July 22, 2010: Branding guru Dan Schawbel

HE CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN AN
INTROVERTED HIGH SCHOOL KID
TINKERING ON THE INTERNET.
NOW DAN SCHAWBEL AND ON THE
TOP 30 LIST OF AMERICA'S
COOLEST YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS.
AT 26 WE HASAS HEN COMPANY,
BASTON BASE BRANDING.
HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> WHAT DOES THIS DO?
>> WELL, WE DO CUSTOM ONLINE
BRANDING FOR COMPANIES AND
INDIVIDUALS.
WE HELP YOU GET KNOWN, AND
FIGURE OUT WHAT'S SPECIAL
ABOUT YOU TO GET YOU IN THE
MARKETPLACE BASEED ON WHAT
YOUR PASSIONATE ABOUT, AND
WHAT YOU HAVE EXPERTISE IN TO
SERVICE CLIENTS OR A COMPANY.
>> STOMACH SMALL BUSINESS,
INDIVIDUALS, COMPANIES?
>> EVERYTHING.
MUSICIANS.
LARGE COMPANIES, CITIGROUP,
TIME WARNER.
AND PEOPLE -- MAYBE EXECUTIVES
WHO ARE LOOKING TO DO
CONSULTING AND REBRAND
THEMSELVES.
>> THIS IS SOMETHING THAW
STARTED YOURSELF.
SO YOU BRABDED YOUR OWN SELF.
HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT SOME
THINGS, YOU FOUND A NICHE AND
THEN -- HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
>> I WAS TRYING TO MARKET
MYSELF IN HIGH SCHOOL.
BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL AND
COLLEGE, I -- WENT TO DENTLY
UNIVERSITY, BACK WHEN IT WAS
BENTLEY COLLEGE.
I HAD INTERNSHIPS, AND I WAS
WORKING SO HARD TO GET THESE
INTERNSHIPS.
I'D WALK IN WITH A COVER
LETTER AND RESUME, AND ALSO I
HAD A WEBSITE, BUSINESS CARD,
AND I HAD A PORTFOLIO.
I WAS DEVELOPING WEB SITES AND
GRAPHICS DESIGNER IN MIDDLE
SCHOOL.
SO I'D WALK IN, AND IT REALLY
PAID OFF.
IT MADE ME STAND OUT FROM THE
OTHER APPLICANTS.
BUT BECAUSE I WAS SHY WITH
NETWORKING T TOOK ME EIGHT
MONTHS AND MEETING 16 PEOPLE
AND GETTING REJECTS TWICE TO
GET MY FIRST JOB OUT OF
KNOWLEDGE AT EMC CORPORATION.
AND THEN I FIGURED OUT HOW TO
BRAND MYSELF STARTING WITH A
BLOG AND A MAGAZINE, AND AFTER
SIX MONTHS AND STARTING IN
MARCH, 2007, A COMPANY WROTE
ABOUT ME, AND THEN MY LIFE
CHANGED.
I WAS THE FIRST MEDIA
SPECIALIST AT THE EMC
CORPORATION, AND I WROTE THE
BOOK 3.2 O, AND I STARTED MY
COMPANY THIS YEAR.
>> AND NOW IT'S YOUR OWN
COMPANY.
>> YEAH, A FEW PEOPLE WORK FOR
ME.
BUT STILL, YOU KNOW,
CONSULTING.
>> HOW MANY CLIENTS DUE HAVE?
>> WE HAVE SEVEN CLIENTS RIGHT
NOW.
>> AND CAN YOU DO THIS KIND OF
WORK FOR QUICKLY WITH THE
INTERNET, AND JUST KIND OF
WORK FASTER?
>> IT'S MUCH FASTER.
I BELIEVE EVERYBODY HAS TO BE
EXTREMELY RELEVANT, AND IF
YOU'RE NOT KEEPING UP WITH THE
LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND WHAT'S
WORKING AND WHAT'S NOT
WORKING, IT'S GOING TO REALLY
IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR
CAREER, AND EVERYBODY HAS TO
BE ONLINE NOW, BECAUSE THE
ONLINE WORLD IS A GLOBAL POOL.
IF YOU WANT TO BE IN THE
GLOBAL TALENT POOL, AND YOU
WANT TO HAVE A CHANCE FOR A
SUCCESSFUL CAREER, YOU BETTER
HAVE YOUR OWN WEB SITE.
AS WELL AS SOCIAL NETWORKS
SUCH AS FACEBOOK AND TWIT TORE
GET PEOPLE -- BECAUSE PEOPLE
ARE SEARCHING FOR YOU OR
PEOPLE LIKE YOU, AND YOU WANT
TO COME UP.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
THIS PHENOMENON.
IN THE 1950s, MEN'S
AFTERSHAVE, OLD SPICE IS NOW
REACHED THIS EPIC PROPORTIONS
IN BRANDING.
HERE'S WHAT KICKED IT OFF.
THIS ADVERTISEMENT
>> HELLO.
HOW ARE YOU?
>> FANTASTIC.
>> DOES YOUR MAN LOOK LIKE ME?
CAN HE SMELL LIKE ME?
>> YES.
>> DOES HE USE OLD SPICE BODY
WASH?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
>> DO YOU WANT ADVENTURE.
DO YOU WANT A MAN WHO CAN BAKE
A CAKE IN THE DREAM KITCHEN HE
BUILT WITH HIS OWN HANDS?
>> OF COURSE
>> OLD SPICE USES THIS, AND
TWITTER AND FACEBOOK USING
RESPONSES TO USE THE OLD SPICE
MAN, MRNL 109 MILLION HITS,
PAERNLTDLY.
