Newhouse Speaks: An Up-Close and Personal Brand

While I didn’t spend my evening in my dorm room blasting “Homecoming: The Live Album” on Spotify, I did have the opportunity to sit in on a Newhouse Speaks event with the guest speaker being none other than the “Beyoncé of Business.” Brandi Boatner, a dynamic personality and also the Global Influencer Communications Lead at IBM, hashed out some valuable lessons about creating “The Brand Called YOU.”

Let me begin by noting that Boatner’s presentation was one I will never–and I use the word never very sparingly–forget. In alignment with the event’s theme, Boatner managed to let her personal brand shine through her presentational skills alone. She markets herself with what she calls the three D’s: digital, data and diversity. Beyond those adjectives that are representative of her professional self, Boatner expressed her personal brand in her speech that I found coincided with my own branding goals. In the same way that I make an effort to reach my target audience through pop culture references and busy city lifestyle tips, Boatner alluded to similar mass media phenomena, such as Wendy Williams’s scandals, TikTok’s parent company and Niall Horan’s music playing in Starbucks.

An aforementioned aspect of Boatner’s brand is diversity, which regardless of being a suitable brand component has a lot to do with all realms of public relations. Diversity and inclusion play a huge role in PR practices today, and Boatner’s passion for cultural advocacy brought an exemplary case to the forefront of the discussion. Although Black History Month occurs every February, and has since 1976, it’s important to remember that black history is American history and should be celebrated every day. So, after much administrative pushback, Boatner helped to institute an IBM logo color switch-up to the pan-African colors to take the celebration of Black History Month to a corporate level and pave the way for more small yet meaningful changes.

A key takeaway from Boatner’s presentation can be summed up in a single piece of insight she shared, “our brand is not what we make. It’s what people make of us… In today’s world, perception is reality.” No matter how much of an expert you really try to become on the topics I’m passionate about–in my case, no matter how many coffees I drink as an excuse to become a caffeine connoisseur–it’s essential to keep in mind that your audience’s depiction of you won’t necessarily match the brand you imagine for yourself. It requires strategic branding for a particular audience persona, and once that brand is established, engage in thought leadership and create innovative ideas to stay competitive and relevant.

The key to earning credibility, influence and reputation all lies in your participation in social media. Whether it be on Twitter or Pinterest, my proposed brand content should exude authenticity and personality. My audience should not only be able to see that I enjoy blogging about my life hacks for absurdly busy people and retweeting Bon Appétit recipes, but they should also be able to see my leadership skills and fresh, adventurous attitude; it’s all a part of the brand that is Chelsea Stern.