MPU2242

MPU2242 Media Literacy For Personal Branding
https://newinti.instructure.com/courses/13670/modules

Lesson 1: Media Literacy

Media Literacy: Self-Awareness

Think about how you used media today. Did you tuned in to a radio station or perhaps accessed MP3s from the Internet? Have you downloaded music from the Internet? Did you decide on a movie after reading through the reviews online or who was starring in it from an entertainment website? Did you then book or even pay for the cinema tickets through a smart phone app? Did you watch a news story about a current issue? Can you remember the television commercials or the print advertisement - posters or billboards or brochures? What about the email advertisements or promotions that you received?

How do you filter through so many messages, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of the media-rich culture in which you live?

The concept of media literacy involves helping you answer these questions and navigate the thousands of media messages you encounter every day. Consider how media affects aspects of your daily routine, buying habits, political views, or social behavior, as well as how you use media in your decision-making processes. Access to information and media improves daily life in many ways. However, does it also have negative impacts in our daily life? How can media literacy help lessen any negative media effects?

Whether you consider yourself a novice or an expert in communications tools and technology, each of us is immersed in an environment of media messages, including those directed at us and those we initiate. Building on your understanding, and sharing with your peers, you have the opportunity in this course to sharpen your critical thinking skills. You also have the opportunity to move from consuming media to producing it.

Keep in mind that the analytical skills associated with media literacy are likely to aid your success - academically and professionally. As an employee, you will be able to analyze the effectiveness of the media that represents your organization. In your personal life, these skills will help you critically assess the media you use, and help you use media to present yourself effectively.

What is Media Literacy?

Traditionally, literacy means the ability to read and write. Literacy could also involve a person’s knowledge of a particular subject or field. Today, communication occur with more than words. Society is more visual and messages communicated through multiple media such as television, the Internet, social networking tools and print and other traditional media. In this crowded new world, reading remains important. An informed, literate citizen must know how to read images as well as words. It’s not enough to know how to read for overt meaning; the bombardment of marketing messages from all sides means the informed, literate consumer must recognize the implied understandings carried by symbolic and graphical communication too.

It is no longer enough to be only a consumer of media. More and more, individuals are creators of media, crafting messages to be sent through a variety of channels, from social media profiles to websites to self-published books.

As these tools become more widely available and easier to use, it is important to understand how to select and use media to shape the messages you send. Indeed, even engaging with media produced by others now frequently involves creating media in return, in the form of a product review, a social network post, or an image.

In this environment, basic media literacy must extend beyond understanding the media you consume; it now must include being able to produce effective media messages.

Video: Technology and the Evolution of Communication

What we are experiencing in terms of media today is the process of how technology in communication is progressing.

Watch this video which traces the history of technology in communication.

As you are watching, think/jot down answers to this questions.

1. What was the invention that allowed people to start document significant events?
2. When do you think people started being able to learn about what was happening outside of where they were living?
3. What started when people starting putting up things to be shared on the Internet?
4.  Compare social media in the early days and what you are experiencing today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvxw1TynuTk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmY_H5DjSEM

Lesson 2: Logo

Communication through Images

In today’s world, dialogue extends beyond face-to-face conversations to include images, symbols, icons, and even the exchange of live videos. In that world, the consumer of media becomes a powerful creator of media, crafting a story. That world exists now. Media has become a two-way street, with consumers also contributing to the flow of stories, videos, and images. Media literacy helps you both to understand more fully the stories you see every day and to create and contribute your story to the massive, growing network of interactive stories that make up the media world today.

Media Literacy: Implications

Think about how you used media today. Did you tuned in to a radio station or perhaps accessed MP3s from the Internet? Did you decide on a movie after reading through the synopsis or who was starring in it from an entertainment website and then booked or even paid for the cinema tickets through a smart phone app? Did you watch a news story about a current issue? Can you remember the television commercials or the print advertisement - posters or billboards or brochures? What about the email advertisements or promotions that you received?

How do you filter through so messages, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of the media-rich culture in which you live?

The concept of media literacy involves helping you answer these questions and navigate the thousands of media messages you encounter every day. Consider how media affects aspects of your daily routine, buying habits, political views, or social behavior, as well as how you use media in your decision-making processes. Access to information and media improves daily life in many ways. However, does it also have negative impacts in our daily life? How can media literacy help lessen any negative media effects?

Whether you consider yourself a novice or an expert in communications tools and technology, each of us is immersed in an environment of media messages, including those directed at us and those we initiate. Building on your understanding, and sharing with your peers, you have the opportunity in this course to sharpen your critical thinking skills. You also have the opportunity to move from consuming media to producing it.

Keep in mind that the analytical skills associated with media literacy are likely to aid your success—academically and professionally. As an employee, you will be able to analyze the effectiveness of the media that represents your organization. In your personal life, these skills will help you critically assess the media you use, and help you use media to present yourself effectively.

Why are logos important? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyP8gTIXdBo

Logo: Capturing the Brand

The corporate logo is the avatar of a company’s identity. As an icon for the company, the logo captures the elements of a company’s identity in a way that is rich, but simple. Like Amazon’s and Apple’s logos, good logos do not only identify a product or service; they also tell a story about the maker of the product or the provider of the service, building a durable connection with the customer.

