The ultimate guide that will help readers define themselves, achieve their goals, and make the right kind of lasting impression.Whether we realize it or not, we are all brands. We all have qualities that shape and influence how the people in our lives see us-and how we see ourselves. Nationally respected brand experts Jerry Wilson and Ira Blumenthal have helped some of the most exceptional companies and individuals in the world perfect their images.Now, in Managing Brand You, they reveal their proven seven-step process for personal brand building. Using illuminating examples from successful corporations like Coca-Cola and Starbucks as well as high-profile celebrities like Bono and Oprah, Managing Brand You gives readers a step-by-step guide for conducting a self analysis, creating a unique identity, defining their objectives, discovering their passions, creating a plan, putting that plan into action, and monitoring their progress.Wise and insightful, this book will help readers identify what it is that makes them unique and communicate it in a way that guarantees them success.

Jerry S. Wilson (Atlanta, GA) is a noted speaker and senior vice president at The Coca-Cola Company.

Ira Blumenthal (Atlanta, GA) is a highly respected brand consultant, author, speaker, and university educator who has counseled high-profile brand clients such as Coca-Cola, Disney, Marriott, Nestlé, and American Airlines.

INTRODUCTION: WHAT BRANDINGCAN DO FOR YOU"If you want to predict the future, create it."-PETER F. DRUCKERWHAT DO SUCCESSFUL CONSUMER-GOODS companiesknow that could help transform your life? And how can you usethis knowledge to become a more fulfilled person? The answers tothese questions lie in the discipline of building strong brands.What if you could take a page right out of the corporate book ofbusiness development and use it to craft and implement dramatic,important changes in yourself that are focused on developmentof your own life? Successful brands convey a consistentmessage and create an emotional bond with consumers. Don't weall want to convey a consistent message and create a similar emotionalbond with those important people around us? Absolutely!The process of building such brands is widely used in the commercialworld, and now you, too, can use these techniques tobuild a brand-new you-a Brand YOU!W H AT I F YO U T H O U G H T O FYO U R S E L F A S A B R A N D ?Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I want to stand for?These are questions that have been asked by people for ages. Inour fast-paced, highly competitive, stressful, often chaoticworld, it is even more difficult to know what you stand for-what uniqueness you have to offer. Don't stress about this anylonger. There is an answer to these deep questions, and the answercomes in the form of the threshold question, What if youthought of yourself as a brand?What if you not only think of yourself as a brand but also activelyanalyze your personal brand assets and deficits, and you dedicateyourself to changing or refining Brand YOU? Yes, as strangeas it seems, you can dramatically change and grow your life bystudying the time-tested precepts, postulates, discipline, andprocesses of corporate and product branding, and applying themto your personal life. This step can lead to your living the lifeyou've always imagined for yourself.In the wonderful Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street, KrisKringle tells a disbelieving child that dreaming of magical holidaymoments and a better tomorrow is important. He says, "To me,the imagination is a place all by itself . . . a separate country. Nowyou've heard of the French nation, the British nation . . . well, thisis the Imagi-nation. It's a wonderful place." It's time for you tonow book passage on a trip to the magical, mystical "land of imagination."Building a Brand YOU requires that you dig deep intoyour imagination and visualize what you want to stand for andwhat spaces in life and business you want to occupy.So, what if you thought of yourself as a brand? Just imagine,for a moment, that you are, in fact, a brand. Step outside yourselfand look at you, your background, your lifestyle, your philosophyof life, and your views on right and wrong, as well as the expressionsyou use, the stores you frequent, the foods you eat, theclothes you wear. Think of your educational background, yourexperiences, your special areas of expertise. Consider the featuresthat others respect about you, the features of people yourespect and why. These are your personal brand attributes. Andnow you've made the first move toward establishing your BrandYOU.B U I L D I N G A N E W B R A N D YO U <