Brand U.0

This is a 20 minute clip from a presentation given by David Armano on 9/15/2008 at the Chicago New Media Summit 2008. Twenty minutes is a long time for a web video, so I saved this for Saturday when it's easier to carve out 20 minutes. Do you want to go outside and cut the grass or spend another 20 minutes in air conditioned comfort investing in yourself and your company?

Armano is a senior partner with the Austin based Dachis Group, "a stealth-mode startup focusing on enterprise social software and services." I don't entirely know what that means, but it got the organization $50 million in venture capital. I think the conference write-up on Armano's presentation makes more sense...

"The hallmark of any great brand is authenticity -- just ask Harley-Davidson, Coke or Apple, especially when all of these brands lost their way and learned from it. Same thing applies to Brand You. In every tweak of a template, upload and keystroke, you have an opportunity to be authentic or disingenuous. Know what makes you special and unique, and tap into those qualities as you build your personal brand online. Most people can spot a fake when they see one, so remember that being genuine is more important that presenting yourself in an artificially glossy manner. It used to be important for bloggers to "find their voice" -- now it's relevant to all of us."

I found a number of the concepts spot on (i.e., the guy thinks believes some of the same things I do, so he must be smart). As you watch the video, think about how the concepts can be applied to your company and you, yourself. Instead of building web based brands, think of building local, community based brands.