The logo, then, is the ultimate expression of the company’s brand. You probably think of a brand as simply the name attached to a product, but a well-constructed brand is much more. The brand is everything that identifies the company, and it is largely made up of images: Product and package designs, marketing materials, the logo, and the design of the company’s offices and uniforms are all part of the brand. But the real material from which a successful brand is built is emotional. As well-known entrepreneur and author Seth Godin puts it, “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”

The Elements of Visual Communication

As all of this theoretical discussion suggests, image-based communications do not just happen. They are carefully constructed. Artists, designers, and marketers work consciously to channel the power of the image so that it delivers a particular message. Understanding these tools is the key to being both a media-literate consumer and an effective producer of meaningful images. Those who create still images manipulate particular characteristics of the image in order to deliver the intended message. Elements that an image’s creators may work with include:

Color – Different colors may have different meanings or carry different emotional overtones.

Composition – How various parts of the image are placed on the page may suggest relationships between them, as many the density of images or text on the pages and the relative balance between text and images.

Contrast – Differences between various parts of the image, in color or size, can suggest relationships between them, creating tension or drawing the viewer through a narrative.

Medium – What materials are used to present the image, whether it is an oil painting on canvas, a collage glued to papers, or a computer-edited digital photograph, affects how it is received and interpreted.

Each of these is an element of an image’s form. For still images, these formal elements are so intrinsic to the message delivered that they cannot be separated from it. In this way, form equals content. This bears repeating, because it is true of the other types of media-based communication that you will explore in this book: Form equals content. The content of an image—its intended message—cannot be separated from its form, which are the design elements and delivery mechanisms from which it is created.

Semiotic: The Power of Images

Images can carry multiple meanings and they may mean different things to different people or in different contexts. That is why there are studies on images and symbols. The study of images and symbols is called semiotics. Media literacy is most concerned with the area of semiotics called pragmatics.

Pragmatics is the study of how signs are used and interpreted.  What an image means depends on the context in which it appears and the perspective of the interpreter. The ability of the visual communicators to manipulate the particular characteristics (color, composition, contrast, medium or/and forms) of an image will determine the message received by the interpreter or emotion felt by the audience. That is why being able to interpret images or create images that carry the meanings you intend is a critical skill in today’s world.

Lesson 3: Telling a Story - Character Archetypes

Introduction

Often, human beings connect more deeply through emotions than through facts, figures, and hard data. In fact, this aspect of human inner workings is what makes the power of stories so potent. In today’s fast-paced, information-rich world, you need to connect with and engage people quickly and often the best way to do that is through storytelling.

Think of the stories that have had a big impact on you. Perhaps you recall one from childhood, or there might be a movie that you never tire of watching, or maybe you treasure a story your grandmother told you about her own childhood. The ability to tell a story is a skill with many personal and, perhaps surprisingly, professional applications. For example, how you tell the story of your job experience during an interview might determine if you get the job. You could tell it as a list of individual accomplishments, but think of how much more engaging it might be if you told it as a “mini-story,” with a beginning, middle, and end. This is why the elements of basic storytelling are important tools for your media literacy toolkit. In this Module, you explore a very important aspect of the craft of storytelling–character.

Character Archetypes

When you meet new people, such as at a job interview or at a social event, you might want to introduce yourself by describing who you are in a few sentences. You might explain your career aspirations, some of the things that are important or inspirational to you, and perhaps describe your family. Distilling your experiences into a compelling narrative is both an art and skill. Whether you consider yourself outgoing or shy, you can learn the basics of storytelling to enhance your communication with professional colleagues and friends alike.

While there is great variety to stories, they share common elements. Most stories rely on familiar types of characters, called character archetypes. An archetype is a model or pattern (Dictionary.com, 2013). Familiar character archetypes are

• the hero,
• the bad guy,
• the clown,
• the sidekick,
• and many others.

If you think about stories you know well, you are likely to recognize these archetypal characters. Character archetypes are useful in storytelling because they allow the audience to quickly become engaged with a character on an intuitive level. This frees the author to spend more time developing the character’s journey.

Examples of Character Archetypes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Op5aex8lo

Character Archetypes - Which Archetype are You?

What character archetypes do you want to portray?

From the character archetypes mentioned, you can definitely be able to identify with one of them. Think about your social media account/page, what’s your avatar like? Or how do you portray yourself? Think about it.

What kind of pictures do you put up? Pictures with friends, with family or things you have. We might have pictures or articles or news about people we like or simple follow our role models. Do you think people going through your social media site would develop a perception of what kind of person you are or your character archetype. Therefore you should be mindful and selective of what you post.

Consider this - If you have photos after photos of you drinking alcohol, it might poorly affect your professional career. However, if you were a sommelier, a wine taster? It would be appropriate and aligned with your archetype. Building an archetype that identifies and supports who you are is an important part of your story. 

