Brenda's Blog

All articles from October, 2010

WHAT’S YOUR BRAND ICON?




Most of you know I travel a lot, but September and October were filled with two personal “never-done-that-before” travel feats: I worked on four continents in the span of seven days in September and four continents in the span of 11 days in October. Yes, in those very short time frames, I was in such places as Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok, Manchester, the U.S. Midwest, and Prague, just to name a few. (By the way, I didn’t experience any jet lag during the entire journey. If you’re curious about how I do that, stay tuned! I will be releasing a new book in 2011 that shares my proven system for achieving jet-lag-free and easy travel.)

While visiting these far-flung locales, I was able to squeeze in a few moments to enjoy some of the sites they are famous for. As I gazed at the Sydney Opera House and watched the men of Manchester raise their Boddingtons Beer bottles, I was reminded that places are branded just like people, companies, and products. And that most cities and countries have iconic symbols that have come to stand for those places – like the Grand Palace in Bangkok or the Old Town in Prague.

Then, I got to thinking … what about ‘icons’ that represent the brands of the companies we lead … and, well – why not – our own personal brands? I’m not necessarily talking about any kind of “logo” or “sign” here, per se … but something more tangible that others would say represents either the product brand you market, your company brand, or YOU™ – the Trademarked You.

Getting clear on a representative icon is a great way to pinpoint your brand and what it stands for. So, ask yourself: If people were to think of one visual symbol that represents you as an individual or represents what your company stands for, what would it be?

THE BRAND ICON CHALLENGE:

I challenge you to give this some thought and come up with a representative icon for yourself or your company — and I will reward you for doing it!

After you’ve given your brand icon some thought, let me hear from you about it! Write to me and answer one or all of these questions:

1. What is the brand icon of the place where you live? If you’re in San Francisco, for example, you’d probably say the Golden Gate Bridge.

2. What is the brand icon for “YOU™” – your own personal brand icon? Is it an animal… a flower… a type of tree… the list could go on and on…

3. What is the brand icon for your company? Get creative here, and remember: it’s important to think about how your customers would see it.

NOW, HERE’S THE ‘PRIZE’ PART…!

When you use the comment box, below, to share your response to any one of these questions, you will automatically be eligible to be one of TEN lucky winners (chosen out of a hat) to receive the 2011 Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar, with my compliments.

This calendar is a great page-a-day type of calendar filled with quotes from successful women entrepreneurs. Now, if you’re a guy, don’t be fooled by the calendar’s name – the calendar definitely isn’t just for women! In fact, many of my male clients have commented on how much they enjoy – and have been inspired by – this annual calendar. Each page is filled with innovative ideas on strategy, teambuilding, marketing, finance, and more so it’s jam-packed with 365 valuable insights for anyone in business.

Over 5,000 quotes were sent in for the calendar this year, so I feel fortunate that my quote was selected (I am also featured on the cover this year!). I have been quoted in the past two years’ calendars as well, and I’m so grateful for this that I want to give away TEN free 2011 calendars in hopes that my e-newsletter and blog readers will enjoy them as much as I have in the past.

It’s a gift of over $20 USD, and I want to give one to you – free – because I know it’s something that will provide you with meaningful, thought-provoking information that you can use every day.

So, don’t miss out – click the comment button below, and enter the brand icon challenge!

The U by Kotex brand has found a way to speak to an audience that will never even use their product . . . How?

If done correctly, a little bit of controversy can go a long way for your brand. It builds word-of-mouth awareness and can also better inform your customer (or encourage them to be better informed) about your product. What do YOU think? (This brand video made me laugh out loud) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n09SejxpcFA&feature=related

Brenda Bence to Be Featured on Cover of The Woman’s Advantage 2011 Calendar

Entrepreneur’s Advice Presented in Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar

Brenda Bence, Founder and President of Brand Development Associates (BDA) International, Ltd, was selected from 5,000 submissions to be featured in the 2011 Woman’s Advantage Calendar. The calendar provides advice from influential women leaders across the US and Canada.

Mary Cantando, Growth Expert of The Woman’s Advantage, recently announced that, for the third year in a row, Brenda Bence’s advice will be included in the calendar which was released in early October, and this year Brenda will also be featured on the calendar’s cover.

“Brenda Bence’s quote was selected because it was powerful yet easy to understand. Her idea is relevant to almost everyone in business today,” says Cantando. “Business owners and those who dream of starting a business will learn so much from the advice provided by Brenda Bence and the other successful women quoted in the calendar.”

The Woman’s Advantage 2011 Calendar will provide sound bites of advice on key business issues including: organization, promotion, sales, marketing, and human resources. While the quotes are from female entrepreneurs like Bence, the advice is relevant and valuable to business people of either gender.

To view the calendar and place an order, visit www.WomansAdvantage.biz/calendar.

About Brenda S. Bence:

Brenda Bence is an internationally-recognized branding expert, certified executive coach, dynamic speaker and author of the award-winning How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo series of personal branding books. With an MBA from Harvard Business School, her 25-year career has included developing mega brands for Fortune 100 companies across four continents and 50 countries. As President of BDA Int’l, Brenda now travels the world speaking, training, and coaching individuals and corporations to greater success through creative yet practical corporate and personal brand development.

For more information, please visit www.BrendaBence.com or www.BDA-Intl.com.