IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Personal Branding

  • The Origin and Fun Related to the Easter Holiday

    Spring is just two days away! The flowers are beginning to bloom, and the birds are finally singing a happier tune and this means that Easter Sunday is just around the corner. Easter Sunday falls on April 24th this year (a little late than usual) and the thought of chocolate, egg hunts, pastel colors, and of course the famous Easter Bunny, come to mind.

    However, where do all of these branded traditions relate to the Christian tradition of honoring the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead?

    Well, there is no connection, simply just another day to eat candy. But, there is some interesting history behind the Easter Bunny, eggs, and how they are associated with springtime.

    The origin of the Easter celebration can be traced back to pre-Christian Germany during the 13th century, according to the University of Florida’s Center for Children’s Literature and Culture. In Germany, people worshiped several god and goddesses including the Teutonic deity Eostra. Eostra was the goddess of spring and fertility and interestingly enough her symbol was the rabbit. The rabbit is a pagan symbol for fertility.

    Also, the season of spring symbolizes new life and rebirth.

    The Easter bunny, a counter part to Santa Claus, dates back to the 1500s. In 1680, the first published story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was printed. Soon after the German settlers arrived to the Pennsylvania Dutch country, the word about the Easter Bunny traveled and became known as one of childhood’s greatest pleasures.

    On April 1st check out the movie “Hop”,  which blends both art animation and live action in a film with the voice of Russell Brand. The teenage son of the Easter Bunny leaves his home on the eve of taking over the family business in pursuit of his dreams, to become a drummer. “Hop” stars James Marsden, an out of slacker business guy, whom accidently hits the Easter bunny. This movie gives the story of the origin behind Easter and provides humor to this holiday that is dated back to the 1500’s. This movie allows the viewer to see someone else’s meaning behind Easter and how this holiday makes a brand for itself.

    -Micaela Fouhy, Lindsey Baggett, Drew Mayer, Will Cosden, Brianna Golden

  • Branded Actors

    The 83rd Academy Awards reward the best of the best in cinema. Actors and actresses are rewarded for their great work throughout the year, and just to be nominated is an honor. The best of the profession are able to make all of us believe that the character they are playing is real. Colin Firth won the Best Actor Award for his role in “The King’s Speech” and it was unlike any performance he has delivered. But what about the actors and actresses that play the same character in almost all of their movies. In the profession this is referred to type-casting: an actor who gets scripted to play the same funny guy, action hero, or typical house wife for all of their movies.

    In IMC we refer to branding often. There are name brand companies, products, and now actors and actresses. By being type-casted to certain roles actors are branding themselves for a certain role each film. Many actors make a living off of their brand, and I’m sure the money they acquire makes them happy to sell their brand. Tom Cruise is known for his action movies, and some would say that he plays the same role every time. This seems like criticism he can’t shake. In “Tropic Thunder” he played an arrogant studio executive in a movie that was making fun of war movie production. He was able to embrace the criticism of being type-casted, and make fun of himself. While he didn’t win an Oscar his character was extremely funny.

    So do the Academy Awards reward the actors who are able to break away from their brand and try a new role? I think all actors and actresses have a personal brand they are trying to fulfill, but when they step out of that shadow and give a great performance they should be rewarded. Adam Sandler might have not won an Academy Award for his role in “Spanglish” but it was great to see him not portray a type casted comedy role. Most find it very safe and reassuring to stick to their brand and continue to play that character, but I applaud those who embrace the challenge. Now that the 83rd Academy Awards are over we can all look forward to a great year in film. Let’s all wish that more actors will step away from their personal brand in hopes of Oscar recognition.

  • Academy Awards Entertain in More Ways Than One

    The Academy Awards is one of the most glamorous nights on television.  This year at the 2011 Academy Awards there were more than just the fabulous fashions and celebrities that walked the red carpet, or as Justin Timberlake described it in his interview with Tim Gunn, the “fuschia” carpet because it looked more pink than red.  Other than Melissa Leo being the first winner in Oscar history to drop the F-bomb in her speech and the all the British nominees racking up numerous wins with The King’s Speech, aspects of marketing were apparent throughout the night.