In this lesson, you identify characters that exemplify the archetypes. Remember, you’re going to find these everywhere from ancient literature to this week’s episode of your favorite television show. Once you can identify them, you can better craft your own archetype.

Lesson 4: Telling a Story - Storytelling Techniques

Introduction

As organizations or brands develop their communications strategies, many develop a story to engage their audience with a memorable message about their purpose and goals. In the case of Avis Car Rental, whose sales lagged the industry leader Hertz, the story that they “tried harder” captured attention and drove sales growth for many decades (Parekh, 2012).Having an understanding of the implications of media literacy and the ability to analyze media critically can positively influence how you develop and manage your personal brand. Another key skill that can help you develop your personal brand is storytelling.

Communicating Better Through Storytelling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbV3b-l1sZs

The Basic Storytelling Structure

All effective stories share a basic structure. The simplest representation of this is the three-act structure. In this structure, the three parts of the story may be called Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3; before, during, and after the action; setup, confrontation, and resolution; or—most simply—beginning, middle, and end:

Act 1

• The Setup – to introduce the main character and his/her objectives/missions

Act 2

• The Response – This is the main character’s journey. It involves conflicts (inner or physical) and how he/she overcomes how he or she reacts. 
• The Attack - where the hero literally fights back, hatches a plan, enlists assistance, demonstrates courage, shows initiative.

Act 3 

• The Resolution – The story is wrapped up. The audience find out if the main character has achieved his or her mission. It may be a happy ending, a sad ending or even a cliffhanger!

What Makes A Hero? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA

Lesson 5: The Audiovisual Tools of Telling a Story

Introduction

When the Mughal princess, known as Mumtaz Mahal, died while delivering her 13th child, her devastated husband, Shah Jajan, began planning a grand mausoleum and gardens to honor her. The memorial, completed in 1648, is the Taj Mahal, which means “crown palace.” The magnificence of the architecture amplifies the enduring appeal of the love story behind it. The site draws up to 4 million visitors each year (Official website of Taj Mahal, 2013).

Imagine that you were making a film about the Taj Mahal. How would you tell the story? Would you emphasize the love story or would you focus on the design and building of the memorial? Consider the many variables to choose from in writing the script and shooting the audiovisual story.

Few stories are as dramatic and thrilling as the Taj Mahal. Yet, regardless of the storyline, filmmakers must write a script that communicates effectively with the audience. Then, the filmmaker must capture images and sounds that bring the script to life.

Up till now, you have explored written stories, focusing on how to use storytelling elements and techniques to craft a written, personal story that will be used in your personal branding profile. In this Module, you will examine how to translate written stories into audiovisual (or multimedia) stories by focusing on the audiovisual tools that filmmakers and multimedia content creators use. 

In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to explore the audio/sound tools of storytelling as you produce an audio programs.

Audiovisual Matters in Storytelling

Naturally it is human nature to want to relate to something we hear or see. That is why stories has always captured the interest and attention of audience.

At this age and time, stories come to us through many types of media. Of course now it is beyond printed media (books, magazines or even papers) and radio, movies and even television shows. It is very common to see advertisements and marketing messages delivered as stories as well. 

Companies are constantly telling us stories. It could be describing their innovative spirit, their sense of tradition, or their philanthropic efforts. And a company carefully chooses platforms specific to the story they want to tell. All of the media used to convey this message on different platforms make the company story. And the platform is just as important as the type of story. Once you understand the different platforms, you will recognize if and when to use them.

Therefore, it is important to choose the right platform for your story. So remember, the act of storytelling, in all of its forms, requires a variety of tools that are appropriate for particular situations and for specific audiences.

Watch these 2 videos: Compare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGsViiIqUs4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXDHzt_PvI4

Using Audio Elements

Audiovisual storytelling can access the strengths of both modes, pairing the power of images with a narrative that emerges over time. Not long ago, the tools of truly effective audiovisual communication were available only to film studios and large organizations. But technological advances in digital film-making have made cameras, video editing software, and other tools of the trade accessible to nearly everyone.

We have seen visual elements in the previous videos. 

Let’s look at how sound gives effect or influence the storytelling.

From this video, listen for the sound effects, background music and voice over. These are elements that you can use for the Part 3 of your Individual Assignment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhN-f_oIvxs
The Importance of Sound Effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO3N_PRIgX0

Lesson 6: Branding - Story that Sells

Imagine that you are visiting friends in another city. When you arrive, you realize that you have forgotten to pack shampoo and toothpaste. Since it is late at night, you cannot go out to a store to quickly purchase replacements. You ask your friends if they can loan you these essential items. Fortunately, they are well prepared for guests like you! They have several sample-sized products for you to use.

Neither of the sample-sized products is a product that you normally use. In fact, the shampoo is a product that is specifically branded and marketed to people with gray hair. The company’s advertisements feature people engaged in activities such as gardening and walking in a park. This is a demographic group that is different from your own. Seeing the bottle of shampoo immediately recalls the brand’s advertisements about shiny, silvery hair.

