Know thy self...

Being a political science major and active in the political process, I have learned the importance of personal branding. Mike Myatt wrote in The Power of Personal Branding that

"It is a true win-win scenario in that the executive who knows how to manage his/her brand equity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise."

Campaigns are only as successful as the candidate who is running. I have seen so many campaigns that have been ran efficiently and effectively that had a hard time getting off the ground because the candidate himself wasn't able to brand himself appropriately.

Mitt Romney mastered the art of personal branding. He knew from the beginning that with a name ID of less than 5% that it was crucial to brand himself as the conservative candidate in the race amongst moderates like McCain and Giuliani. Once that was established, he was able to add that he was the right guy for the job because of his 25 years in the private sector.

Hate your first life...

Second Life is becoming a necessity in the Integrated Brand Promotion of the 21st century. What began as a second life for people with no lives has become a marketers dream. Duncan Riley on TechCrunch said that Second Life is "a hip and trendy place from which to target brand wary members of Generation Y." Even though I disagree on the hip and trendiness of Second Life, I do believe that it is a great way to microtarget a niche withing Generation Y.

In my advertising class, we spent some time discussing Second Life and it was remarkable how many ways marketers can utilize this interface. From buying hotdog stands to buying your own island, many companies are able to advertise their products without making a huge investment.

When Mercedes-Benz introduced the C-Class, they gave secondlifers the ability to test drive it digitally on the Mercedes Island.


Even though secondlife is pretty nerdy these days, it definitely has the potential to become a necessity in any college students daily internet repertoire.

Mr. Lockbox's Current Endeavor

St. Al Gore is at it again. Not only has he invented the internet but now he found a way to get young people politically involved via interactive TV. Current TV has become the outlet that allows young people to express their views on the current topics that are facing our world.

In Brian Stelter's Al Gore's other cause: Current TV, Current TV has brought a new way to interact with young people via the most powerful medium: the TV. Many people believe that this is the wave of the future, but I disagree. I honestly believe that Current TV will never get off the ground. First off, I am baffled by their decision not to be rated by Nielsen Media Research. What are they trying to hide?

Second, Current TV is basically Youtube without the option to view any video you want. Instead the channel decides what you should see and hear. In a time where people want the freedom to see whatever they want, I believe that this channel wont increase in viewership. They are competing with other outlets like Youtube.

What Current TV is trying to do is bring the internet and TV together. However, I feel that it is definitely a lost cause especially since the Internet is so more convenient and consumer friendly than is TV.

The problem of Mass Customization

Nike, Inc has created NikeID with the purpose to allow its customers, especially brand loyalists, to customize their shoe by changing the colors or material.

DROD's blog of wonders discusses the problems with customization in regards to online returns. I completely agree that because of this, NikeID is not a brand that Nike is utilizing to bring in profits but rather a linchpin brand or a silver bullet brand used to increase brand loyalty or sustain its brand image.

Trust me, the NikeID concept will never become the future of buying shoes for the reason that with the current technology we have, it will never be cost-effective and Nike would never be able to make a sustainable profit.

Beware--Big Brother is Watching!

I don't think I would ever be comfortable knowing that a computer program is looking at every single form of communication I send out on my business computer. Don't get me wrong, I love this concept especially for its efficiency in streamlining everyday business. But the way I look at it is, I have some friends in my personal life that I really do not want to bring into my career life.

Ephraim Schwartz says in "Social Networking Targets the Enterprise" that you can

search for companies by region and revenue; you can ask for the names of all C-level executives at those companies; and you can match those names to people in your own company who know them.

To me, that is great and all but what if your job depended on you being compliant when your boss asks you to contact "your friend" at that other firm? What if you say no, I rather not disrupt that relationship and the boss says if you don't then you're fired?

There needs to be some way to opt your personal life out of the program. Maybe the program can only check your work email or your work Instant Messenger. But as long as the program allows "users to tap into group functionality to form associations outside their own companies" without some form of privacy measures, this type of social network will not become the future of the business world.