    Now we all know that the Academy Awards isn’t the Super Bowl, that’s a given.  However, they do have something in common.  Advertisements.  During the commercial breaks there were plenty of new advertisements for ABC network shows such as The Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, and Good Morning America.  ABC revealed that the new cast for this season of Dancing With The Stars would be announced the following night during an episode of The Bachelor.  ABC also showed that Britney Spears had a big announcement that she was going to make on Monday’s airing of Good Morning America.  The network even incorporated the Academy Awards into a commercial for its series Modern Family, having the characters playing a game of Charades acting out the well-known films.  ABC markets how each series of shows, whether it be reality or drama, are integrated with one another as an actual “network”.  Every show has a way of incorporating another.  This may be a way ABC attempts to gain viewers because they are hoping people are interested in finding out the newest DWTS cast and what big news Britney Spears has to share.

    Aspects of marketing did not only show up during the commercial breaks.  One example unexpectedly came to attention during Christian Bale’s acceptance speech when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as boxer Dicky Eklund in The Fighter.  The real-life Dicky Eklund was present at the award show and Christian Bale made sure that everyone knew it.  Bale thanked Eklund in his speech and told him how excited he was to watch the next chapter of his life and that everyone else should too if they want to be a true champion.  He told everyone to check out dickeklund.com for more information on boxing lessons with Eklund.  This got a large laugh from the audience.  Was this a way for Bale to return the favor to Eklund since he won an Oscar for his portrayal?  Maybe, maybe not, but it sure was good publicity.  If you visit the website, one of the first pictures on the site is of Bale and Eklund at the Academy Awards.

    -Danielle Dorantich

  • Battle of the Blues

    How do you market one of the most watched sports programs when it doesn’t have as grand advertising sponsorships as the Super Bowl? The answer is you let the fans advertise for you. The historic game I’m referring to is the infamous and arguably most intense rivalry in college basketball- the UNC Tarheels vs. Duke University Blue Devils. At least twice a basketball season, these two juggernaut teams battle it out for who is King of Tobacco Road (the literal 8 miles of road that separate each university).

    The feuded rivalry between both schools is long and exhausting but no one has taken it any more serious than the fans and the schools’ students. These fans through word-of-mouth advertising taunt their opposing fans to the point where no matter what the current team’s ranking or accomplishments, everyone must watch the game between Carolina and Duke that will shut their rival’s jabbering faces. To some die hard fans it doesn’t even matter how great the season, if Duke didn’t beat Carolina or if Carolina didn’t beat Duke, the rest of the season hardly matters.

    It also doesn’t help that not only bragging rights between fans are on the line, but each school’s newspaper gets in on the action and goads one another. This is truly the best representation of how the game should be advertised, capturing the essence of each school’s spirit. The day before each match Duke’s newspaper, The Chronicle, runs a phony page titled “The Daily Tar Hole” to ridicule UNC’s The Daily Tar Heel. To punch back, The Daily Tar Heel, publishes the “Insider’s Guide to Hating Duke” by Ian Williams. Also, to add gasoline to the flames, each newspaper has agreed on a bet to if their school loses they will place the logo of the winning team in their newspaper announcing that they are “still the best” and change their newspaper’s masthead to the opposing school’s color. Nothing could entice fans anymore to watch the big game than knowing that if their opposing team loses, that loss will be sensationalized in print.