You are surprised to find that you have a negative reaction to having to use this brand. You tell yourself that the product inside the bottle is probably identical to the product that you use. You also reassure yourself that people of all ages may have gray hair and that these stereotypes may represent false assumptions. Yet the emotional power of the brand has a surprisingly strong impact.

If you have this strong reaction to a product that does not interest you, think about how effective the response can be when you are interested in the product!

In this module, you will consider how companies and individuals create brand messages by using stories to reach their target markets and what implications this may have for your own personal branding profile. You will consider how brands influence your behavior and how branding can be improved.

Storytelling that Sells: Branding

A good story is the backbone of word-of-mouth marketing.                    ~Nick Reese~

What’s the best coffee? Starbucks, of course.
What’s the best smartphone? The iPhone, of course.
What’s the best energy drink? …., of course. 

Most of us have our favorite brands - for a beverage, shoes, handbags or clothes. Think about it. When you want to buy something, most of the time do you think about the product or do you think about the brand?  A brand is an image, an emotion or feeling, and expectations.

The concept of brand  does not only apply to what we wear or use or eat or drink. The concept of brand can also be extended to a person. 

Think of a person who is also a brand. Remember he or she represents ideals and qualities; usually they would bring out certain images, feelings or emotions. Imagine Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Cristiano Ronaldo or Kim Kardashian.

Similar to them you can create a brand just by what you ‘LIKE’. For example, if you “LIKE” Cristiano Ronaldo on Facebook, you have branded yourself as a fan of the footballer. Or If you “LIKE” Greenpeace, you have branded yourself as an environmental lover. 

Our personal brand is being developed with or without us noticing it. Think about the future implication of the concept of brand. How will it be related to you and your professional aspirations. 

That is why we should be mindful of the impact of the brand we are creating of ourselves. Who are you? What image are you projecting? What is your story? What is your brand and how will that impact your digital footprint?

Branding through Storytelling

Petronas or Petroliam Nasional Berhad is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on 17 August 1974. 
Petronas has created a brand for itself through storytelling commercials.
Let’s watch how Petronas brands itself for the last 2 decades.
What is the message or what are the messages Petronas is relaying to its audience?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UehSJlOQj2I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYV8dTB0r8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2nQ9pGxySA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XEEn8uNjbE

Lesson 7: Articulating Your Personal Brand

Introduction

Malala Yousafzai, a schoolgirl of 16, was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen. “But why?”, people may ask. Her only ‘crime’ was to have spoken up for the right of girls to be educated. The world reacted in horror. Weeks in intensive care, Malala survived. And that was when the world found out that the girl was fearless. https://myhero.com/M_Yousafzai_nagel_ms_US_2017_ul

While most of us will never face what Malala endured, she is an inspiration. Throughout her ordeal, she carefully and consistently controlled her image and story. As she continues to go around promoting her beliefs in girls’ right for education, her supporters have a clear understanding of who she is and what she represents - an epitome of fearlessness and determination. 

In this Module, you will see how the qualities of an individual’s image, actions, and character forms a personal brand.

Articulating Your Personal Brand

Why do you think there are different brands for a product? Name 3 or more brands of toothpaste that you know of. If you stand in front of the supermarket or hypermarket toothpaste section or take a glance at the selection of toothpaste on an online shopping website, you will easily see 4 or 5 brands of toothpaste - Colgate, Darlie, Sensodyne, Fresh & White or Himalaya - just to name a few.

Brands are used by companies to differentiate and persuade consumers to choose their own products. A brand is a story as we know. It is the story a company tells about itself. Nowadays, people too market themselves through their personal brand. This is done through stories they tell about themselves and the ways they make sense of their stories for others. With social media, sharing personal stories with a wide range of people from all over the world is an effective way of publishing a personal brand. 

Like what you have been doing for your Individual Assignment for this course, you are actually exploring the idea of personal branding — the creation of “the brand of you.” As we move on, you will learn more about using storytelling to develop your own personal brand, and how to take control of your personal brand, making sure it develops in the ways you want it to.

Personal Branding

Remember what you read about Malala Yousafzi in the introduction?  Qualities that a person possesses forms a personal brand.

Let’s find out what other factors that you should pay attention to as you are building your brand. 

Watch the video and think about how you brand yourself. Is it what you want to project? If not, what actions must you take?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a0Vm0zHFh0

The Tony Fernandes Brand

Tony Fernandes is a brand on it own. Tony Fernandes has created a name for himself not only in Malaysia, but also worldwide through AirAsia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QQngkKRXjw

Lesson 8: Creating A Media Strategy 1

Introduction

In the 1960s, the Nissan Motor Company was a small Japanese automobile manufacturer. To increase its visibility and enhance its image, the company decided to produce a stylish and high-performing sports car. After several years of prototypes, they were ready to launch the new car in 1969. The model was named the Fairlady Z, which was a name already in use in Japan. However, when the new cars arrived in the US, Yutaka Katayama, the Nissan manager in America, quickly realized that the Fairlady name would not be effective in the US market. Before delivering the cars to dealerships, he physically removed the Fairlady nameplate from each bumper, leaving only the model number, 240Z. The “240” referred to engine displacement volume and the “Z” was an internal model code. Thus the Fairlady became the 240Z. Customers responded enthusiastically and affectionately called it the “Z” car (Banks, 2010).

