• In Our Opinion: C-Level “Digital” Officer Role
• Client Spotlight on Michael V. Howe
• Register for our May Webinar
• Blog Round Up
• Career Announcements

In Our Opinion

The Case for Establishing a C-Level “Digital” Officer Role

With spending on digital-related marketing, media, and e-commerce initiatives accounting for 20%+ of marketing expenses at the top 100 global advertisers—and forecast to increase at double-digit rates for the foreseeable future across most industry segments—it’s time for CEOs and Boards to give serious consideration to establishing a “Chief Digital Officer” (“CDO”) position reporting directly to the CEO. The stakes are too high and the issues too complicated to leave this domain left managed by an informal, undefined, and mostly powerless assemblage of mid-level managers across an enterprise.

The reasons for the current lack of a C-level Digital Officer position are many, and it’s worth taking a moment to look back to assess how we arrived at the current situation:

1. Over the past decade, digital/Internet/Web has undergone massive fluctuations in its perceived and real impact. Not long ago digital was considered a fad that would eventually fade to the background. Google is only a “teenager” in terms of its years of existence, so the accelerated growth of social media, SEM/SEO, and other digital innovations are a relatively new phenomenon.
2. When it comes to digital strategy, most CEOs and corporate leaders are Baby Boomers who have not incorporated digital tools into their lives to the same extent as Gen X, Y or Z’ers, so it’s difficult for them to fully appreciate all the business implications resulting from digital trends.
3. Digital is pervasive across the enterprise and successful digital initiatives, especially at top 100 global advertisers, require extensive cross-functional collaboration that often sparks conflict. Even the seemingly straightforward act of defining a job description for a Chief Digital Officer or Head of Digital Strategies role is problematic today because the responsibilities are split between the CIO and the CMO in most organizations, and neither functional executive is readily willing to let go of the pieces under their domain.

With this background as a perspective, let’s consider the case for creating a Chief Digital Officer position:

Digital Is a Strategic Imperative

While the Internet topics du jour are many—‘social media’, ‘cloud computing’, ‘data management platforms’, ‘mobile,’ etc.—the rapid evolution of new digital media, marketing, and e-commerce strategies continues at an accelerated pace. Someone needs to be proactive, accountable, and empowered to interpret these developments, create digital priorities, and make things happen. This is not a short-term, quick-fix situation. Digital strategies take time to establish and implement successfully. When not given the proper attention, implications can be dire and high-profile (i.e., look to Borders, Blockbuster, Yahoo!, etc.).

The Marketing Investment Dollars Are Large And Growing Rapidly

In every other part of the organization where big dollars are being spent and high strategic priority is assigned, a C-level person is tasked with oversight. Calculate what your company is spending on digital initiatives (marketing, product development, technology development), and what functional areas of the organization are impacted. If spending exceeds 10% of all company expenses, and more than three functional areas of significance are involved, then the need for a Chief Digital Officer position becomes rather obvious.

Recruiting C-level Digital Talent and Necessary Empowerment

Most C-level executive leadership teams are comprised of talented professionals with varied backgrounds that include deep domain experience, management training at top MBA programs, and outstanding business track records. With digital, it is more difficult and challenging to find the best C-level digital leaders because of the newness of the digital industry and functional disciplines. However, despite this challenge, someone needs to be given a ‘seat-at-the-table’ on the executive leadership team in order to make things happen and advise the CEO and executive leadership team on required strategies and investments. Otherwise it’s unrealistic to have lofty expectations or expect your company to achieve “best in class” digital performance within your sector.

Organizing Digital Under the CMO Is Not The Optimal Approach

The good news is digital strategy responsibility is rarely found in the IT function anymore. As shocking as it seems now in retrospect, it resided there for many years because IT owned the corporate website server. The bad news is responsibility has been either unceremoniously or informally transitioned over to the marketing group in recent years, which isn’t exactly a bastion of power in many industries. So unless the company in discussion is Coca-Cola or IBM, where marketing is a powerful domain, digital won’t get priority treatment. With CMOs lasting an average of only two years, digital investments (which take much longer to develop and payout) are better suited under a separate executive.

Marketing Services and Consulting Firms Are Leading The Way

Every major advertising agency has a Chief Digital Officer or equivalent—a CEO of a full-service digital marketing services agency—and they are selling digital-related services to the CEO, CIO, and CMO. The same is true for the blue-chip strategic consulting firms (i.e., Accenture, BCG, McKinsey), which might call it “digital or interactive media and marketing strategy consulting,” but the digital/interactive practices have been among the most rapidly growing areas within the consulting sector. So a CEO won’t get much credible push back for suggesting the creation of a new Chief Digital Officer position from their agency or strategy consulting firm partners (and these partners can help sell the importance of the CDO position to the Board).

