Recently I read an article titled ‘ideas no longer rule the world’. While the writer did not completely ruled out the fact that idea is still important, he was of the opinion that many ideas, brand owners propose today are non- tested, non-valid from customers’ point of view. No wonder, many of these ideas failed woefully.

Ideas are great and they are the life wire of any innovation, changes that have taken place in the world. As much as this is true, the changes in the dynamic of brand’s success today are placing power in the hands of the consumers. So for any idea to be successful, brand owner must constantly look at the idea from the stand point of the customers who are the final users. The best way to do this is for the brand ‘idea innovator’ to always remember that he/she is also a customer.

Customer buys stuff, complains about services he feels are not measuring up and eventually recommends those he thinks will be beneficial to family and friends. So for any brand idea to be successful, take the idea to the final user first, enter the shoe of the customer, think like one. Move ahead and experience the service from different stand point. This will give a clue on how best to empathize, promote best usage of brand idea among final users. No experienced brand manager should argue by now that customers’ parameter of measuring idea success is totally different from the owners’ view.

For any brand idea to be successful, profitable, the customer wants to see that the brand is out to solve his problems and not necessarily to take from him. They want to be sure the benefits, solutions of your idea are very clear, differentiated with a valuable competitive advantage. The brand/ idea communication platform must also be engaging. Not only that, engagement process must also be in their terms. The engagement process must also follow laid ethical principles that enhance communal, cultural spirit.

My concern today is what are your brand’s success parameters? Is it when you make millions or when your customers are truly satisfied? I am of the opinion that for a brand, idea to be thoroughly successful, it must first enter the shoe of the niche it  intends to serve and see issues from their point of views. What do you think?

In any given situation, circumstance or community there are noted influencers who can either spell the doom or make the community grows. Interestingly many brands today do not know how to manage their major influencers if they have properly identified them at all. For personal brands that are married, spouses and children can be a major influencers in the brand’s overall success. For instance, many personal brands do not realize the impacts of a nagging or abusive spouse can have in overall brand’ performance. If in doubt, ask a victim next door.

For a corporate brand, there are several are shareholders, union leaders, community leader, government agency and of recent bloggers that can destroy every effort put in place to build brand equity. There is therefore a need for brand drivers to identify the leading brand influencers as well as those who wield major influence in their niche, manage the relationship well so much that brand can be successful. To identify major brand’s influencers, brands must observe the followings.

1. Depth of knowledge: an individual can not be an influencer except he knows the terrain so much and people can respect his level of knowledge and commitment to the common stake.

2. Depth of authority: find out the depth of authority of the individual as well. How much does he shapes the expectations of the followers around him/her?

3. Depth of influencer’s acceptance: Do carry out a due diligence research on the influencer and be sure you are dealing with the right person. Never make an assumption about the kind of the influence the individual has just by the words of mouths that are not backed with proven results.

4. Depth of links, comments, and associations: For online industry influencers like blogger, brand must identify this set of people by the numbers of links to their websites, traffics, feedbacks, comments and association they have with other online users.

5. Depth of influencers’ action and impacts: find out what kind of impacts can your niche suffer if the action of the influencers are allowed to run unchecked. There are some whose influence can be damaged without much ado.

After a couple of years in brand management, I was thinking about what major factors I will recommend to a client who wants to build a virile brand-corporate, personal, product, executive. This thought took me some time over the night yesterday because I do not want a research that people may not be able to relate with neither do I want to sound academics. I was thinking of a simple solution that any beginner can adapt and run with. I am beginning to be concerned about the average brand owners who need help on the street, whose businesses are being adversely affected by the crunch. So I came up with these five major areas I think anyone can relate with.

1. Story: what is your story? Everyone has a story that is compelling. Every brand story has to be compelling, authentic. This story must be laden with emotional impacts that will be appealing. No one wants to listen to a dry joke. The same applies to brand story. What is your story? Try and read that story to a kindergarten class, will they clap for you or just respond with  stern faces. Let the story tell so much of you in an honest, transparent way so much that it resonates with the feelings of your brand audience. People love story. They love inspirational stories that will make them feel a sense of belonging and believe the brand bring to life their experiences.

2. Vision: Have a vision that is so clear and can be communicated to ordinary member of your niche without any problem of breaking down the grammar. Brand must ensure the brand’s vision is not to sell the audience, but out to help them. More importantly the vision must show that niche is well thought of and they are part of the big picture.

