving initiative. Some of the points  I gained from the interview informed the creation of this piece.

A peculiar trait issue I have noticed  in many people is  that they want every situation to be suitable before they make a commitment to go ahead with their dreams. There is no such time when everything will be at that peak. Even when we think that exist, who says there is a guarantee that things will work out as planned. But some, in the midst of the uncertainties go ahead to try out the thoughts running on their minds.  Often such steps lead them to where they should be.

Many of us have identified several areas where our talents can be channelled. But we keep hoping that a magic will happen. We always hope such magic wand will compel us to move. Nothing moves until we move and all object remains in a static form until a force is applied still rule here.

We do not win by wishing, we win through a consistent action on our well- thought out plans.

So from the interview I mentioned earlier, here my take-outs on how to start acting towards the achievement of making a meaningful point with your personal brand.

 People are curious and want to learn about you. Use that to your advantage. It may also be true that attention is scarce but you may not know who want to learn more from your brand. So you need to work extra mile to give this selected audience what they need from you. When that is done well, you can be sure you will enjoy great word of mouth that can enhance your brand’s profile  

Work on your passions –get your brand “out there” and become viral. Start by working on the few audience that is willing to listen to you and as you make progress, your brand will start gaining the buzz.

You have to give something to get something: Do not forget that excellent life is about giving first. Have the mind of giving as much as you can and the ripple effect will surprise you.

Use life experiences and have a plan to make yourself known. Being honest helps you. People know you are not perfect neither are they. So show your humanity, use your daily experiences to make the right impact. With these I think an individual is on his/her way to stardom.

Let me hear from you. What has worked for you? Share it in the comment section.

Things are looking up today. It is no longer news that social Media is gaining a lot of ground in Nigeria. Many people are now looking for news around social Media because it is an open truth that these web-based communication tools are helping start up and corporate entrepreneurs  in no small way. Because of the excitement around this, many people are diving into the river without necessary skills that will help them to scale through.

In the last two months we have had the privilege and exposure from the regular media to expound, open the eyes of Nigerian audience to the potentials and huge benefits associated with right application of the social media tools. Yes, we keep saying the environment is not ripe, the infrastructure among many other factors. Interestingly the numbers of internet users in Nigeria is increasing. A release in January 2009 estimated Internet users in Nigeria  to be  twenty three Million, as of last week I understand it stood at forty four million and it is increasing. So as we have opportunity with regular media, we have been championing, spreading the buzz around.

In the last two months, I havehad  series of Telephone interviews with major Newspaper and those interviews had received wider coverage. I have also been on Television programmes like ‘Sunrise’ of Channels Television talking about Social media and relationship building as well as Social media and security issues. We currently running empowerment seminars that are delivering right tools and knowledge to right audience. The results are showing as many of them are better users of the media. More importantly, we have also noticed an increased in numbers of undergraduates (studying Mass communications, Marketing etc) who are interested in learning how these tools affect their professions. In this regard we have helped those we can as time permits. Today also I was on Eko 89.75Fm talking about Entrepreneur, Youth, Empowerment and such sessions are encouraging with the kind of feedback one is getting.

We can do more and we keep hoping that regular media will join us in this crusade. Social Media has vast potential. I am also of that we will step up advocacy to ensure Nigerian audience do it right. We also hope that we will be able to affect the youth who are involved in internet scam through skill refocusing (if we get funding for that project). We will keep you posted as events unfold.

We live in an age and time when attention is becoming a highly priced item. Nobody seems to care any longer about what you have to say except when it hits the right cord with them. Many wonder why their brands’ consistent efforts have not gotten proportionate returns. One of the issues I have noticed with such brands is that they  doing a solo run without knowing. They have been flexing muscles, flaunting their powers without consideration for what their clients want to hear and how that will help the target audience to  achieve their goals.

In my research recently on why many brands  apply strenuous  efforts without result, I stumbled on one of Jim kukral’s work ($7.95 Marketing Plans) which proffers solution to my question. This EBook opened my eyes to some ‘small’ details that are often overlooked but which hold the key to getting required attention. According to kukral,’ if you are not memorable, you are forgettable’. But getting attention or being memorable is the first step, if a brand does not know how to convert the attention to money that is the tragedy.

But today let us begin by examining ways to turn attention to your brand.

Simplicity: People out there do not want unnecessary jargon or jaw- breaking names, words, highly technical issues when simple approach will do. Look for ways to make life simple. Ensure you are not taking people through complex solutions when your brand can bring the same solution through easy process. Do not try to demonstrate unnecessary technical prowess. Be simple and compelling in your approaches.