This accidental branding contributed to the car’s great success. The “Z” mark is distinctive both visually and aurally, allowing Nissan to send a consistent message across different media platforms. In advertising, events, and popular culture, the Z became iconic. More than 40 years after its introduction, Nissan continues to produce new Z models. It has become the most successful brand in sports car history (Banks, 2010; Edmunds.com, 2013).

Of course, one great name or advertisement will not sustain a brand. The Z car got attention because of its name and styling, and then sustained its appeal with a strong product. A successful brand begins with a great product that it is supported by a well-planned, coordinated media strategy. With the proliferation of social media and other channels, strategy is more complex and yet essential than ever. In this Module, you will consider how to create a media strategy to support and promote a brand and, in turn, a specific product or service. This skill is one you can apply in developing your personal media strategy.

What is a Media Strategy?

Media strategy is identifying and effectively using appropriate media to reach targeted audience.

Media Strategy plays a very important role in business. Every single work to be done needs a plan of action so that the work is done in a desired and correct manner.

The role of Media Strategy is to find out the right path and media to deliver the message to the targeted customers. How many people see or hear or read all the advertisements or promotional offers and buy the product or service?

The basic intention of media strategy is not only procuring customers for their product but also placing a right message to the right people on the right time and of course that message should be persuasive and relevant. So, here the planners of the organization decide the Media Strategy to be used but keeping the budget always in mind.

The Media Strategy process has three “W”s to be decided. They are

• Where to advertise?
• When to advertise?
• What media type to use?

What’s Integrated Marketing?

This animation shows how an advertising campaign can use a variety of media channels to reach its audience and to reinforce its message.

As you prepare your media strategy, consider how these different approaches work in delivering and reinforcing a consistent message. 

Watch the video. Reflect on the advertisements you encounter in your own environment. What does it do to you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOfHtANrmbI

Lesson 9: Creating A Media Strategy 2

Introduction

In Module 6 Lesson 8, we discussed Media Strategy which were relevant for businesses or organizations. For this lesson, you will use what you have learnt in Lesson 8 to develop your own media strategy.

A little refresher for you.

A media strategy — sometimes referred to as a communication strategy — is a plan for communicating a brand message to a defined target audience. Your media strategy may be quite simple, covering a relatively short period of time and a narrowly defined objective. A strong media strategy has a concrete, achievable objective for delivering a carefully crafted message to one or more well-defined target audiences. That objective is the basis for a media plan that details exactly how the campaign will reach the target audience, including the following:

Messaging – specific themes and elements that will be used to tailor the overall message to particular target audience and to ensure continuity across audience, media platforms, and individual messages

Platforms – The types of media and specific outlets that will be used to deliver the message

Timeline – when and in what order the various message will be delivered

Resources – What creative, financial or other resources will be required to deliver the message

Your Branding Strategy

Sometimes starting a project like this - building your own brand, can be quite daunting. We may have all these questions in mind :

How do I start?  Where do I begin?  What’s my view on ….? What do I want to talk about?  What do I start with?  etc etc

Let’s watch a video that might help you get started. Remember there are many YouTube videos out there that can help you if you find this video not quite to your taste. Happy exploring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3kYFgevVL0

Developing My Media Strategy

In developing your media strategy, there are several elements you should pay attention to. Let’s look at them.

1. Objective: Introduce the objective in the context of the organization’s wider values and goals. If this is a personal brand, how does this campaign fit with your core values and wider goals. The objectives themselves should include both the high-level purpose of the strategy – To build the foundation for a career change by raising my profile in the field in which I am interested. The specific objectives of the current campaign – to identify and connect meaningfully with five leaders in the field. State simple and clearly all objectives. Use the SMART criteria

2. Audience: Although there may be a multiple target audiences, a media strategy for a single campaign really should focus on just one or two targets. Define the people within those targets as closely as possible. Include information about:

   • Who they are
   • What their current relationship to your brand or organization is
   • What they already know about you or your organization
   • What they want or need to know about your organization (including what you want them to know)
   • What you need them to DO in response to your message. 

3. Message: After defining objectives and identifying audience, you will need to consider the messages you will use. List both messages which should emerge from the particular objectives of the campaign and the larger goals and values of the organization (or your own goals and values if this is for your personal brand). For example, a public health organization working on a public information campaign about the need for flu shots may target both parents to encourage them to have their children immunized and employers to encourage them to offer flu shots to their employees at work. The larger message of the campaign is, “Help those important to you get a flu shot”. Messages directed to each of those two audience will be different as they will be tailored to each group’s particular concerns and interests.

4. Platforms and tools: You will match audience and messages to particular outlets, Which platform or channels you choose depends on several factors: your audience’s preferred channels for getting the kind of information you want to deliver, the appropriateness of a platform for your message and your budget and timeline.