Summary

Ten years into the so-called “Internet revolution,” the digital marketplace is as vibrant as ever, impacting businesses of all sizes, in every sector and geography. This is exciting, dynamic, opportunistic, and daunting at the same time.

Even after a decade or more, the top 100 global advertisers are still struggling to address this powerful and ubiquitous phenomenon in a structured manner. Seizing the moment and sensing opportunity, vendors have scrambled to capitalize and define the sector according to terms that suit their strengths—as advertisers, technologists, service companies, and the like.

However, the harsh reality for top advertisers is digital doesn’t fit neatly in any existing functional area, and requires its own unique category from an organizational management perspective. Most successful digital programs impact multiple functional areas, and broader digital strategies cut across the enterprise. If only for this reason alone, it’s time to make the move and create a new Chief Digital Officer role to set strategy and oversee successful digital operations, before it’s too late.

Jeff Gundersen, CEO
Lorraine “Lola” White, Partner & Lead Personal Brand Strategist

Client Spotlight: Michael V. Howe

Michael V. Howe, a C-level, Blue-Chip Marketer with Client & Agency Know-How, recently completed the first phase of an executive branding project with us that included his LinkedIn Profile makeover. Check out his branded headline (under his name), the branded bio in his Summary, and his achievement-oriented resume content that highlights his loyalty programs expertise.

Here’s what Mike Howe had to say about this project:

Thanks to my work with the team at Executive Connections LLC, I feel good about my brand story — how I articulate my past and where I want to take it in the future. The entire executive branding process that Lola, Jeff, and Kirsten guided me through was spot on for me. I’m now able to point contacts to my public LinkedIn profile, am in the process of breaking out from others who share my name online, and have a plan to share my focused thought leadership information with my network.

Want to learn more about branding your LinkedIn profile? Register for our May Webinar.

Webinar: Brand Your LinkedIn Profile

May 30th at Noon Eastern Time

Are you maximizing LinkedIn for your executive brand? Can your connections grasp your niche and your unique value in a way that they can connect you with the right people and opportunities?

Join us for this exclusive, complimentary Webinar with Jeff Gundersen, Lola White, and our online branding expert, Kirsten Dixson. Learn more and register now.

Blog Roundup

Did you catch these recent posts on our blog?

ASK OUR COACH

Q. I was recently laid off after a 25+-year career in one of the largest media companies. I have been looking for new career opportunities at my previous level (SVP), however, there does not seem to be much available. What’s your advice?

A. While age discrimination is illegal, we are definitely seeing many of the 50+ having challenges re-engaging in industries such as print media, marketing services where there are fundamental shifts (i.e., print to digital) taking place which have eliminated jobs permanently. Read more

INSPIRED AND PROSPEROUS

Lola White is honored to have been one of 11 coaches invited to contribute her insights on building a successful coaching practice to the new book, Inspired and Prosperous by Duanna Pang-Dokland. Read more

MANAGE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

Don’t miss the opportunity to work through valuable exercises in our personal brand audit process, even if you don’t hire us. Reflect on where your personal brand is today and what it needs to be to reach your goals. Our “Managing Your Personal Brand” 3-part series is available for immediate download. Read more

Career Announcements

Senior Director – Analytics
General Manager – Mass Affluent Card
Senior Executive (Partner) and Leader – Sales & Marketing Transformation
Senior Executive – Financial Services
Senior Executive – Strategy & Innovation Lead
Learn more

We are pleased to announce Sean Rach has been promoted to Regional Director, Branding & Corporate Affairs at Prudential Corporation Asia (“PCA”) effective April 1, 2012. We placed Sean at PCA two years ago as part of this Regional Branding & Communications organization and he has now risen to the senior leadership role. Congratulations, Sean!

We are also pleased to announce David Rosenbluth, VP, Marketing at Gerber Life Insurance Company (a Nestle company) has been named as one of the DMEF’s “Rising Stars” and will receive this award at the DMEF’s Annual “Rising Stars” Award dinner in NYC on June 5, 2012. We placed David in his current position at Gerber Life and he has done an outstanding job in his first 2 years. Congratulations, David!

Are you maximizing LinkedIn for your executive brand?

