Friday, 6/26

I wonder if I need to narrow my “brand” down a little more?

That thought came to me while I was walking on the beach during a half day yesterday, thinking about everything I have to do in the next few weeks—stuff on the radio, stuff on TV , stuff for the History Center, and even an article for the Mining Journal. That's a lot of stuff in a lot of different areas. And it got me to thinking about my “brand”.

A couple of months ago, before all the insanity started., Loraine and I were having lunch with my friend Deanna, who was telling us about a speaker she had just listened to. This speaker, world-renowned for his marketing savvy, said that everyone should have a “brand” that can be described in two to five words. That's it; just a short statement that tells who and what you are. As an example, Loraine has a perfect “brand”--”That World War Two Woman”--five words that describe perfectly who she is and what she does.

Me? Not so much. Unless, of course, you consider “World Class Dork” to be a good branding statement.

We've discussed in here many times about how there are several different “Jims”. There's Radio Jim, TV Jim, History Jim, and, if you wanna go out on a ledge, “Finish Line Jim”. And many people who know me as one kind of Jim don't even realize there are the other different “Jims”, as has been evidenced by people who've watched my History Center videos and have asked I work for the History Center or if I do something different for a living.

That, I think, is my problem as far as trying to figure out what my “brand” might be. I'm just involved in too many things. My brand could be “That Guy in the Radio” or “That High School Bowl Host” or “That Dorky History Dude”, all of which are accurate and all of which fit within the five word limit. But it can't be all of them. There's not one over-arching theme in which to fit my “brand”, unless we go back to an old (but sadly seemingly true) statement--

Maybe my “brand” should be this--”Jim Koski—Media Wh*re”.

(By the way, I don't remember who gave me that nickname a decade or so ago. All I know is that it seems to be more true than ever these days!)

Don't worry; there's no way I'm going to officially adopt THAT phrase as my brand, apt as it might be. Maybe I just need how to figure out how to put that concept into a two to five word phrase that sounds a lot better than “Jim Koski—Media Wh*re”. The only problem is that with one exception, I can't at the moment think of a phrase that encompasses everything I do. I wish I could, but at least at the moment, I can't. Maybe you guys have a better idea; if so, please let me know.

And thanks,

(jim@wmqt.com), “Guy Who Talks Too Much”.

(p.s.--see? Not a very good “brand”, is it? 8-))

(pps—have a great weekend!)