"A Brand Called You..."

Over a decade ago Fast Company published a seminal article, A Brand Called You. In it they talked about the importance of personal-branding: "We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."

Think about your personal-brand in the same way that a marketeer at P&G thinks about a brand, it advised, "When you look at your brand's assets, what can you add to boost your power and felt presence? Would you be better off with a simple line extension -- taking on a project that adds incrementally to your existing base of skills and accomplishments? Is it time to move overseas for a couple of years, venturing outside your comfort zone, tackling something new and completely different?"

I have often talked to juniors trying to start out in the advertising industry about really understanding their "brand" and what makes them different and interesting compared to other graduates, Fast Company say:"Start by writing your own mission statement, to guide you as CEO of Me Inc. What turns you on? Learning something new? Gaining recognition for your skills as a technical wizard? Shepherding new ideas from concept to market? What's your personal definition of success? Money? Power? Fame? Or doing what you love?" Sometimes it goes quite OTT and more than a little cheesy, but it was actually smart stuff and well ahead of its time.

It got me thinking. I have never sat down to write a marketing strategy for "Me Inc", but I am conscious that your reputation matters and I guess that my "brand" (i.e. me) is fairly active in multiple spaces and places both on and offline

So if it's all about a "brand called You," I have a question about job titles.

At the moment mine is Head of Digital Strategy but it doesn't really reflect what I do. While I do do "digital" planning, I also do "planning" planning. I'm the brand planner on London 2012, on the School Food Trust and lots of other bits of new business. 

I feel a bit like Sean Coombs, Puff Daddy, Puffy, P Diddy, Diddy and Prince, Symbol in asking this, but its an honest question:

Should I bother change my job title?

Does it even matter what people are called in this day and age?

What about, Head of (digital) Strategy?

Head of Strategy?

I wanted to ask people who I respect and whose work takes them offline as well as online but I would probably classify them as digital-experts: People like, Faris, Russell, Neil, David Armano, Gareth Kay, Stephen, Simon, David, Neville...

But to be honest, to any of you reading this I am genuinely interested in your opinion!

Comments

[Stephen Davies]

I'll keep it short but personally I think you should change your job title to reflect what you actually do.

I would argue that by having a job title that doesn't reflect what you do can negatively affect your personal brand.

[gemma]

When I joined my current agency they decided my job title should be simply 'Planner'. None of this senior/junior/head of malarky either. Since my remit covers Creative, Strategic, Account, Brand and occasionally even Comms Planning it seems to make sense.

A bonus is that when clients ask me to explain what I do I can explain how I'm actually going to help them instead.

[Will]

I wanted to get 'stratovator' or 'twategist' on my business card. :)

In all seriousness, I like what Gemma said - i'm a planner. I plan. I'm not a big fan of digital job titles. Strategy's about more than a channel.

[amelia]

Gemma and Will, agree with you both. Planner is by far the easiest and actually most correct title, its the one that i tend to use in meetings etc. But I have found that there are times with clients that they want to know the seniority of the people that they are dealing with and that sometimes titles can help. Not right necessarily but that has been my experience.

[Dan Schawbel]

It's not about changing your job title (which isn't your brand). It's about owning a word or phrase in the mind of others. What do you stand for? How do you want to position yourself, so that you are 1 of 1 and not 1 of many?

[niko]

I feel that your title should reflect the things u wanna achieve. Bit like the saatchi's wanting their stationary to look like the stationary of a bank, they aspired to get to that level of succes and power etc..

from a work p.o.v. I quite like the title of executive producer. covers the lot, from idea to teambuilding to selling to getting stuff done to paying and collecting money.

but now even though I am a marketing manager, I just say I do marketing.

as for u Amelia: just have your name on your card, f#ck the title. the bucks stops with you anyways, so why bother with namechecking?

[Dan]

Amelia Torode is the brand. Your title is the category. What business are you in? (Open canned speech referencing Charles Revson and 'hope'.)

For me, the answer to that question should not only reflect the job you do for clients but the leadership you provide within the agency. Others depend on you for guidance. Putting a name to that leadership might be helpful to others in your company.

I can definitely sympathise, having been the only account planner in a PR shop, the only connections planner in a creative agency, and improbably, a group director of cognitive and cultural studies at another. It sounds like you're making the right move to reconcile your role with what people expect of you.

Head of Brand Interaction?

[graeme]

Agree with Will about avoiding 'digital' in a job title - that suggests that digital is seen as a silo, or even worse a media channel. Also, as there was never such a thing as an analogue strategist, 'digital strategist' still seems to be positioning you by reference to what you are not.

