CATHERINE KAPUTA ON REBRANDING YOURSELF January 3, 2010
For many years a corporate advertising fly-flier on Madison Avenue, Kaputa has repositioned herself as “a cross between a brand manager and an executive coach”, writing about and teaching “personal branding”.
“It’s about looking at yourself as a brand in a commercial market place, packaging yourself with a visual and verbal identity distinct from others,” and developing a game plan for Brand You,” she enthuses. Her ideas have found favour in a particularly tough job market. “There are more and more people unemployed, worrying about becoming unemployed, feeling under-employed, or wishing to become entrepreneurs, and my strategies and techniques give them identity, visibility and edge. This isn’t just self-promotion, but about your CV telling your brand story and seeing your self-brand as a strategic and creative commercial project. This is particularly important for home-workers. When you’re working remotely, as more and more are, it’s essential to maximise Brand You.”
Kaputa writes, lectures, heads workshops and does individual coaching. She particularly focuses on women. “Some women say, ‘Why talk about such things in the business arena? There shouldn’t be any difference.’ I’m talking about the reality of the workplace, where male hubris has often won out over female humility when it comes to promotion. Whether to women’s groups in Fortune 500 companies or to my female readers, I emphasise the strengths women have in relationship building and communication, and how they can use those assets to help build their personal brands in the job market.” Kaputa will be bringing herself, her self-brand and her self-branding messages to the UK later this year. JH
ADVICE Come up with a unique signature phrase that you can use in every conversation. Think of Sir Alan Sugar and the success of “You’re Fired!”, which symbolises him being a tough business leader. Although you may not want to be known for saying that right now.
IN A NUTSHELL Learn to brand yourself
before others brand you in a way that you don’t like.
The Female Brand is published in the UK this summer. Kaputa blogs at www.selfbrand.com and tweets at twitter.com/catherinekaputa
