October | 2015 | Christine Moody.

Brand + Business x Christine Moody*

For those who read my blogs regularly know that I am always on the look out for examples of great brands. By great brands I mean those who align their purpose (the ‘why’) with their brand’s touch points.

A brand’s touch points include online (website and social media etc) and offline (bricks-and-mortar stores and packaging etc) and everything else in between ie, how your staff answer the phone and greet the customers. We recognise many global examples when we think of great brands—think Apple—but great examples are often just around the corner. Examples of great brands can be the local deli or bakery and lessons can be learned from these businesses just as much as visiting the Apple flagship store on Fifth Avenue New York.

Examples of great brands are often just around the corner!

Next time you sit down for your flat white, open your eyes and open your ears and take note of:

> How were you greeted when you arrived?

> How are the products displayed?

> How quickly were you served?

> How clean were the surroundings and the tables?

> What sort of background music is playing?

> What smells are coming from the kitchen?

> What newspapers and magazines are there to read while you have your coffee?

> How are the staff dressed?

> How was your coffee and food presented?

> How clean is the establishment overall?

Every little one of these details is important as each other and until you recognise what makes a great brand, you cannot recognise it in your own!

*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading brand strategists and the founder brand management consultancy, Brand Audits. With more than 30 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international brands, including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, and Wrigleys USA, to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation. Her particular interest is personal brand audits to assist executives realise their full potential.

For more information: chris.moody@brandaudits.com.au or +61 419 888 468.

Brand + Business x Christine Moody*

A couple of weeks ago I spoke to students in QUT’s Dean’s Scholars Program about ‘The Importance of Personal Branding’. The students are participating in this leadership development program are all outstanding students in the Science and Engineering Faculty and have been identified as future leaders. But these days, intelligience is not enough—you have to be able to stand out from your very smart peers. I spoke to the students about ensuring they develop their profiles while still at university—using LinkedIn et al—and joining professional organisations while they are still students to learn how to network.

…intelligience is not enough—you have to be able to stand out from your very smart peers.

I took them through the process I use for auditing both corporate and personal brands. In the case of these students, the starting point is a ‘personal brand audit’ to evaluate and benchmark their current ‘brand’ and overlaying this with their career aspirations. Next I walked them through the process to identify the gaps and prepare a matrix to fill these gaps. These students will graduate the right ’tools’ in their professional toolkits—a degree and a personal ‘brand’. They will graduate well-prepared for whatever lies ahead!

For more information: chris.moody@brandaudits.com.au or +61 419 888 468.