[Stan Lee]

First things first - Don't ask Faris. He went from being a Digital Ninja to some overly complicated American style VP mumbo jumble title.

I agree with all the previous commenters about avoiding a digital title. I also disagree, as it's too soon. We know that digital is just another channel but so many clients still see it as a specialist skill.

So how 'bout a made up job title versus a real one?

Again I like Faris' digital ninja, but I suspect you couldn't have a title like that at McCanns or JWT. Those titles only work at hot shops and cool agencies.

I am an associate creative director / head of copy where I work. BUT I feel that means in the eyes of clients I am less important than the CD or that I only write copy. So I don't have a title on my biz card or email signature.

Finally in the blurb for my Marketing Magazine column I am referred to as a Creative Catalyst. This is because I work with creative and planning. Which although true is just fabricated nonsense.

Hope all that is helpful Amelia. Although somehow I suspect it won't be! Best...Stan

[sean]

Why not ask the people who work with you most often (co-workers, clients) how they view brand you? I had a thought a while back about applying the brand tag concept to personal branding:

http://hernaturehisnurture.com/2008/07/11/personal-brand-tags

Perhaps this could provide some direction on your title. Good luck!

[Brent]

If your gut tells you there is something wrong with your title, its probably right.
My opinion - "Digital" is not important. "Strategy" probably is.
"Amelia" is probably most important.

[Dave]

Good post. Coincidentally, last month I found a second-hand book with the dubious title "Managing Brand Me", and bought it instantly.

Turns out it's mostly conventional self-help fare (defining your goals in life) but done in no-nonsense speak that might suit a planner well. There are even some neat diagrams!

P.S. Junior Ad Ninja suits me way better than Account Executive...

[Dylan]

In the same way that my vernacular changes so that my audience can better understand me (I don't speak the same way to my clients as I do to my grandma or my friends), I like to think that my title changes, depending on who I'm talking to. I'm a strategist at my interactive agency (and on my business card), a digital strategist to my clients, a planner to colleagues at more traditional ad agencies, and 'in advertising' to my friends. A title, at my reasonably junior level, is not a means of letting people know how senior I am, but is instead a way of conveying in one or two words, what I do, and I find different people need different answers to best understand this...

Just a thought, although I'm not sure that this really answers your question. Either way, one's own brand is clearly more defined by what you say, write and do than any title on a business card. Any preconceptions formed by what is on a business card should be overcome by what we deliver right...

[Holycow]

Amelia hi - very thought provoking question and one that is hard to answer without knowing the specifics of VCCP's hierarchy (assuming you are still there?).

I would suggest that Head of Strategy or Strategy Director because anyone in the industry will be able to work out that you do planning - that is a given - but you are more senior and likely to be influencing the shape of the agency aswell. I have been Strategy Director and head of Strategy - seems to work for me ;-)

Hope this helps - but it probably doesn't...

[neilperkin]

Yep, good question Amelia. Personally I think that in the world of 'T-shaped' people and blurring between functions, job titles matter less and less. Having said that it still means something to some out there. So if I had to go one way I'd probably agree with Mark on this. Hope that helps :)

[russell]

I think you should stop thinking about your personal brand immediately. That way madness/talking bollocks lies.

Is there someone a new title might be helpful too? Clients? Colleagues? You? If a new, clearer title might help them out then you should think about it.

But if it's not going to help anyone out that much I wouldn't worry about it and I'd just make up one that might amuse people for a second and/or make you feel cool. I often go for Darth Strategist.

But mostly I think too much worrying about your title is like worrying about whether some brand's image attribute is going to be 'empowering' or 'enabling'. It feels important at the time. But turns out not to be.

[gareth wong]

Title is limiting (some may argue)

It might mean more for initial contact/meet, as its people's customs to 'try' to put people into box/boxes.

The Audience would influence greatly what you correct title would be. (In Asian culture, people would prefer to deal with the senior most director)

The ultimate level would be when you just say "I am Amelia", and they would say, "oh, THE Amelia"??..

That might not mean they would hire you or your agency though.. ;-)

[Rob Mortimer]

Problem with not saying digital is that most people will then assume you do 99% tv and press!

But then again specifying digital does feel fixed.

Head of Strategy (mostly digital but not entirely thank you very much)?

I think I am more a Human Hurricane...

[George]

I think for me as much as a title will describe (or Confuse) to a others a snapshot of what you do, an element of mystery is something that is not a bad thing. If everyone's job titles explained exactly what they did, we would never have those thoroughly enjoyable conversations "So, What do you do again!"