Branding

Reading about Swami Nityananda’s (hic) exploits had me wondering why everybody still refers to the ungodly man as a Swami. For a country rife with political god-men and holy mothers we do not have to look up to or look out for yet another Swami whose ochre robes are tarred.

Which brings me to a more important point – branding.

Nityananda was able to groom himself into a Holy man, and if the papers and reports are to be believed amassed a long string of patrons and institutions across the globe. Only time will tell if this is the truth or not.

How does this relate to the corporate set up?? Corporate branding is all about creating an image, reinforcing that image and successfully living up to it without getting feathered and tarred. Neither Nityananda nor the IPL have been able to do this very successfully. And both of them, to me come under the broader array of corporatization – of religion and sports.

Creating a brand starts early. I know of several ex-colleague who did not adhere to the stereotypical images of the pen-wielding maverick and the geeky nerd. They corporatized their image to create a brand of a super-efficient worker. Crumpled shirts, funky outfits and jhola-jhooti were not for them. Both these ilk succeeded beyond I am sure their own expectations.

While I do not side with one or the other factions the point I am making here is the importance of developing your Individual Branding or Corporate Identity.

Realise your potential and play to it. Pamper and nurture it. Do not get bogged down by what is expected of you or from you.

An ex-colleague had the funkiest dressing sense I have ever come across but she had carefully cultivated this image, which set her apart from the herd. Her style of writing was honed over a period of time till she had a unique quirky style, which was appealing to a certain set of readers. She was unable to fit into mainstream media since this curbed her creative and quirky pen. Today, this said lady works with Marie Claire as a Senior Editor.

Yet another acquaintance danced to his own tune. He was stuck in a dead-end job as a sales and marketing head for a FMCG firm. Numbers and sales pitches were not his cup of tea. Corporate events and social dos however brought out the best in him. He was associated with all promotional activities related to music and the arts. He was able to pull in solid sponsors for some of the musical events he was associated with. His image of being a fun-loving socially savvy personality who loved music finally landed him a long-standing gig with a leading music company.

This discovery takes time but it has to be a conscious effort. An image consultant can craft one for you but honing it is YOUR job. In a previous post I had written about the TripleE to which Anju wrote in with her take on the vicious circle.

Having your own Image and Knowing Yourself and your potential is a way of breaking out of that vicious circle.