5. Workplan: Describe in detail your plan for making it all happen. Specify budgets and timelines and allocate responsibilities for each activities. Your work plan should establish milestones – check points that will help you make sure everything is on track by identifying intermediate goals and times to accomplish them - and allocate resources required to accomplish each step. Be sure to allow sufficient time in your plan to complete and evaluate each step.

6. Evaluation: This is where you will state exactly how you will define success. What data will tell you the strategy that working? How will you know you need to adjust your approach? The evaluation measures should emerge from the objectives you defined earlier in the strategy document. They should be objectively measureable and based on identifiable achievements. “Employers’ attitude about flue shots will change is not an evaluation measure because it is quantifiable. However, if the organization has the resources to give “ before and after “ survey to a sample of employers in the target audience, it can be quantifiable. “Twenty employers will contact us to arrange mobile flu-shots events” is a good, concrete evaluation measure.

Ideas for Your Media Strategy

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Do you know who she is? No?

What if her stage name is used – Lady Gaga. Now, do you know who she is? 

Lady Gaga herself is an example of a brand. There have been many works written about her amazing skill to brand herself. If you do an Internet search on “Lady Gaga branding”, a long list of articles would appear. 

Let’s watch this video of Lady Gaga’s advise on personal branding. Pay attention to the tips given by Lady Gaga.  They will be useful to help you develop your media strategy. Think about the elements in the media strategy and how the tips can guide you to plan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FjwsPTRLhs

Lesson 10: Digital Branding Tools 1

Introduction

According to a recent poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), more than half of professionals in human resources who participated in their survey use social networking websites to look for job candidates (SHRM, 2011). You might think that companies receive many resumes and use resume websites, which they do, but they also find networking, branding, and profiling sites useful as well. Some of the reasons employers cited included: finding professionals who would not otherwise apply, increasing the employer’s name recognition, and targeting people who were starting their careers (SHRM, 2011).

If you are a potential employee starting out in a profession, consider that more than half of major employers are looking for you on professional and social networking websites! Consider what you can do to make your profile professional, attractive, and effective. Also consider that social and professional networks are digital branding tools. So, think of your participation in these sites as part of your overall personal branding effort.

In this Module, you will review digital branding tools and the opportunities and dangers in using these online resources.

Digital Branding Tools

Over the last 2 decades , digital marketing is a fast emerging branch of advertising with the development of digital media and technology. As such there is no surprise that branding concepts have been extended to digital media and tools. Today digital branding is widely applied through interactions with consumers on their digital devices. Therefore, businesses should carefully consider strategies and tools to reach out to their targeted audience,

In this lesson we will explore online branding tools which can be used to develop and promote your personal brand. Consider what tools and which tools are appropriate for the brand you want to create and project. We will examine challenges and concerns in creating a website to promote a/your brand.

Types of Social Media

Find out the different social media platforms. Remember that there will be new one popping up every now and then. Do be on the alert and check out new platforms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63bT310aNvk

Jin Lim aka Jinnyboy - Malaysian Youtuber

Jin Lim or more well-known as Jinnyboy is a familiar name and face in the Malaysian Youtube arena. He has made his name slowly but surely. At one time, Jinnyboy was a radio announcer. So, how did he come to have a Youtune channel. https://vulcanpost.com/398201/5-inspiring-lessons-youtube-sensation-jinnyboytv/

Here are some of Jinnyboy’s Youtube videos. Think about what Jinnyboy uses the Youtube channel for. Consider the larger goals and the supporting goals - how do the goals complement each other? \

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij-G2Fb3ZvU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1REoCas4a7M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRISJkTmAtA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuRhT2TqEUE

Choosing the Right Digital Branding Tools

Choosing the right digital branding tools today could be one of the most deciding factor whether a business small or big makes it. Without a doubt, the social media is a significant tool in modern marketing. Likewise when you are choosing a digital branding tool to promote your personal brand, you should have some ideas on your principles or core values. From there you will then be able to choose and plan on the personal branding path by choosing the appropriate branding tools. A branding tool’s features, how it works and the target audience or crowd that is engaged with the output are a few of the factors that determine if a branding tool is suitable for your personal branding plan. In other words, using the right branding tools may put a person in right path to success.

As you have seen, Jinnyboy has come a long way from when he started. Jinnyboy does not only use Youtube as his digital branding tool. In fact, he has a few that he uses for different purposes. Yet all the different tools and purposes help him to achieve him to deliver his brand.

Lesson 11: Digital Branding Tools 2

Introduction

In Module 7 Lesson 10, we discussed about using the appropriate digital branding tools to brand oneself. As you are building your brand, it is important for you to understand how the different digital branding tools work and how the audience can engaged with the content. Only then it is easier for you to decide on which branding tool(s) to use. Using the suitable (digital) branding tool(s) today, may get you to be noticed by the right industry or employer or customers for your brand.

For this lesson, we will discuss about the ethical integrity of online branding. In other words, what are the boundaries when you are branding yourself. Let’s find out in this lesson.

Choosing and Managing Your Profile Website

The tools people use to present themselves and their achievements are websites that specialize in professional profiles. When you start your career, you may not have many achievements or degrees or other kinds of recognition. However, you can begin identifying colleagues in your industry to link to your network. As you build your network, you will learn about trends in your industry, including job opportunities, companies in the news, and leaders whom you can follow.  