3. Ownership: this is a major factor in getting sound buy-in. Let everyone has a sense of ownership of the brand through co-creation, collaboration, reward etc. People become unrepentantly committed to a brand they think they are part. A sense of ownership to every one will sell the brand.

4. Content marketing: content marketing has become a new rule to inform, educate and build brand engagement. Find a platform to express your uniqueness, expertise, make available free resources that help the niche market. Make room to get feedback and participation. In all you do, use the platform to add value.

5. Community: Doing the above guarantees a strong brand community. A community so united, formidable, a community of people who are ready to sacrifice personal time to defend, spread news about the brand, protect brand integrity as well as promote the brand through words of mouth without a demand or reward for doing that. These are my thoughts for now. Does anyone have another opinion?

REWARD SYSTEM

From next month (MAY), we have initiated a reward system for the best “commentator” of the month. The individual has a chance to get a profile review of his/her choice on THE BRANDING GAVEL front page. The review may be personal or product or service of his/her choice. Sure you would not mind such a great exposure.

There is need to measure the competitive advantage, impacts a personal brand has over its niche like other forms of brands. Like other experts noted, to gain substantive advantage and value over others, manipulations, gimmicks, over bloated image laundering are counter productive to any personal brand equity building. As much as I agree that there are basics measurements to all personal brands in term of equity, I am of the opinion that measuring personal brand’s equity should be considered in line with the present position the personal brand occupy. I do know this is subject to discussion, yet I think when a personal brand is operating as corporate employee, the yardstick for measuring personal brand’s equity should not be the same with a person who is an entrepreneur. Before we analyze this, I think we should all agree that the level of influence that the personal brand wield will go a long way to help its equity. True influence is not that hard to earn as long as one is productive, working with others to achieve common goals as well as staying true to one’s core competence will pay at long last. Sound integrity and consideration also form some of the basics that enhance personal brand equity.

When a personal brand is known to be making others successful, the brand will gain equity. This does not mean that the brand forgets his success at the peril of making others successful. A personal brand that is easy to talk to and not necessary arrogant will consistently build equity that can be recalled later in life. Another way by which personal brand can build equity is to supply value as well as accelerate such scarce value always for the niche market. Let your brand always be noted with providing right solution.

Today the world is full of brands without much value or equity. That will not help much in this time of recession. Many companies now want strong personal brands that will add value, reduce cost. This is possible if your brand has strong reputation and can bring a lot of equity to the corporate brands.For employees, you may ask: who will miss me if I leave this organization today? Will the management beg me when they see my resignation letter? Will my leaving affect the perceptions of the corporate body by the clients you have dealings with on behalf of the body? Will they be able to carry on without a blink of an eyelid when you leave? Are you a people person- that increases your personal branding equity? A friend recently said as a Manager, he is not expected to have all the command of facts in his finger tip but his ability to lead people and get results desired by his organization. Many of the personal brands equities are attributed to its expertise but tagging with people is key. To build equity, know your niche very well and beat expectations, be focused as well as versatile. Let me conclude here by saying being successful will earn you a lot of booty. As a respected personal brand, you will be fulfilled.

There are several avenues available to brand to achieve its personal, corporate goals. But because of the recession, every effort to patronize some seemingly low cost platforms should be annexed. Brand communities are platforms for creating a beneficial dialogue between brands and its users in an online environment which promotes brand’s buying, relationship at both online and offline level. In the previous article, we have stated that goals must be set for any community building exercise.

To have virile community that can impact brand’s bottom-line, brand must engage a shift in the old paradigm of thinking which encourages the thought pattern that says customers are at their mercies. The focus must be people-centric instead of sales or marketing centric. There must be an ever-increasing community equity that is favourable to the target audience.

Strong brand communities that will increase brand’s profit do not focus on what I know but whom do I know very well or who are the major beneficiaries of my brand’s influence. The brand’s community must not be about brand’s credentials but about contributions, brand’s value. In a presentation by Peter Reiser, peter said “building a virile community that will impacts on bottom-line (italics mine) is not about knowledge is power but a movement to sharing is power”. A special attention must be paid to brand’s equity contribution before brand can enjoy participation and engagement equity.

Social media has become a platform for conversation between people, real people, used to seize the reins of global media; for founding and framing the new digital democracy as well as to increase bottom-line. Are your corporate internal, personal brands helping your corporate brands to achieve corporate goals by reducing cost? Send them to Personal Branding and Corporate Success Seminar which holds on April 17th-18^th, 2009 In Lagos Nigeria. Call 234-7029778785 or send mail to info@michaelsage.org, tunde@michaelsage.org