    The Duke and Carolina opposition is one of the best illustrations of competition itself and the definition of rivalry in college basketball. It is no surprise that it is one of ESPN’s most watched sports games each year. Next Wednesday, February 9th, when the Tarheels and Blue Devils face again for the Battle of the Blues the ultimate reward for the winning school’s students will not only be the bragging rights, but to take part in the performance of their school’s celebration ritual (the massive crowding of people on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill or the bonfire of burning benches at Duke University). However, luckily for whatever team loses, both schools always meet at least twice each season, and the next matchup after February is scheduled for March 5th.

    – JC Salter

  • Branding, It’s Not Just For The Cows!

    When we think of branding, yes we can think of cows that are marked to receive their distinction, but in the business world it’s a company’s trademark. In communication, we typically think of the term in regards to businesses. Branding is a necessity for businesses, but it’s also important for professional individuals. Our theme this week is careers in corporate communication. Now that the end of the semester is in close sight and many are looking at graduating, we thought self-branding would be a good topic to discuss.

    According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people change careers approximately 3-6 times during a lifetime for various reasons. Our world is constantly changing and evolving and a career-oriented professional has to keep up with the times. Generations before us found a job after college and it was considered the norm for a person to stay with the same company and in the same field until they retired. Not many people do that now. This is one reason why it is important for us to brand ourselves. As most of us begin to carve out a career path over the next few months, there has been a lot of talk about what we want to do with our lives. The main focus is what we are passionate about and where are strengths lie. An interesting article points out that self-branding is the difference between “just a job” and a career. It can make you employable in a profession you are passionate about and open doors you never thought existed.

    There are many steps to self-branding and the first step for the college graduate is to discover what you are passionate about and where your strengths are within that passion. This brings to mind a chapter in one of our textbooks entitled, “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. He finds that the great companies follow the Hedgehog Concept. In short, the Hedgehog Concept is about aligning

    1) What you are deeply passionate about?
    2) What can you be the best at?
    3) What drives your economic engine?

    As you see, self-branding sets us apart from the rest of the cattle out there. Let’s go make it happen!

    Sarah McIntosh, Sean O’Connell, Eliza Wadson, Jocelyn Walson

  • My own personal brand

    I have never had to “look” for a job…

    Of course, I have been in places, filled out applications and have gone through the interview process multiple times; however, I have yet to be turned down.

    So, when I say I have never had to “look” for a job that means I have never really had to look.

    Until now, when it really counts…

    I am roughly two weeks away from graduation.

    Ironically, today I went on a third interview for a “big girl” job that I really want.  My mother has always said if I could just get the interview, I would get the job.  Thus far, she has been right and tomorrow morning, I will find out if her philosophy still holds true.

    I am finishing out my last week of classes as an undergrad, trying to figure out where I am going to move when my lease runs up in a month, waiting to hear back about this job, all the meanwhile neglecting to take my graduation gown out of the bag and put it on a hanger because a part of me is still not ready to close this chapter of my life.

    However, we cannot delay the inevitable.

    So, what has IMC taught me?

    IMC has allowed me to recognize and perfect my own personal brand.

    In my mind, college isn’t all about your major, the classes you are taking, your GPA, your fraternity or sorority, all of the other organizations you are involved in on and off-campus, the number of cords you get to wear the day you graduate—it is about taking EVERYTHING that you experience—and somehow incorporating that into yourself…your own personal brand.

    You aren’t selling your degree when you go on a job interview.  You aren’t selling your GPA, your honors or awards.  You aren’t selling the number of community service hours you have completed over the past four years.  On a job interview, you are selling you…your own personal brand.

    So, to wrap this up…the reason I haven’t ever really had to “look” for a job is because I have been perfecting my own personal brand over the past four years and I am very confident in the brand I have made for myself.

    I remember names and faces.

    I will always shake your hand.

    I remember useless factoids that sound impressive.

    I mock the sayings of anyone who has something intriguing to say (especially my mother).

    I know how to be charming.

    Even though I may talk a lot, I am always interested in what someone else has to say and when I listen, I really listen.

    I am honest.

    I will always look you in the eyes.