Can your connections grasp your niche and your unique value in a way that they can connect you with the right people and opportunities?

If not, join us for this exclusive, complimentary Webinar with Jeff Gundersen, Lola White, and our online branding expert, Kirsten Dixson.

Date: Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Time: 12 to 1 PM Eastern Time

Where: Register now to receive instructions for connecting to the Webinar.

Who: This Webinar is an exclusive invitation for senior executives in our Executive Connections LLC network.

In this one-hour Webinar, you will learn:

• Best practices for communicating your executive brand on your LinkedIn profile
• What you will need to stand out and differentiate from others with similar job titles and experience
• What recruiters, clients, and CEOs want to see on your profile
• What will increase your chance of success of the right people viewing your profile or becoming your direct connection
• How to manage connection and endorsement requests so you are affiliated with your brand matches – quality not quantity
• Easy tips to manage your profile and keep it current

Can’t make the live event? Register anyway to get access to the audio recording (within 24 hours of the live event) and an invitation to a very limited offer to have Lola White and Kirsten Dixson personally guide you in re-branding your LinkedIn profile.

Space is limited! Register for this Webinar now.

DMEF 2012 – Rising Stars Awards Dinner (We will be there!)
Tuesday, June 5, 2012,  6-10 PM
Gotham Hall, New York

Mobile Marketing Association – MMA Forum – New York 2012
June 11-13, 2012

Lola’s insights include how to build reserves of time, love, and money and walk your branding talk with everything you do. Lola says:

As a successful businesswoman, wife, friend, partner, entrepreneur, philanthropist, executive coach, consultant, I had been the change that people wanted to see. It’s about attracting people who want the same kind of lifestyle and legacy they see in me. Being consistent with my brand and what I do well has led to my involvement in a multitude of projects, board positions, services, and products.

Learn more.

Q. I was recently laid off after a 25+-year career in one of the largest media companies. I have been looking for new career opportunities at my previous level (SVP), however, there does not seem to be much available. What’s your advice?

A. While age discrimination is illegal, we are definitely seeing many of the 50+ having challenges re-engaging in industries such as print media, marketing services where there are fundamental shifts (i.e., print to digital) taking place which have eliminated jobs permanently.

If you find yourself in this situation, this may be an opportunity for you to go back to the basics. Look at your core strengths and interests, then reposition and rebrand yourself toward a fresh career direction. For example, perhaps you are passionate about healthcare or the environment, both of which represent growing industry sectors. Or perhaps there is a non-profit or cause-related area that lights you up. This may also be the time for you to consider what new skills would help you be more relevant in the next decade of your career. Perhaps this is the time to go for your master’s degree in digital marketing at a local university?

While switching industries seems daunting, it is becoming a common practice. AARP research statistics confirm over 35% of the 50+ population will either start or join a small business as part of a “Re-Careering” phase after leaving a career in a large company. View this as an opportune time to alter your direction into an area with more growth potential and excitement than the prior category where you spent the last 25 years.

Have a question for our coach? Email lwhite@executiveconnectionsllc.com

If you haven’t completed Part 1: Your Personal Brand “Year in Review” and Part 2: Your Personal Brand Vison, start there first.

Next, in the final step, you will  create an actionable Personal Brand Plan that will support you to take your personal brand to the next level.

Download MYPB Part 3: Your Personal Brand Action Plan

Ready for additional support to help raise your personal brand game? We invite you to learn more about our about our Personal Branding offerings, including a visit to our Personal Branding Retreat Center, personal brand assessments, and more. Contact us directly for a complimentary 30-minute Personal Brand consultation with Lola White or Jeff Gundersen.

If you haven’t completed Part 1: Your Personal Brand “Year in Review,” start there first.

Next, in Part 2, you shift from assessing current and past performance to focusing on future career and personal brand direction. The central question here is: “What is the future for my personal brand that will be most inspiring, challenging and rewarding?” What you want to get to is a long-term vision (that’s consistent with your personal values) and then define 3 specific, measurable 2012 goals that are a pathway to achieving that vision.

Download MYPB Part 2: Your Personal Brand Vision

In Part 3, you’ll create more granular action plans for achieving each of these 3 specific goals.

• In Our Opinion: The CMO of the Future
• Blog Round Up
• Client Spotlight: Al DiGuido
• Ask Our Coach
• MYPB: Parts 2 & 3
• Career Announcements

In Our Opinion

The CMO of the Future

The role of the Chief Marketing Officer (“CMO”) has always been a challenging one as evidenced by the average 24-month tenure (according to an annual survey conducted by Spencer Stuart). This tough job is getting even tougher because many CMOs are ill-prepared to lead in this ever-changing landscape.

