CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND:

In 1997, an American writer on business management practices, Tom Peters, popularised the concept of Personal Branding in his article ‘The Brand Called You’, published by Fast Company. This novel idea was inspired by the traditional idea of branding as was already known as a marketing strategy for positioning goods, services and organisations. The article challenges all individuals and professionals to identify and market their unique strengths to stand out and succeed in the world of work. It encouraged the use of new media such as personal websites and emails to market one’s unique selling proposition (Peters, 1997).

Tom Peters defined personal branding as “the proactive effort of creating messages and strategies to promote the unique value of an individual” (Peters, 1997). Career counsellors and human resource executives increasingly advise and encourage job seekers to identify and promote a personal brand to increase their chances of securing a job in the competitive job market (Horton, 2011). “Developing your personal brand ensures that you are not left behind and that you develop the competitive advantage that positions you for the career opportunities you deserve” (Horton, 2011).

In Ghana, there is a growing awareness about the idea of personal branding as the concept is increasingly discussed at career fairs, professional training workshops, entrepreneurship and business conferences and at Continuous Professional Development Programmes (Lewin, 2018) (GhanaWeb, 2017). Both traditional and new media have also contributed to the

increased awareness and interest. Personal branding enthusiasts, marketing experts and career counsellors share their perspectives on the importance of building a personal brand and how it can be done through radio discussions, blog posts, podcasts and social media posts.

Albert and Comfort Ocran are well-known Ghanaian management consultants, executive coaches and authors of several personal development books such as Speak Like A Pro (2015), Mentoring for Success (2011), Career Starter Pack (2010) and Personal Branding & Reputational Equity. They have addressed the concept of personal branding from a career and life success perspective in their books, articles, podcasts and speeches which are organised annually throughout the country. In their article on ‘Crafting a Unique Selling Proposition or Personal Brand Statement’, the authors advise job seekers to consider themselves as a product, identify their unique selling proposition (USP) and communicate it effectively in order to stand out and be attractive to job recruiters. The USP becomes their personal brand.

“Whether you are applying for a new job or looking for a promotion within your present job, it all boils down to marketing your skills well. Just like products have to be marketed to consumers, candidates have to market themselves to employers. The USP should answer a commonly asked question at job interviews, ‘Why should we hire you?’ What employers are usually looking for is a unique skill that can help them in difficult situations” (Ocran & Ocran, 2015).

Another name that comes up in Ghana’s growing personal branding ecosystem is Emelia Bartels. She is a personal branding consultant and an executive coach who has made a name for herself as a personal branding expert, transforming the image and reputation of African

business executives (Osei, 2012). She is also a columnist who regularly shares her insights on personal branding and reputation management on two of Ghana’s major online news websites; myjoyonline.com and Ghanaweb.com. In one of her columns “What’s so great about the ‘Personal Brand Mix’?”, Emelia, who is also a marketer, espoused the synergy between the marketing mix [Product, Price, Place and Promotion] and a personal branding mix. In the personal branding mix, she explains that the Product is the self, the personality. The Price is the value the personality commands and how it is distinguishable from other people. The Place is the distribution channels that are used to share key information about the person. Promotion is the way in which communication is undertaken; the strategies and tactics used in the various communication channels (Bartels, 2018).

Emelia Bartels considers personal branding to be an essential tool in career; ‘People may decide to do business with you based on the brand you exude and not so much on the job title you hold or the product or service you offer” (Bartels, 2018). She identifies personal branding as a “tool for unearthing your Unique Personal Attributes (UPA’s); your talents, skills, strengths and your Unique Promise of Value ( UPV’s); your vision, purpose, passion and values to those who make decisions about you, that is your Stakeholders” (Bartels, 2018). She proposes the ‘Personal Branding mix as a strategy that “can aid in promoting the real you and expand your success” (Bartels, 2018).

The increase in personal branding advocacy and advocates may be as a result of the problem of unemployment in Ghana; where every year thousands of graduates compete for few job vacancies. Personal branding has become the strategy to be employed in order to stand out of the masses and secure a job. As acknowledged by Albert and Comfort Ocran,