    I know where I want to go and by the time you get done talking to me you know I will make it happen eventually.

    You cannot learn these traits out of a textbook.  They are far more impressive than a GPA.  These traits make me unique.  They are mine and they are what make me memorable.

    This is my own personal brand…

    What’s yours?

    Laura Ann Klinedinst

  • Just Keep Moving – Lessons Learned on the Job Hunt

    “It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction. “ Pablo Picasso

    Tonight, I would like to share some of the things I’ve learned while searching for jobs, and make some friendly recommendations for anyone either in the hunt for, or already in an entry-level position.

    I’ve never been one to make New Years Resolutions (can you imagine anything more arbitrary?), but this year I decided to jot down a few regarding my professional development. Here’s a few that made the list:

    • Make more mistakes. Fail more often.

    You’re either thinking (a) this guy is so full of himself that he doesn’t think he makes mistakes or (b) why the hell would someone want to fail more often? Let me explain! It’s nothing new to point out flaws in the modern education system, but let’s look at one: the absence of failure. With all the extra help offered from teachers, tutors, & classmates, it’s almost impossible to fail. Failure is an immensely important part of any serious development for two reasons. First, if you set audacious goals (which you should!), you will experience occasional (if not frequent) failures. Second, failures offer the best opportunities to learn. So set bold goals and learn from your failures: your professional growth will exponentially exceed that of your risk-adverse peers.

    “Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein

    • Quit using the kid sitting next to you in class as a benchmark!

    It’s human nature to compare. Seemingly without fail, humans adapt their expectations to fit their surrounding reality. Repeated studies reveal that lottery winners experience a brief jolt of happiness over their first few months of newfound wealth, and then find themselves either back at their previous equilibrium or even lower. It’s easy to let yourself align with the average of what people directly around you are doing. You need to remember however, that these people aren’t your competition (they’re only a small fraction of your competition). Your competition includes people graduating from MIT, Harvard, Yale, & Columbia. Many of them are MBA students. Beyond them, you’re competing with rapidly advancing populations in China and India. It’s easy to see this as a threat, but welcome this as an opportunity: you have the chance to work with the smartest minds in the world, regardless of their origin. So remember, your competition expands past UNCW, and always aim to associate with people smarter than yourself: you’ll learn plenty and it will help keep you humble.

    “People only learn through two things. One is reading and the other is association with smarter people.” Will Rogers

    • Read. (I know, I know, but there’s really no way around this one. Sorry.)

    I’m guessing half of my audience just left. Two years ago I would have done the same thing. Let’s ignore how awfully similar that sounds to an addict in recovery, and explore why I’ve made this 180 with such conviction.

    A broad range of knowledge is going to be a rare, and invaluable talent in my generation. One of our greatest advantages is also one of our greatest burdens: we have access to more information than any previous generation. The problem, is that our constant 24-hour access to this data gives us much less incentive to remember it. In a job setting, this prevents us from connecting the dots of multiple pieces of data, that alone, would mean nothing.

    Just Keep Moving!

    You are responsible for your own career path. You control where you will go. You control how you get there. This is a lot of responsibility, but it’s an even greater amount of opportunity. You can coast through school, work, & life aiming to meet the bare minimum and avoid criticism. OR You can take pride in your work. You can find a job that you actually enjoy. You can attain fulfillment & meaning from your career. If you ask me, the “easy” path of doing the bare minimum sure seems harder in the long run.

    “I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.” Stephen Hawking

    A few important notes:
    – I don’t suffer any illusions that I’m being completely original here; much of what I’m recommending is practically cliche it’s been said so many times.
    – I try to follow my own advice as much as possible, but I’m far from always being on the right path. I feel like I’m beginning to get a pretty good grasp of what best leads to professional development, but “knowing” and “doing” can be deceptively far apart.
    – Feel free to disagree with me on any of this, and please share your thoughts in the comments if you do!

    – Terry Hayes