Evolving from “Push” to “Pull” Marketing

With the rapid growth of new digital and mobile media, the influence of social networks, and online marketing and e-commerce channels, the CMO job has shifted from a mass marketing (“push”) world to a customer-driven (“pull”), one-to-one marketing world. “Evolution is mandatory,” is the keynote sounded by Wendy Clark, SVP, Marketing at Coca-Cola at AdTech’s recent NYC conference. Extraordinary customer engagement and relevance (of offers and customer communication) are the “new norms” in “always-on” marketing.

The marketing pyramid has been turned upside-down with online content, experiences, and conversations among members of social networks having more impact on brand image (and reputation) than television commercials (which are increasingly being blocked out or skipped by busy consumers — except for the Super Bowl). “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today,” says Clark, and Coke has rewritten their marketing playbook. Listening to consumers, being “shareworthy,” being relevant, collaborating (instead of dictating), and not accepting the status quo, are among the top marketing principles CMOs must adopt in order to be effective.

Organizational Changes: 3 Required Areas of CMO Focus

Global consulting organizations, including Accenture, recently highlighted the organizational changes required by CMOs to navigate this fundamental shift in marketing “best practices.” In a recent Forbes article, Robert Wollan, Global Head of Accenture’s CRM practice, highlighted three fundamental areas of concentration for CMOs including:

1. Increased focus, targeting, and investment in customer analytics as the tip of the arrow in making “relevant marketing” more achievable.
2. Improved collaboration across Finance, R&D, Sales, Customer Service, and IT (especially in developing digital and mobile capabilities and responding to ever-changing social media developments).
3. Strengthened operations, including rebuilding core marketing capabilities, and either hiring more skilled (digital and analytical) individuals or forming alliances with organizations that can provide these.

“Marketing Revolution” and the CMO Profile

McKinsey, another leading global consulting firm, in their 2011 white paper titled “The Future of Marketing” said, “Companies need to become the marketing vehicles, and the marketing organization itself needs to become the customer-engagement engine, responsible for establishing priorities and stimulating dialogue throughout the enterprise. As that transformation happens, there will be a greater distribution of existing marketing tasks to other functions; more councils and informal alliances that coordinate marketing activities across the company; deeper partnerships with external vendors, customers, and perhaps even competitors; and a bigger role for data-driven customer insights.”

John Hayes, CMO of American Express (and one of the most successful CMOs with over 10 years’ longevity), summed it up well by calling it “a marketing revolution.” “We’re going through a revolution a whole lot like the Industrial Revolution. The change is that profound. As we go to market with an idea, the world is going to decide whether or not this has real value, talk about it, and then position it however they want to position it. But understand, you’re still 100 percent accountable for the outcome.”

Navigating this “slippery slope” has become harder and harder for CMOs without the digital marketing and social media backgrounds or DNA to lead effectively in this fundamentally different marketing world. It is causing CEOs to increasingly ask, “What is the profile of the CMO of the future?”

Jeff Gundersen, CEO
Lorraine “Lola” White, Partner & Lead Personal Brand Strategist

Blog Roundup

Did you catch these recent posts on the Executive Connections Blog?

How to Secure the Right Board of Directors Position

I’m frequently asked by CEOs and other C-level clients, “How do I identify and secure a Board of Directors position?” Serving on Boards — especially the right ones — can be a credibility builder. It is also a gateway to personal development and building new, lasting relationships that feed into the fulfillment of your life purpose and are aligned with your passions. We tell our clients who are interested in pursuing a meaningful Board role, “Start with your personal brand.” Read more

Do You Have a Theme for 2012?

We are always creating new ways to streamline the personal branding process, not only for our clients but also for ourselves. One approach we’ve found that works really well for remaining “on brand” is to create an annual theme.

Towards the end of each year, we set aside time to reflect on what we need to take our business (and our own personal brands) to the next level in the following year. We make a list of “what’s in” and “what’s out” for our personal brands in the new year. One of the new best practices that’s in for us, is a one-sentence theme that helps keeps us focused on what we want to achieve in the coming year. Read more 

Client Spotlight on Al DiGuido

We recently completed our MYPB Personal Brand Program with Al DiGuido that included a branded website, www.aldiguido.com. Al DiGuido is a visionary authority for staying ahead of the “New Digital Reality.” For his influential voice on how evolving media platforms drive brand success in today’s economy, he’s known as a shaper of key digital marketing industry topics and as a contributor to CNN, Fox Business News, CNBC, MSNBC, CBC, AdAge, Business Week, New York Times, ClickZ, and US News & World Report. DiGuido not only sees the key marketplace trends, but also how to build the organizations and technology solutions that generate sales and profits.