You can begin creating your professional profile and how to begin building your network of professionals in your field.

Recognize that there are different types of profile-type websites that serve different purposes. Those aimed primarily at social and recreational connections are appropriate for connecting with friends and family, while professional sites are aimed at making business connections. Carefully manage your profiles on these sites so that your professional profile projects a consistently appropriate tone for the workplace. On social profile websites, be sure that your privacy settings allow you to protect your personal information, as well as the identities and personal information for your friends and family members.

Personal Digital Branding and Ethics

Imagine that you log on to a digital branding site that you have recently joined. You are just starting out in your profession and you would like to increase the number of colleagues with whom you are linked. You are also concerned that you do not have a lot of accomplishments to include on your profile, so you are interested in seeing how some of your colleagues have managed this.

As you review the website, you notice the profile of an acquaintance. As you review his profile, you find information that you believe exaggerates his accomplishments. More surprising, you see that he claims to have earned a degree that you know he is still working toward. You feel that this person has been dishonest and you decide against sending an invitation to link to this person’s profile.

While each person wants to present him or herself in the best possible way, making false claims can have the opposite impact. If a person is offered a job based on these claims, and the truth is discovered, it could be grounds for disqualification or dismissal.

As you build your personal and professional profile, you will want to protect your integrity by presenting yourself honestly and accurately. Consider strategies you can use in order to maintain your personal integrity in this digital environment.

The Value of Personal Branding

~ Your self-brand is integral to your career and your life – and it influences your long-term career strategy and development. ~

Blaise James, Gallup Global Brand Strategist; Former Strategic Planning Director at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

The Four Steps to Building Your Personal Brand

Step 1: Think of yourself as an “embedded entrepreneur.”

• Embedded entrepreneurs have a different mindset; they come up with new solutions to company problems and new ideas to fuel future growth. They understand what makes them unique and use that insight to navigate a profitable and fulfilling path within their company and over the course of their career.

Step 2: Develop an understanding of your talents and strengths – and those of your current or potential boss.

• Find what you’re naturally good at so you can develop your strengths regardless of what field or position you’re in. Then develop an understanding of your “consumer’s” talents and strengths – those of your current boss or the hiring managers within your industry, for example.

Step 3: Determine the positive aspects of the environment you and your consumer share.

• For example, an organization’s environment could be a can-do attitude, a specific expertise, or a relentless pursuit of creativity. Understanding your talents, your consumer’s talents, and your shared environment is crucial to building your brand, because your talents must mesh with and make sense within your environment if you are to be effective.

Step 4: Articulate your Purpose, Point of View, and Principles (the “Three Ps”)

• They are guides to how you will deliver your brand using the appropriate tactics.

Lesson 12: Executing A Media Strategy

Introduction

Traditionally, companies that sell directly to other companies considered advertising a poor investment. These are firms that produce the raw materials, parts, or ingredients used in another company’s finished goods. One such company, however, does advertise (BASF—Brandweb, 2013). About 150 years ago, Friedrich Engelhorn recognized the opportunity for processing coal tar to produce bright and stable pigments that could be used to dye fabric. The company he founded, BASF, is now the largest chemical company in the world (BASF, 2013).

Though BASF does not need to reach consumers with its advertising, with its media strategy, it maintains a highly visible branding and marketing program. Its logo is designed to be effective throughout the world. One of its marketing campaigns featured a tag line, “We don’t make the products you use, we make the products you use better.” A more recent line is, “We create chemistry for a sustainable future.” These phrases do not try to sell a particular product but promote the image of a leading chemical company committed to quality and integrity (BASF—Brandweb, 2013).

BASF has several reasons for pursing its media strategy to support its brand. It raises the company’s profile with investors who may purchase its stock and it enhances the company’s image with its business customers. A more subtle reason is due to the nature of the company’s business. As a chemical manufacturer, it seeks to reassure the general public, government regulators, and other possible critics that its business practices are safe and beneficial (BASF—Brandweb, 2013).

Consider how BASF has developed its brand and then crafted a media strategy to promote the brand. Through the execution of its media strategy, BASF coordinates all of its branding efforts, which reinforces and amplifies the power of its message.

Consider how you would execute a media strategy that you have developed to support a brand. Whether the brand is a major corporation, a small enterprise, or an individual, executing the media strategy effectively is fundamental to the success of the brand.

In this Module, you will consider how to manage and promote your personal brand. You will think about how to present your professional profile and consider the requirements for maintaining your professional reputation. And you will consider how to tell your story in a concise and compelling format.

Note that in this Module, you will need to use a video recording device to produce a video of your story. Be sure to have this device accessible and make certain you know how to use it so that you can complete your Assignment on time.

Executing a Media Strategy

We have discussed what a media strategy is from a previous lesson. Basically media strategy is a plan to source and select optimal media platforms to promote a brand or product to use. It is a plan of action that strives to help entrepreneurs and businesses reach their target audience. With the advancement of technology, media strategy involves a media mix which is a combination of communication channels that a person or a business can use. This also includes conducting a situation analysis, defining clear goals, planning actions, and deciding how to monitor the process and outcomes of the media strategy.

