have a compelling value proposition . I have always shared this with the groups I engage with both at home and abroad , either in conferences , meetings , Training , and even one on one engagements . Indeed , over the years , I have even developed a Coach DK Value Proposition Checklist that always helps me and those I engage with have a self-analysis / appraisal . Depending on the score one gets one can ask themselves if indeed they have truly invested in “ Brand Me ” before placing expectations on the world to choose them , as “ their Brand of Choice ”.
Are you well-read ? Are you learned ( long term ) or educated ( short term form of learning )? Do you have a strong Network ? Who knows you and who do you know ? Are you well-travelled ? Are you on top of your game ? Your career ? Your Trade ? What Associations are you aligned to ? E . g . clubs , communities , and ventures . Are you a leader ? A coach ? A mentor ?
Are you efficient in what you do ? ( Cost Management ). Are you effective in what you do ? ( Time Management ). Do you get the concept of Profitability in Management ? Are you Comprehensive ( variety / well grounded ) and yet have simplicity or humility ? Remember it ’ s not about you but about them - your target segment . Are you digitally Apt ?
What is your Brand Equity ? Awareness : are you Known ; Perceived Quality : are you refined ; Brand Association : what are people ’ s feelings / attitudes towards you ; Brand Loyalty : are you reliable / dependable ; Competitive Advantage : what do you have over others ?.
Brand Auditing
In all schools of Management and Strategy we are taught that what you can ’ t measure can ’ t get managed . Indeed , even in Branding , we must seek to audit especially if we want to know where we stand as a Brand . The American Marketing Association defines Brand Audits as designed processes that put into words the experience of a brand in the life of the user . The use of Strategic models such as ; The Product Life Cycle , SWOT Analysis , TOWS Analysis , and Brain shaking , are some very helpful tools . However other approaches like the use of qualitative studies , that focus on indepth interviews , usually administering a questionnaire or using mind mapping techniques or critical incident techniques among others can also help with Brand Auditing .
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For one to greatly position their Brand they must be ready and comfortable with failure , chase the vision as the former brings the latter , have a changed mindset , and be ready to put God first in their lives .
Getting to the Top and staying there
If one has indeed established their brand position , self-audited , and assessed themselves the next step would be developing relevant strategies and executing them promptly . I want to believe that our parents in the earlier story I shared , had done all this unknowingly and to them , the strategy was always to tell our kids the dos and don ’ ts of our family Brand .
However , from a technical Marketing perspective , one would be expected to Execute the Promotion Mix Strategies across the Product Life Cycle , Execute the Action plans / Strategies generated from the TOWS Analysis but as guided by the Brain Shaking Model and use other available techniques to get the Brand execution strategy right .
Barriers to Great Brand Positioning
So then , one may ask if this is so , why then is it so hard for one to position their Brand and enjoy the associated benefits accruing from it ? Truly , I have over the years also taken a keen interest in this and I have established that fear of failure is the main barrier to one proactively positioning their Brand correctly . I have often found Former SA President Nelson Mandela ’ s words quite comforting whenever fear comes my way , when he said “ It always seems impossible until it ’ s done ”.
My comfort is further strengthened by Actor Morgan Freeman , a globally renown Brand and a gentleman who at the opening Ceremony of the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar gave a brilliant entertaining yet captivating presentation only possible by such an icon given his way with words and his powerful voice , when he once said , “ Failure is a part of life ; if you don ’ t fail you don ’ t learn . If you don ’ t learn you will never change ”.
Indeed change is what one desirous of building their Brand seeks , or it is built for them and not on their terms , only based on how society , the globe , and the universe perceive you .
I have therefore come to conclude that for one to greatly position their Brand they must ; be ready and comfortable with failure , chase the vision and not the benefits as the former brings the latter , have a changed mindset , and be ready to put God first in their lives , be ready to hustle as both hard and smart work payoff but only to the true hustler , search within themselves to be able to unleash their true potential , build strong networks but importantly appreciate and know that timing is everything .
Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , Leader of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE , a leader , and Brand I admire given how he and his forefathers were able to transform a desert into a Brilliant World Trading & Tourism Hub , best summarises this when he said ; “ In the race for excellence , I have competed with the finest ; only those with the greatest of souls yearn for first . He who desires to gain must constantly strive for today ’ s achievements must surpass the past wonders . A lion in majestic repose is not necessarily a great hunter . It ’ s the blood on his teeth that speaks of his deeds . “
The question then begs , what are you waiting for to self-brand ? Take that leap off the cliff of comfort and invest in your Brand , because if you don ’ t others will Brand you and not on your terms .
Always remember Brand or Be Branded .
Coach Deo Kateizi is a Business Development , Marketing , PR , Digital , and Branding expert . You can commune with him on this or related matters via email at : DKateizi @ gmail . com , Twitter :@ Dkateizi , or LinkedIn : Deo Kateizi .