Explanatory: If your brand must attract or direct attention to your offering, be sure that your brand’s language, visuals, promises are explanatory enough to those who will be having contact with it everyday

Memorable: in all, the brand has to be memorable in the mind of the potentials no matter how short the time the potentials spend with your brand.

Solves A Problem: To turn on the green light on your brand, make sure your brand demonstrates the problem it is solving with such a uniqueness that glows. Always remember, your brand must solve a problem and solve it in a way others are not doing in other not to be one of the packs. I think, turning a green light on your brand process should start with the brand’s name. Apply the process above while choosing  the brand’s name.

Branding is no doubt an essential part in business growth and development in recent times. Many businesses have been able to surmount tough market challenges as a result of the application of branding concepts. Many are still in the process of creating valuable perception in the mind of their prospects and buyers with the use of branding. Nonetheless individuals and nations are not left out in this process.

Branding is as a concept is designed to differentiate your product from all the other products in the same market category with your product.

The differences created can be said to be:

• Tangible –this emanates from the functional value derived from products by consumers.
• Intangible –this emanates from the rational, symbolic or emotional values held in the mind of your consumers.

In recent times, it is assumed that most products and services are bought and not sold. The basic factor that greatly facilitates this process is Branding. Branding pre-sells the product or service to the user.

Singularity, identification and perception play vital roles in the process of branding. The singularity in identification creates a first-hand impression and perception in the mind of your buyers and prospects.

As the commercial markets for products and services are being saturated daily with new entries. Branding therefore calls for attention if you desire to stay in business or have a market share. It must be noted that branding is basically done to get your prospects to see your products or services as the only one that provides solution to their problems.

Benefits of Branding Your Business

Internal Benefits :It helps fine tune your business strategy and offerings as well as ensure adequate return on investments.

External Benefits: Branding help connect your customers and prospects to your offerings emotionally, increases customer loyalty and Improve your product perception and performances.

Power Points for Building Strong Brands

• Identify a need and create a market for that need.
• Create a strong brand identity
• Develop your offerings to become an essentially strong and highly demanded need.
• Define and focus your offerings on meeting that need you have identified, never fall into the gamut of being eager to branch off or extend your offerings so soon.
• Generate publicity through your brand offering. What people say about your brand is more powerful than what you say about it yourself.
• Be consistent and have a quality strategy for service credibility
• Keep re-enforcing the brand with advertisement
• Never stop researching for brand innovation and reinvention to fit with the market dynamics.
• Open a viable communication for resonance and feedback. Connect with your customers emotions. Online presence should not be left out in this process.
• Have a social investment initiative to re-inforce the brand positioning.
• Have a long term perspective and an effective management process for performance revaluation.

Author: Seun Adeogun is a brand specialist in Lagos Nigeria

Someone says the spelling above is not right but that is the title of a film I watched. So pardon the title spelling. Those who are close to me know I am not a huge fan of movie and films. When I take the chance to watch one it must be that I am fascinated by the title (which I presume can teach me something new).

I am a huge fan of anything that can spur me on to pursue excellence as well as increase my value. So when I saw the title I felt it may contain some nuggets that will help me achieve my goal. One of the hidden challenges I have and which some keen observers of our community will have noticed is that my writing style is not at the best level.

I keep struggling with this each new day and sometime I am embarrassed with my post or structure in other piece I have done. Interestingly, when others give me their materials to read all my senses are always alive. So I wonder why I could not apply that to myself. If I must be honest, sometimes this discourages me from writing a post here as I knew some international readers may judge my brand with this shortcoming.

So one of the reasons that attracted me to the film was what I can learn in my pursuit of happiness with regards to my writing style. The storyline is about a young man (Chris Gardner) who had a disordered childhood. He never had the opportunity of meeting his father until he was twenty eight. This young man decision was to be a role model for his young boy but unfortunately his marriage was threaten by poverty to the extent that his wife could no longer endure and she left. He went through hard times but he eventually made the glorious limelight he desired. So some of the personal branding lessons I learnt from the film are:

Have a goal: Whatever circumstance you find your brand today should not determine where it can possibly be. A written goal, dream of a better future will keep the energy inside the brand to glow. Without a goal and dream, there will be no life inside the brand. Each time Chris goes out, he dreamt and saw how he could become better as he saw others leading enviable life.

Trash excuse: everyone has a ton of excuses that can stop them from achieving their goals. Chris dreamt of becoming a certified stock broker/dealer despite huge financial burden. He could not pay his house rent and was sent packing. He has to sleep in ‘free Dorms’ where light will be off at a regulated time. Despite this he would light candles to read.

