The importance of branding

No matter what course I was in this year – online PR, media relations, introduction to public relations or business – branding was always a topic of discussion. This is because brands are everywhere, they’re inescapable. And the most important thing I’ve learned about brands this year? Without a strong corporate brand and image, you’re company will pretty much become obsolete. This is why the process of branding is such an important step for organizations.

Organizations spend obscene amounts of money doing research for, creating and marketing their company’s branded image. As PR professional, we play a large role in this branding process. We must establish the reputation of the company by making the brand known and respected through various initiatives and tactics.

Even as I write this my desk is littered with brand name items; a Coach purse, a Prada wallet, a BlackBerry cell phone, an Apple Ipod. It seems that everything we own is branded, and that’s likely the reason we’re attracted to it. I mean, who amongst us wouldn’t rather carry a Coach purse then a generic, unrecognized brand. This point just illustrates the importance of correctly branding your product or organization.

With that said, I would like to take this time to establish my own personal brand – ME!

Caitlin is a brand built on creativity, attention to detail and organization. These traits help me to produce high quality work on time and on budget, that often surpass the wants and needs of clients. As a fairly new brand, I am still growing and learning – hoping to expand my knowledge in all sectors before specializing in one particular area. I am unique in the marketplace as I have a keen interest to learn all that I can and a desire to be challenged so that I can put my acquired skill set to use.

Strengths – Creativity, attention to detail, organization, reliable, delivery of quality products, flexible and open minded.

Weaknesses – Lacks a broad knowledge base in industries such as high technology, financial and health care, sometimes takes on too many projects at once, limited design and web based skills.

Opportunities – As a very new brand I have the opportunity to learn many new things as I enter into the field and truly define myself in an sector where I can excel, changing technology allows me to advance and learn quickly.

Threats – Similar new brands that offer the same skill set as I do, lack of job opportunities due to current economic situations, more established brands that have learned to promote themselves better.

So just to recap, a brand is what you stand for. It is how you are perceived in the marketplace. The market forms its opinions of you based on your brand and your related activities. It is ultimately how you are perceived and is what makes your company relevant.

From the largest corporations to a freelancing individual, establishing a strong and recognizable brand is a must in order to achieve success in our competitive marketplace.

Ghost-Blogging: Ethical or not?

In the on-line world, which since its beginnings, has been hailed as an anonymous platform for individuals wishing to express their opinions, how important is transparency?

For some, transparency is a non-issue, something they would never consider. To these individuals being anonymous allows them to voice opinions they may not be brave enough to attach their names too, explore issues they otherwise may be too embarrassed too, or act on behalf of someone else. These are the supporters of Ghost Blogging.

While there are many, many Ghost Bloggers – individuals writing anonymously, people posing as others, individuals or groups writing on behalf of corporations – there are an equal number of people who believe that transparency is a non-negotiable, an absolute must, when it comes to blogging. It all comes down to what the individual believes to be ETHICAL.

Michael O'Connor Clarke, a presenter at this year’s Talk is Cheap 2.0 hosted by the Corporate Communications and Public Relations department at Centennial College, is a firm believer in transparency – especially in the world of public relations. He believes ghost blogging to be, “inauthentic, opaque, fake, duplicitous (<-- insert favourite synonym here). It's everything that this splendid authentic, transparent, open, honest social media stuff is NOT supposed to be about”. But wait. Public Relations professionals make a living writing speeches for others to deliver, creating quotes to fit into newspaper articles and drafting letters, news releases, memos, etc. to be released on behalf of someone else. This causes Clarke to openly wonder, “How is what we [public relations practitioners] get paid to do every day any less dodgy than ghost blogging?”

One answer is that clients take ownership of what we write as PR professionals. They adopt the words and consider them their own, they support and agree with what is being said. Another is that most individuals realize that the speeches delivered by politicians or the words posted on your company’s website by the CEO are usually, if not always, a collaborative work of the politician or CEO and a group of others.

In my opinion, Clarke is right. Transparency is key to starting open, honest conversations – whether they are face to face, or online. As a PR professional, I accept that what I write may not always have my name attached to it, that my opinions may be viewed as someone else’s – but this is part of the job. Online, I believe it is always important to tell your audience who you are, where you’re coming from and what lead you to the position you’re in now. It’s the only way to really facilitate an honest form of communication.