business | Traci Toguchi

TV has been like a family member for what seems like eons. The Internet will no doubt replace this medium. Is it sooner than we think… or not?

As we ponder this and let the technological destiny take its course, here are some recent TV related article topics:

1. The average American is watching more than 151 hours of TV a month according to Nielsen studies (source: James Hibbert from The Hollywood Reporter)

2. LCDs are outselling plasma TVs 8-1 globally in 2009 (source: Jose Fermoso from The New York Times)

3. Regardless of what people say, Slumdog Millionaire’s multiple Academy Awards and box office success exposes a greater awareness about the reality of what still exists in India’s slums (sources: MSNBC , Time)

4. Skits Conan O’Brien should take from his Late Night show to The Tonight Show include “In the Year 2000,” “Fake Celebrity Interviews,” and “Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog” (source: Eric Ditzian from MTV News)

5. With the Screen Actors Guild’s (SAG) recent rejection of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ (AMPTP) final offer, we could see an increase in the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ (AFTRA) clout in the TV industry with 50 out of the more than 70 broadcast pilots going under its jurisdiction (source: Nellie Andreeva from Reuters UK)

In marketing, brands are created to help companies stand out from the others while communicating to customers what they’re about.

I constantly see similarities of running a business and running our lives. It was nice to see this article about branding ourselves, which explains how to do so.

Here’s to discovering your strengths!

Making yourself a marketable brand

Story Highlights
- Like consumer products, you have a brand as well — your reputation
- Get to know who you are and what you want from your professional life
- At the end of each week, document your accomplishments

By Rachel Zupek
From www.careerbuilder.com

Question: What do Coke, Reebok and Target all have in common with you? Answer: You are all brands.

Confused? Think about your favorite brand of tennis shoes. More than likely, you’ve developed a relationship with this shoe: You rely on it, it’s never let you down, and you trust it to get you from point A to point B.

Like consumer products, you have a brand as well — your reputation. Whether you know it or not, as a working professional, your rapport is your most vital asset, no matter what your career goals are.

William Arruda, founder of Reach Communications, a global personal branding organization, and co-author of “Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand” (2007) sums up the basics of personal branding in the following question and answer.

Q: What is personal branding?

A: Personal branding is using what makes you unique and valuable to stand out from your peers and attract the attention of people who need to know about you.

Q: Why is it important to have a personal brand?

A: Because there are numerous others who want to achieve the same goals as you – numerous others with the same job title. What would make an employer choose you over someone else? What would help you get the promotion you seek? Personal branding enables you to uncover what is authentic to you, differentiating from your peers and relevant and compelling to hiring managers and executive recruiters. Professionals with strong brands are in control of their careers. They are hunted to fill vacancies rather than job hunters. They command greater compensation and have more job offers. If you aren’t a brand, you are a commodity – meaning what you do and how you do it is not unique; it is available from many others.

Q: Are there different types of brands?

A: There are as many brands as there are people. Often, it is your unique combination of personality characteristics, your strengths and your passions which makes you successful.

Q: How you can tell what type of brand you are?

A: You need to do a lot of introspective work to determine your values, passions, goals, motivated skills and strengths. You also need to get input from those around you. Although your brand is based in authenticity (who you genuinely are), what others think counts. Your brand is held in the hearts and minds of those around you.

Please visit www.TraciToguchi.com for previous blogs from Traci.