Brand and you keep your job!

For about an hour today, about 50 communicators attending an IABC/Iowa meeting learned about brand ownership and the role they play in helping organizations use their brand to move forward.

Mike Wagner, of the White Rabbit Group, gave his Own Your Brand presentation, saying several times, "We need communicators like you" to carry the message of brand ownership throughout organizations.

I had the privileged of introducing Mike, and challenging those in attendance to listen closely because it's what we, as communicators need to know. Mike got their attention by reminding them that building a brand will help them keep their jobs! (read his Whirlpool post to see what happens when brands die). Judging by the scribbling of notes at every table, Mike's message resonated. That's a good thing because, I believe, corporate communicators have spent way too much time whining about not being invited to the table of decision making, too much time perfecting their writing skills, too much time begging to be in the marketing meetings and not enough time being relevant.

Brand management is the best tool in their own relevence battles. And they don't need anyone's permission to start being relevent. By simply listening, asking the important questions of people in the know, networking with the real power brokers, discovering their organization's brand and then using their tools and talents to start telling their organization's story, communicators will get noticed. As they get noticed - begin to build their personal brand - they'll be taken seriously.

And then they'll be invited to the big table.

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