Take calculated risk: despite the fact that Chris did not have money, he went ahead to enrol for the job of his dream and started reading at any available opportunity.

Develop confidence in your capability and brand: never allow the situation to determine your confidence level. When Chris’s wife left because she could not go ahead with him, and his house owner ejected him, Chris’s confidence level did not drop. The height of this that really touched me was that he was ejected and detained in police custody a night before his job interview. Chris never allowed this to affect his performance at the interview panel. Imagine someone leaving police custody without shower and moved straight to interview panel?

Hold on, be consistence and damn present circumstance: Chris’s life showed a high level of consistency, persistence in his dream. He works his ‘ass off’. Nothing could discourage him from moving ahead. Though once a while he shed tears in the midnight when he thinks about his situation that seems not to have expiry date.

Enjoy the moment: You do not have to wait till major breakthrough comes before you celebrate yourself. Live each day at a time. The first day Chris made an income of two hundred and fifty dollars he took his son and they went to sleep in a hotel room instead of sleeping in a Dorm they were used to. He and his son had fun. From this story I am learning to be happy with myself, my writing style even though it is not near what I desire. I will keep improving till I get there but be happy with the moment. Do you have anything to share? Transparency, honesty and sharing keep life going. Over to you, Use the comment section.

We know most brands are yet to recover from the recession. Most brands’ corporate social responsibilities have suffered a lot of setback because of this. Not only in our climes but I do believe everywhere. The last two years has increased the level of financial stress for Nongovernmental organizations that rely on funding from donor organizations to continue their impacts. As an individual, I do not believe every philanthropic gesture must be in check. Checks are good but in the absence of check something else can still be offered to sincere organizations that are really doing the work.

In a conference we held in February 2010, A multinational (GSK PLC) could not offer money but gave product-drinks –that helped in no small way. MTN Nigeria was able to help out with a check that also helped. We salute these great organizations for being there.

 The essence of this article is based on my personal believe that everyone, brand can give something no matter how small to make a difference in a cause they believe in. Oprah Winfrey once said “I don’t think you ever stop giving. I really don’t. I think it’s an on-going process. And it’s not just about being able to write a check. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.

In a recent edition of personal branding Magazine (that was just released), I am so happy that the issue of philanthropy is given a major story status. I have come to the conclusion (I stand to be corrected) that only brand that does not know its value will say it has nothing to offer. For instance it takes energy, commitment and dedication to give out free information. That is a form of giving. Many write and sell articles on the net .I am not condemning that act though.

So I strongly believe corporate brands can give through several means. Most corporate brands have experts who can coach, mentor the young ones in schools and colleges. Most can afford to print a few thousands of writing materials, text books and distribute them freely. Most corporate, personal brands can organize competitions among the youths that will project their strong believe in a cause. Most can have a library within their head office where external audience can read, borrow books from. It cost nothing or less to go to orphanage homes and give motivational lectures.

It also cost less to go to remands homes and give reconstructive lessons to some wayward children. What about the Managing Director of a great conglomerate who has sound integrity and can explain how he gets there organizes a three hour session for selected start up entrepreneurs twice or thrice a year in their corporate headquarters’ conference room to avoid incurring cost?

A major point that the Magazine above also stressed is the ability of individual, corporate brands to make their impacts viral through social media by asking your network to help promote the cause. I think most brands that do not do anything have nothing that ignites them. This may be as a result of lack of concern of someone up in the cadre. While we will allow our community to think about what ignites them, I love a quotation by Candance Cameron Bure (that the cover story centres on) when she said “I think that all of us have a responsibility and an obligation to be a voice for those that can’t be a voice for themselves.” If a brand cannot be anything for anybody, it means something is wrong somewhere. What is your brand doing to affect its community and what is the motive of such?

You do not need heavy checks to make impact even though that goes a long way to reach millions when judiciously used. When a brand makes impact with what it has, it can build trust, credibility, engagement, love, passion etc around its name. People watch what you are doing daily with what you have. Time to start with what you have.

The Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (which I am active member) Lagos state chapter just held its annual general meetings/first Public Relations Golden Eagle awards. A week-long event was full of fun, learning and networking opportunities. The public lecture on Thursday 22^nd July was well attended and the guest speakers as well as discussants did justice to the topic of the day. My major attention was on the award day itself (which was Friday 23^rd July). This is because I was a nominee for two categories of the awards (one: best contributions to PR education in Nigeria and Best new talents in PR). One of these I actually sent entry for while someone sent entry on my behalf for the second one.