IS THT FUTURE?
>> IT'S BRILLIANT BECAUSE
EVERYTHING IS ABOUT USER
PARTICIPATION NOW.
IF YOU LOOK, I REMEMBER THERE
WAS A CONE STAT WE DID A RFRN
REPORT WITH A BOSTON BASED
COMPANY, AND 80% OF PEOPLE
WANTED BRANDS TO ENGAGE AT THE
BOTTOM LINE.
SO THE MORE ENGAINLING YOU
ARE, THE MORE YOU ARE USING
THESE DIFFERENT TOOLS TO REACH
OUT TO YOUR AUDIENCE, THE MORE
THEY'LL WANT YOU, AND IN THIS
INSTANCE, TAY ARE INTERACTING
WITH YOU.
THEY ARE --
>> DO THEY HAVE-I. THEY'RE
ASKING QUESTIONS AND BEING
INVOLVED.
>> I WANT TO MAKE THIS CLEAR.
THEY RAN THAT AD, AND THEN A
SOCIAL NETWORK SAID, DID YOU
SEE THE GUY?
THEN THEY STARTED ASKING THE
GUY QUESTIONS.
DID THEY KNOW THAT WAS GOING
TO HAPPEN?
AND THIS GUY STARTS MAKING
VIDEOS AND PUTTING THEM ON YOU
TUBE AND ASKING THESE
QUESTIONS IN A GOOFBALL STYLE
WAY.
DID THEY KNOW THAT WAS GOING
TO HAPPEN?
>> YEAH, THE COMPANY MADE IT
CLEAR.
AND ALSO THE IMPORTANT THING
IS HE APPEALS TO MALES AND
FEMALES.
HE'S A FORMER NFL PLAYER, AND
HE ALSO EXPOSES SOME OF HIS
FEMININE SIDE IN THE
COMMERCIAL.
SO BOTH GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS
ARE MORE LIKELY TO TALK ABOUT
IT, USING DIFFERENT WORD OF
MOUTH TOOLS SUCH AS FACEBOOK
AND TWITTER.
IT'S GOING VIRAL, EVEN ON YOU
TUBE, BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE
ARE USING THESE SERVICES.
FACEBOOK HAS 500 MILLION, AND
TWITTER HAS 190.
>> ON THIS THING?
>> ONLINE.
AND YOU TUBE, ONE OF THE
BIGGEST SEARCH ENGINES IN THE
WORLD AM ALL OF THESE PEOPLE
WERE ALREADY ON THERE, AND
THEY'RE ALREADY INTERACTING,
AND NOW YOU'RE GIVING THEM
GOOD CONTENLT, SOMETHING
FUNNY.
>> TRYING TO SELL YOU
SOMETHING, MALE BODY WASH OR
WHATEVER THAT IS.
APPARENTLY IT HASN'T REALLY
AFSHLGTED THE SALE ?S
>> IT'S A BRANLD AWARENESS
BUILT, AND SALES LONG TERM.
IT'S A GOOD STRATEGY TO GET
MORE PEOPLE AWARE OF OLD
SPICE, BECAUSE MAYBE THEY
FORGOT ABOUT IT OR USE
SOMETHING ELSE, AND NOW
THERE'S THIS COOL CAMPAIGN
OUT.
IT'S ENGAGING AND CAN INTERACT
WITH THE COMPANY.
YOU CAN BE PART OF THE
CAMPAIGN WHICH HAS NEVER
ACTUALLY HAPPENED BEFORE.
THAT AMOUNTS TO A LOT.
>> AND IT'S CHEAPER THAN
TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING.
>> AND COSTS LESS.
>> AND THIS IS THE KIND OF
THING THAT NEWSPAPERS,
TELEVISION, ALL OF THESE MEDIA
OUTLETS THAT ARE FRANKLY GOING
SOUTH, YOU THINK OF MORE
CREATIVE WAYS TO CREATE
REVENUE STREAM.
IS THERE A LESSON IN THIS?
>> THERE'S A LESSON FOR THE
COMPANYS
YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING THAT
STANDS OUT WHEN YOU'RE AN
INDIVIDUAL.
IF YOU DO, PEOPLE WILL TALK
ABOUT YOU, AND WORD OF MOUTH
TRANSLATE SBOS SUCCESS.
IF YOU WALK INTO AN INTERVIEW
AND THEY'VE ALREADY READ A
BOSTON GLOBE ARTICLE ABOUT YOU
OR A FRIEND RECOMMENDED YOU,
THE POSSIBLE THAT YOU'LL GET
THE JOB INCREASES
SUBSTANTIALLY FOR A COMPANY IF
PEOPLE TALK ABOUT YOU, IF YOU
TRUST ME, AND I RECOMMEND A
PRODUCT -- FIRECOMMEND
SOMETHING TO YOU, YOU'LL
PROBABLY BUY IT, IF YOU CAN
AFFORD IT.
>> AND
>> THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD OUT
THERE IN A CRASHING OLD STYLE,
AND SELLING ADS, AND
PRESENTING IT DIFFERENTLY.
>> YOU GIVE OUT FREE CONTENT
IN THE FORM OF A BLOG OR
TWITTER FEED.
THEN YOU REACH OUT AND BRING
THEM TO YOUR WEBSITE OR BLOG,
AND THAT'S WHERE YOU LIST THE
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.
YOU HAVE TO DRAW PEOPLE IN
THROUGH FREE CONTENT.
>> I MAY HAVE TO HIRE YOU.
>> EXACTLY.
>> DAN SCHAWBEL, THANKS FOR
COMING.
>> WHEN WE CONTINUE, WHAT MADE
GEORGE KAFRLIN TICK?