As I have learned during my first year of university, the action of “Branding” is something that can be applied to other things apart from a business or product. Someone’s personal brand is an intangible entity that is constantly affected by their actions and decisions as they progress throughout their time at school. Not long ago, I reached out to Mike Goodman (HBA ’11) from Mondelēz International, an expert in the field of marketing and branding, to gather his insights regarding personal branding.
Where can you draw the connection between branding a company or product, and one’s self?
The strongest and most influential brands in the world understand their purpose. They never waver or compromise on the things that make them uniquely distinct and great, but at the same time they evolve and change to remain relevant to the consumers of today. These brands have been built over time, through a consistent message and quality of product or service.
I believe these same principles hold true as you build your own personal brand. Know what you stand for, what you value and what makes you, uniquely you! And then tell your story in a consistent, clear and relevant way.
If you had to select one or a few actions, decisions, or choices that can have the biggest impact on one’s personal brand, what would they be?
I have never believed in a universal roadmap for building your personal brand. The actions, decisions, and choices I have taken during my own journey, will be different and unique from everyone else’s. What was impactful for me, won’t necessarily be impactful for others.
The most important part of building your personal brand is to remain authentic and genuine for yourself. Forget about trying to find and follow a roadmap. Do things that bring you happiness. Follow your passions. Challenge yourself to grow. Find ways to learn and commit to things that matter to you.
With the experience and knowledge that you have gained, is there anything different you would have done to brand yourself during your years at Western?
As I learned from my experience, it is easy (and completely normal) to get caught up in the academic demands of Western. Exams, projects, cases will quickly fill up your days.
Your first two years will be completely focused on getting into Ivey. Then once there, it will all be about securing that first internship. Before you know it, it will be time to think about full time work for graduation.
It’s cliché to write, but incredibly true. School will go fast! If I were to go back in time and do it all over again, I would have tried to create more space for personal exploration. To use the opportunity to build a broad learning experience, as opposed to being so focused on moving from one step to the next.
Thank you to Mike Goodman for his time!