As we know, Lagos is the hub of best professional practice in Nigeria and the contest was keen. My initial fear was the constitution of the panel of judges. Because I did not initially know the composition of the panel. But when we got to the venue and I saw the jury was led by Peter Ogudoro I became relaxed and promised myself to accept the verdict of the jury as truth. If I did not know anything about Mr. Peter Ogudoro at least I am aware of his level of professionalism, integrity and to his credit many of the third generation practitioner in Nigeria (which I am part) caught our niche studying under him.

While I do not want to miss the award, I had the premonition during the week of not getting any of the awards. This thought scared me to the marrow but I did ask myself what is the worst thing that can happen. I went over my last post on Algore(below) and told myself I could still go ahead with life after all I have gained some international recognitions as a professional.

When the award time really came and the head of the jury was asked to make a remark of the yardsticks they used for the awardees I noticed some of the things I did not do right and here is the lesson I learnt which I believe could be useful to someone of the nominees who did not get any award or someone out there that may be musing over a loss of something they cherished.

Always try: never come to a situation where you accept that you are not as good as others or your brand did not merit a higher level. The chief jury said they expected many more entries than what they got. He did say most people in the agencies were those that submitted entries while individuals shy away from submitting entry. If your brand is so sure it is making meaningful progress it will be great not to fear competition. Competition helps you shape up.

Package it well: one other lesson I learnt was the fact that one should learn how to package his/her thoughts, ideas/brands well. What is worth doing is worth doing well. Go the extra mile in brand packaging. Distinguish your entry into any market. I knew that even the entry I submitted was done with little effort just to show up in the radar. So when I saw my name as a nominee in Best PR education in Nigeria with two other noted brands I knew I did not give much attention to the way these noted brands would have packaged their entries. Learn to go extra miles as you may not know who is watching.

Do not Accept temporary setbacks: When you did not get what you want, be a successful failure. Share up the winner. Realize that it may be your turn tomorrow, Go out there and congratulate those who win and learn something from the fall. A Nigerian adage says ‘when a child falls, he looks at the front but when an adult fall  he looks backward at the point of his fall( to find out the cause and learn a lesson).

Even though my friend and wife were present-hoping to cheer me up for the award- I stood up, congratulated the winners in my categories, took pictures with them and shared the picture on my facebook album. I went ahead to send other awardees congratulatory text messages.

A guy came to me to ask how I felt and he was shocked when I said there may be something I did not do right. Today I drove to the office of the head of the jury to learn how to improve on myself and entry next year. He did decline to talk based on his position but did commend my entry. That is how to fail successfully. Interestingly just because I was a nominee, I got a request for proposal on social media marketing from an establishment today. Gold from the ashes you say. Let me hear from you. Use the comment section.

Niche branding is simply a way of identifying and communicating what makes you different from a whole lot of people in your domain. It is the deliberate act of projecting particular set traits capable of influencing a favourable perception. It is a way of clarifying and communicating what makes you different and special. To achieving your desired goals and self-fulfilment, you cannot afford not to mind how people perceive you. Minding how people perceive you or taking control of how they see you by identifying your unique strengths and projecting those strengths are the prime focus of personal branding.
Look within: Discover your innate gifts and abilities. It is essential to discover what sets you apart. You will definitely discover a whole lot of abilities within you, but it is important that you stream-line your abilities to the basic ones you know you can make use of without much stress and with deep passion. This will help you discover your core competencies and focus on refining them for a better use. What are the things you get results from overtime? What provokes you to give solutions? Take responsibilities. The factual meaning of responsibility is to respond-to circumstances around you with your-abilities.

Get visible and strategically position yourself: Develop a plan on what you want out life (or your Endeavour) and how you can achieve them. Set achievable and realistic goals. There’s is something in you that the whole world needs, find it, develop it and give it a commercial value.”

Build a network: Relationships are powerful; they can make you or mar you. There are relationships you must avoid if you really want the best out of life. Get the right relationships that can catapult you to the next level in your domain.
Add value and then some: Whatever your brand is, it is meant to add value to people’s lives. Though you make earnings, but you sell value (meet needs/solve problems) to get money

Accelerate your brand power: You do this by getting aligned with a major trend in your field and with creativity /ingenuity move towards the head of it. Play by the books, read intentionally in relation to your endeavour.
Marry an important ethical standard as a complement to what you chose to do with your abilities: Marrying an Ethical standard is purely delivering your services/products on principles of justice, fairness, morality and integrity.

N.B This piece was written by Seun Adeogun, a brand specialist in Lagos Nigeria