Here’s what Al had to say about this project:

In my leadership roles, it was my customers who came to rely on my direction in helping them create a sustainable brand in a competitive marketplace. So, when the opportunity presented itself to think more about my own personal brand and a branded website that accomplished much more than warehousing decades of my body of work, I must admit that I was a bit skeptical that anyone could add anything substantial in terms of brand insight and representation. I was wrong.

My work with Lola White, Jeff Gundersen, and their team opened up my understanding of the key drivers of my personal brand and how my brand can be impacted with every brand touch. Long before a line of content was uploaded into my new site (which they designed and developed), there were meaningful sessions and queries that probed areas of my thought process that had remained locked down for years. I now have an online brand portal that truly represents who I am and that has proven relevant to my audience.

I believe this process is incredibly important to those who value their brand and want to ensure its validity, viability, and strategic positioning in the days and years ahead. I could not recommend a team more highly to support this brand exploration.
- Al DiGuido, Brand Advocate

Ask our Coach

Q. In your opinion, how are you seeing the hiring market currently? Is this a good time for me to be exploring new career opportunities?

A. In early 2012, we see the temperature of the market as very vibrant!

Two events we see as increasing this growth are the US elections and the Olympics. These mean natural increases in the media and marketing services sectors. Plus, the majority of global CEOs we speak with far exceeded their 2011 profit plans, and many corporations have billions of dollars on their balance sheets available for investment. So, CEOs are being much more assertive at the start of 2012, contrasted to last year when there was much more of a “wait and see” attitude, going quarter-by-quarter until the second half.

We definitely recommend preparing NOW for your next career move while you have a job. Ask yourself:

• Is my personal brand positioning as powerful as it needs to be?
• Is my unique value proposition communicated in my resume and my online profiles in a way that is relevant to my target audience?

If yes, then collect last year’s bonus and go after that next career move that you have been thinking about.

Check out this great Ad Age article with more tips for setting yourself up for 2012′s job opportunities.

Have a question for our coach? Email lwhite@executiveconnectionsllc.com

Managing Your Personal Brand

We believe proactive personal branding is the #1 best practice for career management in a competitive workplace.

2012 Personal Brand Process

You should be well on your way to pursing your goals for 2012.

We know it can take you several months to go through EC’s comprehensive, initial brand discovery phase. So we created a shorter version of our process to help you get started at your own pace. We recommend you start now, if you haven’t already.

In December, we gave you the first part in this complimentary series, Take Your Own Personal Brand Inventory

Click here to access parts 2 & 3.

Ready for additional support to help raise your personal brand game? We invite you to learn more about our about our Personal Branding offerings, including a visit to our Personal Branding Retreat Center, personal brand assessments and more.

Contact us directly for a complimentary 30-minute Personal Brand consultation with Lola White or Jeff Gundersen.

Career Announcements

Senior Director – Analytics
General Manager – Mass Affluent Card
Head of Digital Marketing
Learn more

We recently placed Krishna Narayanan in the new role as Head of Digital Marketing – Senior Director at Chase Card Services. Prior to joining Chase, Kris was VP, Digital & Integrated Marketing at Samsung Electronics where he created the digital marketing strategy, built the digital marketing organization (web development, eCRM, analytics, social media, e-commerce), and increased digital marketing investments 7-fold over a 6 year period. In 2011, Ad Age Digital named Kris to its “A-List Digital Marketers to Watch” list. EC is currently providing Kris our unique Transition Support Coaching program (part of our Blended Solutions offering integrating executive search and coaching) to assure Kris achieves a successful transition into this new role in 2012.

I’m frequently asked by CEOs and other C-level clients, “How do I identify and secure a Board of Directors position?”

Serving on Boards—especially the right ones—can be a credibility builder. It is also a gateway to personal development and building new, lasting relationships that feed into the fulfillment of your life purpose and are aligned with your passions. We tell our clients who are interested in pursuing a meaningful Board role, “Start with your personal brand.” Take stock of your vision, purpose, values, passions, strengths, and goals, then identify organizations that are a match with these essential parts of who you are. This will ensure a better possibility of being satisfied by your service.