Research: Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel made his mark as a personal branding guru not long after he graduated from college. How did he do that ….. Conduct a simple research activity online.

Do a search on Dan Schawbel. Find out:

1. Who he is? What he does?
2. What is his personal brand? What message(s) is he trying to deliver? Who are his audience?
3. What digital branding tools are he using? What do you think his purpose of using the tools are? Are they successful?
4. What do you think of Dan Schawbel?

Keep notes on your research.

Creating Me 2.0: Dan Schawbel’s Journey

You have done the research on Dan Schawbel. Now, read his story. What can you learn from Dan Schawbel?

Have you hear of a book entitled, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success? It is a book written by Dan Schawbel just three years after he graduated from college. Dan Schawbel is recognized as a ‘personal branding guru’ by The New York Times, is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm and is a world renowned career and workplace expert.  Schawbel built his own personal brand from the same tools everyone must use: a clear vision of his goal, an honest assessment of his strengths and weaknesses, and a willingness to do the work to create a path to realize his vision for himself.

While he was still in college, Schawbel started his branding journey by acquiring a set of experiences that would bring him closer to his goal—a career in marketing. He selected classes that would both build his skill sets and broaden his understanding of the world of marketing. He joined student organizations that helped him build his network and gain experience, and sought out internships to acquire experience and learn about not only marketing but also a range of related functions, such as public relations. He decided on a personal goal and worked towards it.

Next he decided that this goal for his first job was with product marketing for a large corporation. During this senior year in college, he began to develop his branding package. That package included a carefully tailored resume designed to highlight his strengths and the skills he had developed; a cover letter that connected his personal story to the employer’s needs; a list of references who could testify to his strengths and skills; and a portfolio gleaned from classes, internships, and personal projects. Schawbels’s target audience— a list of forty Boston-area companies whose profiles suggested they would have positions to match his strengths, with a particular company as the primary target.

With his carefully planned personal branding effort, it was not surprising that Schawbel was invited to several interviews and eventually won a job at his company of choice. What differentiated him, he sensed, was his portfolio and the story his materials told. “As I went to a series of interviews, I noticed that hiring managers paid special attention to three items: the personal story that I told, my CD portfolio, and my enthusiasm,” he says in Me 2.0.

At the same time Schawbel was launching his career, he was also broadening his brand platform. In 2006, he launched a blog to share his experiences in seeking a job and offer advice to others engaged in the process. That first blog was not a success. Schawbel had not yet built an audience for his brand, so he had few readers. With no audience, he lost motivation to maintain the blog and it simply disappeared. In 2007, he discovered Tom Peters’s 1997 article on personal branding, “The Brand Called You.” From that short piece, he developed a new framework for his brand and a new approach to building his profile as an expert in the field of personal branding. He launched a new blog, this time accompanied by a fully developed online networking effort that included commenting on others’ blogs and making contact with leaders in the field via social networking and e-mail. As he built his network, he also began attending events and making contacts in person. Each encounter added to his network and increased the recognizability of his brand. He is also a sought-after speaker and author who has written on these topics in Forbes, Wired, and other outlets.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea to start a media strategy for your own personal brand now?

Managing Your Reputation

Part of growing up is making mistakes. Although it is normal for a person to make mistakes, it matters with what you do with the mistakes. In fact, mistakes are essential in helping you learn (Tugend, 2011). A toddler falls many times before mastering the balance and control needed to walk. Each fall is part of the learning process as the child figures out which actions are unproductive and which lead to success.

You continue to make mistakes and learn from them throughout your life, though as we get older, some mistakes can be much harder to recover from than a toddler’s fall. For mistakes that can harm a person’s career, there are companies and consultants that attempt to rehabilitate the person’s reputation. The best strategy is to manage your online reputation carefully by being mindful of what you do and say online. 

Consider that we all make mistakes and that we can often learn from them. Think about how you can manage mistakes and correct any that could affect your reputation, particularly in the online environment.

Reputation Management

Your media strategy should include reputation management. This is a practice of monitoring and shaping the information others find about you. At the age of the Internet, we are all to some extent public figures in need of reputation management. Reputation Management include tracking how you appear in search engine results and on websites. You can take steps to managing your reputation by occasionally enter your own name in a search engine to see what other see when they look for you. If the results of that search do not reflect the values of your brand, take actions.

1. If your search results offer lots of posts that reflect an older version of your brand, perhaps one that you are not so proud of today, you can change that.  Post lots of new, fresh content – blog posts, comments, and social media updates – reflective of your brand values will push those older entries to the bottom of the search page and eventually they will drop off altogether.

2. If information you find is inaccurate, ask the sites carrying it to take it down. Most social media sites have policies to remove inaccurate information. All you need to do is file a complaint and provide evidence that the information is inaccurate and damaging. What is important is that you are aware of the available information about you and that you act to make sure that the story presented about you matches your values and your brand

 

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