After a few Memorial Day get togethers over the weekend, I realized how many oil spill experts I know. The terms of this disaster have become common, everyday topics. From blowout preventers to top kills, everyone knows this deep water nomenclature. Amid this catastrophe, are some lessons in personal branding.
The list of new terms is endless: top hat, riser, relief well, subsea dispersant, remotely operated vehicle, junk shot…The Gulf oil spill has introduced some interesting vernacular from the world of offshore oil drilling.
You may have special terms you use in your field, but even more importantly, have you given names to the things you personally create? While the top kill project had a high chance of failure, it sounded like we were sending Rambo in to personally plug the leak. From a branding perspective, it was winning hearts and minds.
At FedEx, the efforts to streamline sales and marketing efforts have been branded Project Zenith. The up-and-coming project leader Brian Athow, used the name that indicates reaching a peak of performance to gain buy-in and drive adoption. But now he also has a term that he can use in white papers, speaking engagements, job interviews and cocktail parties.
Let’s hope a term you develop is never connected to a disaster with world-wide media coverage, but these days it is easier than ever to spread your own personal branding terms. Here are a few tips:
Be clever: Develop titles and terms that have the potential to be rapidly adopted. Play with the words and use Thesaurus.com to explore alternatives.
Add visuals: Use an on-line logo development company such as LogoMojo.com to turn the words into a brand you can place on all documents and presentations.
Copyright: Insert copyright with your name and the date. You may work for someone else, but if you create a term for that company, you should remain the owner of that title.
Use often: Use the term on all documentation, all verbal presentations on the topic, and especially in water cooler conversations. You want it to catch on in the hallways.
Go Social: You may not have the press core on your side, but with Facebook, Twitter and blogs, you have the opportunity to be known widely for your projects and ideas.
BP’s Chief Executive Tony Hayward wishes none of these terms were ever associated with his company or his name. You, on the other hand can develop a vernacular for your successful programs that brings you much acclaim.
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photo by dvids
Great post! BP has quite a challenge on their hands and it will take years to recover! Also, they are going to have to be accountable to me 🙂 ! http://actasifblog.com/2010/05/should-bp-be-accountable-to-me/
Joe – Thanks for your comment. It is true – BP will be associated with this disaster for a very long time. It shows the power of branding goes both ways – positive and negative.
Great article, helpful tips. If you’re thinking about personal branding on a bit more larger scale, you might want to consider doing a bit of market research first to determine what titles, terms and logo design will work best to grab the attention of the audience you hope your brand will attract. Check out “Time for a Tune-Up: Reinvigorate Your Brand with Positioning Research,” for more info. http://bit.ly/cgOuZF
Jennifer – Yes – nothing happens in a vacuum. It is important to consider the audience. Thanks for the link. I will take a look. Hope to see you again here as well.