If you ask someone how they feel about mentoring, you are liable to get any number of answers about its uses and efficacy. In my case, I had an informal mentor and much of whom I am as a professional has been shaped by my relationship with this individual. He went beyond what was a necessary business affiliation and consistently shared his valuable experience with me. Some thirteen years later, our relationship has grown into a friendship, one that I cherish.

I think that mentoring can bring key advantages to an organization. Some benefits ascribed to a successful mentoring program are better mentee performance, higher self-confidence, faster culture integration, increased organizational communication, mentee career planning/guidance, and increased diversity and retention. (more…)

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Recently, I had a chance to see the three ladies of Image Matters–a personal image consultancy–in action. They take on that part of personal branding that is hardest for most of us to look at objectively–What is our visual image saying to others? I think they have a relevant message and one that I wanted to share. (more…)

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I am used to having a cute Chihuahua sell me tacos, but I can’t say that I have ever had one sell me on his optimal stool quality. A couple of days ago while watching television, said dog popped up on my Samsung against a solid, French’s™ mustard colored backdrop (sorry, Pedigree, it will take me awhile to re-associate that particular color yellow) and began to tell me that he is “not only a good pooper, but an optimal one”.

I about fell out of my chair, until I heard that Pedigree+ ™ was promoting its line of tasty stuff + healthy stuff dog food and that this particular Chihuahua is “optimal” because of the Pedigree + healthy digestion recipe in that line.

In his article, Sensory Branding at Le Méridien, Roger Dooley, shares with us his belief that companies should use our senses, smells in particular, to build associations with their brand. I can say that Pedigree has done that for me with this latest commercial, even through the television screen. I now have a visual image, invoking my sense of smell that is branded Pedigree+.

I am not sure Pedigree was going for that particular association, but they succeeded in getting my attention and I will remember Pedigree+™ when I am in the market for dog food. While I may not share that cute little Chihuahua’s enthusiasm about optimal stool quality, Pedigree has five other recipes belonging to the tasty stuff + healthy stuff line that I may choose from.

In my house, we worry more about whether our canine immune system can handle having eaten the aluminum wrappers off my husband’s favorite chocolates (Pedigree + immunity). Check out the scoop on poop yourself, in this simple, but direct ad campaign and tell me what you think.

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Patrick King of Patrick’s Blog brought up a great point in his latest article called, A Recipe for Lemonade. With all of the talented people looking to stand out in the pursuit to be employed these days he asked, “…I wonder, what are these applicants doing to set themselves apart?”

He then shares a wonderful story about his own personal branding “aha!” moment and in the end, I am so glad that he didn’t have to resort to eating his pillows! In all seriousness, though he touched upon an issue that I have attended on myself, even making it a subject of debate during one of my Starbucks coffee huddle, recharge moments-that of personal branding. (more…)

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