BECOMING A GLOBAL BRAND

By Fela Durotoye    

It was the dawn of a wonderful Wednesday morning @ 10:30am on the 6th of June, Thriving Business Women Fellowship (TBWF) organized its 2012 BUSINESS SUMMIT tagged “INFORMATION…FOR TRANSFORAMTION” which graced the presence of Fela Durotoye, the Chief Executive Officer of the GEMSTONE Group (a leadership development institution dedicated to building exemplary leaders of excellence for all spheres of national transformation) and Founder of the GEMSTONE Leadership Institute (a leadership training and development Center for Leadership Excellence and Effective Governance (for educating, equipping and empowering Nigeria’s Brightest and Best leaders preparing them for elected office & policy making positions in government) as the first Speaker who spoke on “Becoming a Global Brand”.

He began his presentation by listing top ten successful brands in the world with Coca-Cola leading with $71 billion values. He stressed that “Nigeria is potentially great but living below its potential. Potential has no benefit until it is realized. Our generational challenge is how we can leave a better future for the next generation. Every assignment is tied to your divine location.” He posed some crucial points to the attentive audience on how they can depict whether they are really living or merely existing through the VACUUM ANALYSIS that goes thus: “What will Nigeria miss or loss when you’re gone? When the record of the New Nigeria is written, will your name be there, and with which ink? Your name can either be written with invisible or indelible ink. Those who act now to make the new Nigeria a reality will have their names written with indelible ink while does who don’t, will have theirs written with invisible ink. Your decision (or indecision) and action (or inaction) to the new Nigeria’s dream will either be written with indelible or invisible ink. Which ink will your name be written with when the new Nigeria becomes a reality?”  

Fela Durotoye defines a BRAND as an Identity. Brand commands values than numbers. Brand is sought-after while non-brand pursue. When you’re not a brand, you pursue everybody and try to do everything. You need to discover that one thing that you’re born to do and develop a brand with that. Ask yourself “What is my one thing? You can’t do everything because you’re not born to do everything! That’s why I love Paul of Tarsus he focused all his strengths and energies on just one thing. Little wonder he said “This one thing I do”. Buildings of successful brands boost economies of nations and make them successful. Every brand must have a unique identity. Position doesn’t guarantees prominence but unique identity does. Brand has Association. You can connect brand to something. You must be associated with something. Your name must be associated with something.

Examples of BRANDS

SERENA WILLIAMS-TENNIS

TIGER WOODS-GOLF

OPRAH WINFREY- TALK SHOW

WARREN BUFFET- INVESTMENT

STEVE JOBS- APPLE COMPUTER

DAVID BECKHAM- FOOTBALL

He asked the audience again “what must I mention for your name to appear?

Your purpose is determined by God, to be discovered by you!

KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL BRAND

-Unique identity: Every brand must have a unique identity.

-Association: Every brand has association or attached to something.

-Clear message: The problem with most companies is that they have the best products but their brand is their disaster. Write a message around yourself. E.g. MTN-Everywhere you go

GLO-Rule your world

ETISALAT-Now you’re talking.

-CHARACTER TRAITS: Brands have certain character traits. You need features which make your brand so special. What is one distinguishing thing about your life that points you to what you like doing? What is that distinguishing thing that people see in you that is an icon? Many times your name transcends your tenure. Every brand has character and it is their character that determines their reputation. Each word that describes you in a good way is a value adding word.

-CONSISTENCY: You must have consistency. It is your consistency that makes you reliable. You have to come to a point when people are not surprised about you because of your consistency. Your identity must be consistent.

-PREDICTABLE EXCELLENCE: The capacity to see what others have not yet seen.

-POWER OF INNOVATION: Innovation is what makes a brand to be appealing. To be an innovative person you need to discover four things:

1. What does not exist.

2. What is not being done well.

3. What is not being done cheap enough.

4. What is not being done conveniently.

Note: Leverage on what makes you to be most appealing.

SEVEN WAYS OF BECOMING A GLOBAL BRAND

1. Be different.

2. Do things differently.

3. Be consistent (Stay in one thing and continue to upgrade yourself).

 4. Have a clear message (You don’t have a message until the day people can predict your message).

5. Be the Best.

6. Be the “Go to” Person.

7. Be visible.

He rapped up everything with the quote below:

“Watch your thoughts because it becomes ideas, your ideas because it becomes actions, your actions because it becomes habits, your habits because it becomes character and your character because it becomes your destiny.”

WRITTEN BY:

JAMES ASU.

JAMES is a Purpose Discovery Coach(PDC),Television Personality. He is a speaker and writer who focus on human capacity development, purpose discovery, development and  delivery.He is also the founder of Global Changers’ Forum (GCF): an annual gathering of first-class  individuals, intellectuals and professionals who are poised and passionate to live first-class lives through the discovery and delivery of their untapped potential, unstoppable passions and unlimited purposes in their nations and across the world.

James is the principal consultant of School of Purpose Discovery International (SOPDI): a centre of learning for purposeful living.

He is available for invitation to speak, facilitate or teach in Seminars, School summits,Campus Fellowship,Conferences, Youth programs and empowerment events or trainings.

Contact him on:+234(0)8169653332or infojames4impact@yahoo.com.