Thesis
There is an ongoing shift from people being eclipsed by corporate entities, to people becoming the shield, point-of-contact and spokesperson for the company. No person or company is safe anymore, but instead of separating both brands, they have collided into one transparent mirror of information flow and retrieval. This happens for a few reasons. One, there is no such thing as long-term employment or work/life balance anymore. Two, some personal brands are more recognized than their corporate affiliations. Three, there is friction and constant struggles between companies and employees on the social media front (i.e. blogging, podcasting, social networks).
A lot of people aren’t familiar with products or companies, so they are forced to rely on people to cross the association bridge.
This tends to happen with B2B companies, where products aren’t sold to the end user (lack of touch).
The rise of the individual
After Bill Gates left Microsoft, there was a lot of discussion about what it meant for the company, it’s future
and that of Bill. Even in the year 2040, everyone will still connect Bill Gates to Microsoft’s brand. This association will never break because Bill built the company, he was the leading spokesman and he’s the innovator that passed through the press like wind through a field.
Is the Bill Gates brand stronger than that of Microsoft’s? This is debatable because, in terms of net worth, the company is worth more than the person. Are more people familiar with Microsoft or Bill? I’d answer the ladder and say both equally, even though we clearly see Microsoft’s brand everywhere, Bill’s
sits right by it. Even though Bill left, the press will still follow his every move, and that of Microsoft’s leadership in Ballmer. Bill can no longer protect Microsoft, which once was a baby, which he grew into a man/woman. Bill’s brand grew out of the company and products, which he helped create, therefore this is correlation between his growth and that of his company.
Next up, yes you guessed it; Donald Trump. I consider Donald’s brand stronger than any of his properties because people are paying for his name and not the other way around. This works with Oprah and many Hollywood A-Listers.
My thesis really comes to life, not as much with the billion dollar enterprises, but more with the solotrepreneurs and small businesses, where there is certainly no hiding because there are few if any people to hide behind.
Examples
I welcome your opinions on this because this is surely from my perspective and my view of the world. These examples are of people and companies you are probably familiar with. The point of this discussion to to show you that individuals are gaining the public eye, just as much as companies. People are transferable and companies aren’t, unless they are purchased or merged. One brand is stronger than the next based on audience size, reputation, perception, money, etc.
- EMC > Dan Schawbel: EMC was founded in 1979 and I was born in 1983, so it has 4 years on me! But in all seriousness, a million more people know about EMC than they know of me. EMC is older and with brands such as Joe Tucci, David Donatelli and others attached to it, it’s hard for someone like me to compete, so instead the corporate name helps me. It doesn’t shield me, but the credibility gives me some “lift.”
- CrossTech Media < Chris Brogan: Go to their website and look who they are promoting; yes it’s Chris Brogan. When people are established and have followers, companies pursue them, especially the smaller ones. They are clearly using Brogan as a channel, as an expert and as a brand to boost theirs. I certainly don’t blame them!
- Forrester Research > Jeremiah Owyang: We all know Jeremiah for his outstanding blog efforts BUT it’s hard to compete with Forrester, one of the leading research companies. The reason is simple: Forrester has been around for a lot longer and is in many more spaces than social computer, which he covers.
- Edelman > Steve Rubel: Richard Edelman has really built a mega PR corporation. Steve Rubel is certainly a highlight of the company, especially as one of the “fathers of blogging” BUT the Edelman brand is extremely strong, part because of the talent, the clients and the trust and respect in the brand. Steve benefits from being a SVP of Edelman and visa versa but Edelman is still stronger.
- Ogilvy > Rohit Bhargava: In the social media world, Rohit commands authority and respect, but when you place his brand next to Ogilvy’s it’s hard to compete. Ogilvy an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency founded in 1948. Rohit has a book, a blog, speaking arrangements and marketing expertise, but Ogilvy’s founder is more well known as well as some of his colleagues who aren’t as visible with social media.
- crayon < Joseph Jaffe: He created the company and their clients are many that he has built relationships for years. Joseph has also attracted a lot of press attention. Overtime, this might even out, especially because other personal brands, such as Greg Verdino are on-board. Basically, they are all consultants under a corporate brand name.
- FutureWorks PR < Brian Solis: He has even admitted that he gets most of his business from his personal blog. He promotes it on the front page of FutureWorks and his name has carried further than his company. Although more personal brands are attached to Brian’s company, people know Brian and then find out he has a company.
- Shift Communications = Todd Defren: This one is tricky. Todd is a thought leader, as PR crosses new media and his blog is directly linked from the corporate website. From the web observers point-of-view, it would appear that Todd is the company, yet there are many other employees that work there, therefore this is more based on my experience.
- Twist Image < Mitch Joel: Mitch is the president of the company and the chief blogger. His reputation and credibility position his company as “high tech.” Both his network and appearance in the press (namely Canadian) make him the spirit IN FRONT OF the corporate brand.
- LinkedIn > Mario Sundar: I like Mario, but professional networking (online) is synonymous with LinkedIn. It is so dominant that Bill Gates is a member and that the company has over 22 million users, at a value of $1 billion dollars. Mario is a community evangelist and blogger, but people are more familiar with LinkedIn than him.
- Jibber Jobber = Jason Alba: I’m not too sure how successful Jibber Jobber is, but I do know that Jason is the key to it’s success. He is Jibber Jobber and in some ways, Jibber Jobber screams Jason’s name. They are both focused on professional networking.
- Geoff Livingston = Livingston Communications: Geoff is his company. He uses his last name as part of the corporate brand name.
- Squidoo < Seth Godin: This one is easy. If Squidoo wasn’t connect with Godin’s brand, it would probably be a bust. People trust Godin, therefore they trust what he produces. Godin is more well-known than Squidoo as well.
- Microsoft > Fast Company > Robert Scoble: If Robert filmed employees at a different corporation, other than Microsoft, he would not be as famous as he is today. Although Scoble has an extreme reach and influence in the blogosphere, Fast Company has a larger circulation.
Key take-aways
When you are first starting out, your brand will need support from a larger corporate entity if you choose the corporate route. Otherwise, you will become the corporate brand if you are an entrepreneur. In both situations you are the CEO, HR Exec, Communications Exec, Chief Marketing Officer and head consultant for the brand called you. If you choose to remain silent online, then the corporate brand you work for will support you for the duration of when you work there. The key is to build your brand within the company and outside, to protect yourself and to become a transferable property for another company or opportunity.
Years ago, the route to super stardom was the climb the corporate ladder and become “Your Name, CEO, Fortune 500 Company Name,” then either retire or break off and start a company, write a book, etc. These days, although you can’t graduate from school and be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you can choose a different path. You can break away, start a company, fail, start a company, fail, then succeed. You can build the blueprints for a business while having a full-time job. It’s really up to you.
What I want you to get out of this post is that no company is going to protect you. In each example I gave above, the individual has established themself, in order to protect their brand and position themself as a “value-add” for any company. Based on this method, they will succeed.
Final thoughts
- 1) Companies need to permit employees to share their voice online.
- 2) People need consume all benefits from working at a company because, let’s face it, you can be laid off tomorrow.
- 3) If you are first starting off, a well-known corporate brand may protect you.
- 4) If you’re in a small business, then you need to protect the corporate brand.
- 5) Companies are losing control and the power is going to the people.
- 6) In order to understand a company, people will look to employees for the final word.
- 7) A single employee or customer can hurt a brand’s reputation instantly.
