Generation Brand ME

If you can't beat 'em...join 'em.  That's my new motto. 

"I must be getting old, because I don't understand these kids today. The world today."  I've found myself recently using this famous line I've heard my parents and grandparents proclaim too many times to count. 

What I'm realizing, however is that I don't have to understand much of anything (although in all honesty I make every attempt to try).  What I've learned to do is join in. Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn and the list goes on and on.  Embracing the future regardless of the generation I belong to.

I started my career in technology.  Technology was the key.  I came out of college in the 90's when everything was booming.  Getting a job required picking which job you wanted not fearing unemployment after 4 years of investment and dedication.  My official degree was Scientific Technical Writing with an emphasis in Environmental Science.  At the time of graduation few knew what to do with a scientific tech writer.  At one point I served coffee to my boss and filed paperwork, but my title was a technical writer.  I want to thank that boss for allowing me to pour his coffee because it made me want to explore other avenues.

I dabbled in programming, marketing and sales.  Technology was fresh and raw when I got into it and was moving fast.  I wasn't sure I could keep up.  No, I didn't want to keep up.  Janus, IBM, Motorola the brands I was working with were big but I was small.  They had a brand identity but what was mine?

Brand Identity was the hot topic when I worked in advertising and still is.  The branding strategies and titles change, but the consistent theme is you can take a product to market but if you don't have an identity to create a loyal customer following it's going to be short lived.  I live with a marketer. My husband identifies trends in the flavor and fragrance world.  The consensus we've come to is that with the advent of technology a brand that wasn't possible before without huge media budgets and large marketing departments is now feasible with an idea, a computer and one person. 

We call it Generation Brand ME.  I look around at the generation that's becoming and I see a lot of self- promotion.  Websites, blogs, app developers, athletes and this list goes on and on.  I read about a 14-year- old girl yesterday who started her own company due to her parents encouragement because she wanted to buy a car.  Now she's running a corporation.  Technology is allowing the individual with the idea to become a brand.  Scary, but brilliant.

When I decided to start Lapis&Moss online my girls were immediately intrigued.  They love technology, art and writing so it seemed like a good introduction to the world of business and branding.  While a kid needs to be a kid, there's also nothing wrong with using fun techniques to introduce concepts that are going to help them to identify and grow there personal brand down the long road. 

We decided to start with a basic branding concept: the business card.  It's your calling card, your signature.  It's such a basic tool, but if done well it can draw people in and tell them who you are and where to find you.  I had just created mine and they wanted in on the action. 

At first I told them to just use what I had designed.  They immediately protested telling me that my picture and fonts and didn't represent who they were.  Really got me thinking, maybe these kids are smarter than I'm giving them credit for.  They haven't been tainted by a world that revokes individuality and they want to embrace the Brand ME.  So I said, "Go for it."  The images were designed and created by them, however as a team we decided that the fonts would stay the same, as consistency can be a really good thing when developing an overall brand. 

Cate's design. Her card reads:
Cate Banks
Fashionista, Photographer and Future Broadway Star
Co-Founder of Lapis&Moss
www.lapisandmoss.blogspot.com

Ava's Design. Her card reads:
Ava Banks
Doodler, Dreamer and Future Animator
Co-Founder of Lapis&Moss
www.lapisandmoss.blogspot.com

I was impressed with what they came up with.  Their images and words certainly represent their personal brand, but they were consistent with the overall theme. 

Generation Brand ME can be a positive.  Individuality is a good thing as long as it is accompanied by accountability and responsibility.  We can teach our youth and ourselves how to self-promote.  Always remember, however, to throw in some humility and compassion.  That's the key to a great brand.