alysonkellykaye brands defining time
Time has flown by once again and the semester comes to a close. I begin every semester (and almost every class for that matter) with a bit of a pit in my stomach. I want to teach each class a bit differently and ensure that we go beyond the textbook and learn from not only the material and the teacher, but from each other. I have realized that students today are much more connected (for obvious reasons) but also due to their diverse backgrounds and experiences. Having done a similar exercise in previous classes I assigned “the personal brand timeline.” I anticipated that each of the 32 students would get up in front of the class and show us a slide with a bunch of brands on it that reflected their past and predicted future. To be honest I usually give this assignment so I can get out of presenting the class. However, much to my surprise and delight the students truly embraced the assignment and we ended up using 3 classes (1:45 each) to present all 32.
SO What…right?
Well, after listening to each of the students describe why they chose the brands, what it meant to them, and their prediction of future brand usage, I was able to get to know each of them in a way a bit more personal than just a student….not to mention some of the hilarious memories they shared with the class thinking back to earlier years. Additionally, it validates the emphasis we as marketers place on creating “Brand Persona”, “Brand promise” “Brand Story” “Humanizing Brands”, …to name a few.
As mentioned in the 2015 Interbrand Best Global Brands Report, people are using brands as the vehicles to personally design the life they want to live.
Here is the summary of these students brands of their lives. Enjoy!
alysonkellykaye 