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The company you keep.

Smoking was something the coolest kids did.

They possessed a certain swagger and bravado that made everyone else notice them. These cool kids gave permission to the other kids to do the same. We thought that the smokers were cool because they smoked. In the book Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell debunks this myth by making us aware through a series of tests that they smoked because they were cool. It was their innate swagger and confidence that caused them to explore new things like smoking before other kids did.

The evolution of cool.

Today, these cool kids still exist. Smoking has been replaced by more tangible, thrilling and magnetic behaviours. These lead to success and acclaim. We think of giants of our time like Michael Jordan, Adele, Elon Musk and Leonardo Di Caprio who have harnessed their abilities and combined them with hard work. They have come to symbolize fortitude, drive, self-belief, discipline, flexibility, positivity, bravery, generosity, curiosity and excellence.  Some, who have died, carry even more kudos because their qualities are sealed and cannot be tarnished by time. The likes of Ayrton Senna, Alexander McQueen and Martin Luther King will always symbolize an insatiable desire to win, breaking the boundaries of convention and equality, respectively. Like the smokers, they give the rest of us permission. The permission to dream, to hope, to drive ourselves forward and make sense of our own lives.

Has a powerful brand dramatically transformed you?

Brands have long since recognized the power of aligning with the giants in order to deliver their messages to us in a language we can recognize, namely our heroes. I remember being an awkward pimpled teenager with no game. I watched the movie Cool As Ice, who had the coolest guy of his time in it. Vanilla Ice. He wore a pair of black top sneakers by Fila and all I wanted was those shoes. I believed they would transform me. I managed to get mom to buy them and they did transform me.  Suddenly, I felt I could channel Vanilla Ice’s cool. It came out in the way I talked and carried myself. Others began to believe it too, and my popularity started to rise as I came into my own. We all have such stories. Whether it’s golf clubs that Rory McIlroy uses or the perfume that Jared Leto endorses, there are numerous products that allow us to believe that we can channel the ability and cool of those that are associated with them.

Influence should be priceless, not pricey.

Endorsing stars is an extremely expensive game though. The higher their profile, the higher the fee. However, there are many ways to skin the cat. There are other people that aren’t “stars” but have similar influence at a tenth of the price. They also give others the same permission to express themselves. They live amongst us. We can relate to them and their stories. The best thing about it is we can contact them directly. Before that, however…

Know your brand so you can identify who best can promote it.

  • Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your brand
  • Who is your target audience?
  • Where do they live? What are their preferences?
  • Know your competitors and how they are approaching the market, and with what offering
  • Then go about identifying your own brand’s personality traits
  • Position your brand
  • Determine your brand promise

Catapult your brand through influence

Once you know what your brand stands for, get on social media and track down an influencer that is both relevant to your target market and your product or service.  Then set up a meeting to find out how effective they are. Discuss their level of engagement with their communities – as it should be a two-way street. Building trust is based on active engagement and interaction. Once clear objectives and deliverables have been agreed upon – like number of posts, content and impressions – allow them to do their thing. Allow them to use their personality and influence to promote your brand to people who already buy into their passion and values. The results will pleasantly surprise you.

 

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