Leading corporations invest vast amounts of money and human resources to build and maintain their corporate image.
Even though global conglomerates such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and HSBC are already well known in households across the world, they continue to invest in advertising and marketing to maintain their place at the top and remind different stakeholders and the public not only of their products, but also of their corporate image.
Professionals in every sector compete with each other in the global job market. Today, globalisation allows job seekers to look for employment opportunities with companies anywhere in the world, which increases competition.
Companies hire people not just based on their technical skills and professional qualifications, but also on whether candidates are unique enough to stand out from the crowd.
This unique positioning is your ability to market, package and present yourself to impress future employees, and thus increase your chances of success. This uniqueness is known as personal branding, which is a continuing process and can be acquired and improved through training. Simply put, personal branding is about investing and managing yourself, in a similar way to how companies build and market their corporate brands and portfolios.
When it comes to brand image management, companies set and follow strict guidelines to ensure their logo, brand image, products and services are projected consistently in the highest possible standards. The whole process of personal branding involves unearthing your unique value and differentiating yourself from the competition, regardless what position you are in.
Personal branding is a relatively new concept in Hong Kong, the mainland and many countries in Asia compared to the United States and Europe. In Hong Kong and on the mainland, there is an emerging demand for personal branding, which is the next level to professional image management. This entails training programmes organised and offered by companies to their high-flyers, sales professionals, and both senior and junior managers.