For example, I recently joined the DMEF (Direct Marketing Educational Foundation) BOD, and this is very strongly related to one of my life’s purposes, the education and advancement of younger people. The DMEF’s mission is to attract, educate, and place top college students in direct/interactive marketing careers. As the first college graduate in my family, I have always been a big advocate of education in my own family. From this earlier purpose, I enjoyed serving on the Board of Future Possibilities (’94-’05), a non-profit coaching organization with “empowering children” as their mission.

Non-Profit Board Roles

Especially in non-profit organizations, BOD roles are service roles. Therefore, the CEOs and Presidents for whom you work are expecting you to “give, get, or get off.” In other words, you will be much more satisfied if you can see the fruits of your efforts going to a “cause” that inspires you.

For Profit Board Roles

For-profit Boards are something different altogether. On a for-profit Board, your specific industry knowledge, operating experience, geographic (i.e., Asia Pacific), or functional (i.e., digital, social, mobile, e-commerce) expertise may be specific requirements the Board or CEO is seeking to support the CEO in running and growing the business more profitably and successfully. In these instances, you need to understand exactly what unique value proposition you can bring to a for-profit board, whether it is governance, corporate development, or marketing/business development. We recently completed a BOD search for a private-owned integrated marketing services company where digital/new media was becoming a bigger future focus and priority. We identified a proven digital/new media CEO with 10+ years of experience and broad connections in the Ad Tech sector, and this was exactly the type of outside Board member our client needed to complement the existing Board composed of more traditional direct marketing CEOs.

Since Board of Director positions, both non-profit and for-profit, involve the commitment to travel to 4-6 annual Board meetings, and provide outside counsel in between Board meetings to the CEO, choose wisely in selecting the Board position(s) you serve on. This way you will not feel imposed upon when you look at your calendar and see the upcoming Board meeting or call with the CEO next week.

We are always creating new ways to streamline the personal branding process, not only for our clients but also for ourselves. One approach we’ve found that works really well for remaining “on brand” is to create an annual theme.

Towards the end of each year, we set aside time to reflect on what we need to take our business (and our own personal brands) to the next level in the following year. We make a list of “what’s in” and “what’s out” for our personal brands in the new year. One of the new best practices that’s in for us, is a one-sentence theme that helps keeps us focused on what we want to achieve in the coming year.

Why a single theme vs. goals or resolutions?

Since a theme is clear and concise, it is easier to keep top of mind than an overwhelming laundry list of  goals or resolutions. Therefore, it can be a more powerful driver to achieving results. A theme should catalyze action toward keeping you on-brand! When you select the right theme for you, it will just penetrate into your life and inspire you from deep within to live it.

You may also see a theme as a one-sentence vision or statement. For example, Bill Gates — “Computer on Every Desk” or NASA — “Putting a Man on the Moon.”

Ramp It Up Theme

This year, the personal brand theme Jeff Gundersen has chosen is “Ramp It Up” (in fact, it is the title of our last newsletter) and is also the theme Executive Connections LLC has selected as our focus for 2012. This theme means approaching this fiscal year with the mindset of achieving profitable business and personal growth from a starting place of believing 2012 is a year filled with extraordinary opportunities. We are witnessing our CEO clients expanding their businesses, pushing ahead aggressively for profitable growth right from the start of 2012, compared to a more hesitant, “wait and see” attitude by CEOs just a year ago. To achieve Jeff’s “Ramp It Up” theme, we are mindful of ramping up all we do to provide greater value to our clients. We are ramping up our expectations and the effectiveness and efficiency of everything we deliver. We are also continuing to ramp up the visibility (marketing campaigns, speaking engagements, social media, board roles) and credibility of our brand.

Camera Ready Theme

Lola White’s 2012 theme is “Camera Ready.” After working behind the scenes as a successful brand manager to million-dollar top executive brands, Lola’s own personal brand is coming to the forefront in 2012—a natural outcome from her 2011 brand theme of “Brilliantly Bold.” Planning exciting business projects that will launch this year, she wants to be ready to step out and promote these new business initiatives with ease. For Lola, “Camera Ready” means being focused and prepared for interviews, presentations, producing a videoBIO, having on-brand head shots, image, etc. It also means thoughtfully choosing not to take on projects and volunteer activities that are off-theme so she can remain open for explosive growth in 2012 and beyond.

Where do you see your brand headed this year? What’s an inspiring personal brand theme for you in 2012? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments. We really want to know what you have decided!