Jonathan Fitzgarrald
Mr. Passion
While relaxing poolside during a recent trip to Miami, I happened to strike up a conversation with a group of guys who were in the lounge chairs next to me. Knowing nothing more about them other than that they were from Toronto, I inquired as to what each of them did for a living.
One guy, Jim, said he was a banker. Another guy, Ron, a real estate broker. When I turned toward the third guy, Ken, he stared back at me with absolutely no facial expression or response. I further inquired, “So Ken, how about you? What do you do?” With the enthusiasm of a dial tone, Ken responded, “I’m a lawyer.” I replied, “Oh, I work in the legal field too, what a coincidence. How do you like it?” Ken’s response? “I absolutely hate it, but it pays the bills.” His passion underwhelmed me.
I quickly changed the subject to something more lighthearted, but couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation.
If all you had to do to win an iPad 2 was fill out a five question survey and be present at the time of the drawing, would you do it?
Last week while attending the Legal Marketing Association’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, my good friend and fellow legal marketing colleague, Judith Gordon, and I were walking around the exhibition hall, meeting with various vendors. We were specifically lured by one, who offered us the chance to win an iPad 2. We jumped at the opportunity and both completed the survey. As we walked away from the booth, I entered a calendar reminder in my phone to ensure I wouldn’t miss the drawing.
Two days later and at the drawing’s scheduled time, I arrived at the vendor’s booth, along with 200 other professionals. The tension and suspense was palpable; who would win the iPad 2? Continue reading
Tim Corcoran
I was introduced to Tim Corcoran at a dinner event hosted by a good friend. Twelve legal marketers sat around a table eating and sharing war stories and successes. For a “salesman,” I thought it was rather odd that Tim was not more proactive in the discussion.
At the time, I figured Tim was merely unassuming and quiet. It was not until subsequent conversations and interactions that I realized his approach — listen and observe, then engage.
For Tim, everything is focused on and centered around the client. His approach and the value he brings to every interaction is unique (dare I say, rare) to the legal industry; it is also the reason I consider him a Best of the Brands.
Jeopardizing its chance to be a serious contender in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, last month Brigham Young University (BYU) suspended double-digit basketball scorer and leading rebounder Brandon Davies for violating its honor code. By having sex. With his girlfriend.
Because college athletes in top programs are routinely slapped on the wrists for much worse offenses, the severity of Davies’ punishment made headline news.
Did BYU overreact or is it merely managing its brand?
A private university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, BYU has what many would consider a strict, perhaps old-fashioned code of conduct.
Among its tenets, one must not engage in premarital sex. Whether passé or not, students must agree to and sign the honor code every year.
During an age when many schools find excuses for pardoning top athletes’ bad behavior, BYU dismissed a key player for a violation that they could have ignored. How could that possibly be a good idea?
My grandfather, Free “Fitz” Fitzgarrald, was a cattle rancher in Nebraska. If someone had asked Fitz about his “personal brand,” he would have invited them into his barn. Once inside, he would have shown them a long, metal rod with a handle on one end and the letters “FZ” on the other. For my grandfather, branding referred to the process he used to mark his livestock. For fellow ranchers, the mark reminded them of him.
Today, branding is the personality or identity of a specific product, service, individual, or businesses. A brand can take on many forms, such as a name, symbol, logo, sign, design, or slogan. These forms are used to link the product, service, individual, or business with a specific feeling, perception, or experience.
For professionals, a personal brand is nothing more than how others perceive you–your reputation. It is the first word, phrase, or image that comes to someone’s mind when they hear your name or see your picture. For example, what comes to mind when you read: