Month: September 2012

When we talk about branding, we usually think about product branding, the advertisement of different products to consumers around the globe. We think about the strategies companies use to market their products to us, how it affects our buying habits, and how advertising is becoming seemingly more ubiquitous. While product branding is of high importance, we often overlook a type of branding that is present in our daily actions and interactions.

It is personal branding.

What exactly is personal branding? Celebrities, professional athletes, politicians, and influential business leaders all have their own brands. Brands help individuals gain recognition and form a certain image of the individual in others’ minds. Personal branding isn’t just for celebrities though; it is for everyone. It is equally important to ordinary individuals. A personal brand is the way you see yourself and the way others perceive you. It encompasses everything about you: appearance, attitude, values, skills, abilities, professional career, personal relationships, and presence. Branding lets people market their strengths and skill sets to try and advance in life, whether it is professionally, socially, politically, and more.

Understanding both your attributes and how others perceive you is key to successful positioning.

The Globe and Mail provides some key tips on how to build a personal brand.

A step by step guide to building a brand

• identify your strengths and weaknesses
• find points of parity and points of differences from colleagues/ peers
• Determine your current brand
• Find out where you want to invest your time and energy in your brand
• Use social networking to keep in touch
• Build and expand your network and continue branding yourself
• Understand what attributes you want to attain
• Find a mentor who can help your brand
• Update brand as you advance in your career
• Avoid sticking to the norm / “Generic employee”
• Overcome a negative brand

Wensley, Karen. “How your personal brand will help or hinder your career.”The Globe and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2012. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/how-your-personal-brand-will-help-or-hinder-your-career/article4533798/?service=print>.

Who’s heard of the recent (and slowly dying) fad of ‘toning shoes’? I’m sure if not all, then most of you have. The advertising of this line of shoes was pervasive: on billboards, on busses, in magazines, in commercials are more. Endorsed by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Brooke Burke, Skechers “Shape-Ups” and the rest of its toning line’s claim to fame was guaranteed “toned legs, better buttocks, a slimmer body without setting a foot in the gym”.  Here’s an example of a paper advertisement. 

Well it turns out these claims were falsely advertised. Sadly, after all this hype, these shoes have proven to possess none of the magical toning power that the company insisted it did. In May 2012, Skechers took a large hit. The United States Federal Trade Commission forced Skechers to pay $40 million to settle consumer complaints and to reimburse and fully refund sales to unsatisfied customers. The following is a video of CNN’s report on the issue and includes Skechers’ video advertisements of their products.

CCN’s Report on Skechers Shape-Up’s

So what is the ethical issue here? It is simple. Companies should not falsely advertise its products to have features that it doesn’t. Customers have the right to know exactly what they’re getting when they purchase a product. False advertisement is unfair to consumers and will ultimately hurt the credibility of the company in the long run. Consumers will no longer want to purchase products from a company with such a history. Bottom line, companies should have evidence to back up their claims.

If you want to browse the full article: Skechers Toning Shoe – Customers to get Refund