Senior Vice President of 
and President of The Global McDonald's Division
At CEO Council
Tampa Bay
May 8, 2008
how to apply
managing brand you
to create a more successful self
lessons for
building a relationship
with your most valued customer
building
winning growth strategies
in global businesses
categories
jerry's picks
inspired reading
-
The Tipping Point:
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
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Blue Ocean Strategy:
How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant
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Good to Great:
Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
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First, Break All the Rules:
What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
-
Leading Change:
A Comprehensive Eight-Step Framework to Cultivating Change
-
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands:
The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries
-
Profiles in Courage:
A Look at Political Integrity in the Face of Adversity
-
Re-imagine!:
Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age
-
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:
A Leadership Fable
-
The Speed of Trust:
The One Thing That Changes Everything
-
Is It Too Late to Run Away and Join the Circus?:
An Updated Guide to Your Second Life
-
Beyond Race and Gender:
Unleashing the Power of Your Total Workforce by Managing Diversity
brand perspectives
Reinvent Brand YOU and Thrive in This Turbulent Economy
Managing Brand YOU, brand management, people development
Differentiate OR Vegetate!
Look no further than the city of Seattle for a lasting example of a successful reinvention. Back in the 20th century, Seattle had become one of the shrinking cities in the USA. With a declining defense industry, a struggling logging industry and a climate that was hardly idealistic, Seattle was a city that was losing population and self esteem. At one point, an outdoor billboard expressed the public sentiment with a bold statement, “Will the last person leaving SEATTLE - Turn out the lights.”
Today, Seattle is a vibrant, hip city that has gone through an incredible “brand repositioning.” Fueled by the likes of Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon.com, Alaska Air, Nordstrom, music, technology, innovation and environmentally sensitive lifestyles, Seattle is a great example of the power of reinvention.
During these turbulent times when the news is riddled with yet another corporate downsizing, rising gas prices, and declining home values it is easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. NOW, however, is the perfect time to take stock in your own life situation and consider your own personal reinvention.
Are you in a career that is susceptible to a future downsizing or have you already been the victim of such a restructure? Do you have a bona fide plan for your future? How well are you differentiated in today’s marketplace?
These are just a few questions, everyone from the CEO to a front line worker should be asking themselves before it becomes a reality. This turbulent economy represents tremendous potential for those individuals who are playing to their strengths and true to their inner essence. But everyone should have a personal plan to stand out in the crowd by differentiating themselves with unique skills and capabilities.
10 Tips for Personal Differentiation:
1. Embrace and Accept Change . . . Do Not Fight Reality
2. Be Able to Describe What Makes You Different, Better and Special Compared With Others In A Sentence
3. Learn New and Relevant Skills All The Time
4. Know What You Like To Do and What You Do Not Like To Do
5. Meet New People In Different Areas All The Time
6. Volunteer For Interesting Assignments
7. Take Intelligent Risks
8. Establish and Deliver Your “Brand You Promise”
9. Look For Unfilled Needs That You Can Fulfill
10. Have a Positive Attitude and An Optimistic Mindset
Today is a great day to examine how well you are prepared to win in this turbulent economy. While the prospect of change and uncertainty can be very troubling, taking proactive control of your future is very empowering and quite liberating.
After all if Seattle can reinvent, certainly you can do the same.
Manage Brand You, now and forever.
Managing Brand YOU to hit retailers in July
Managing Brand YOU
Managing Brand YOU, 7 Steps to Your Most Successful Self is moving along in the world of publishing. According to the most recent information, the book should be bound in mid June with availability to the public through Amazon about a week to 10 days later. Ideally by the middle of July, MBY will be in your local bookstore. Pre-order your copy NOW, through Amazon.
Managing Brand YOU Hits Publisher’s Weekly
Managing Brand YOU
Great Breaking News!!
The April 28th Publisher’s Weekly is out and Managing Brand YOU is IN. Check it out, @publishers weekly when you get a chance. “The true message of this widely appealing book is about being true to yourself and then intentionally and dependably projecting that authentic package to the world.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
A lesson learned (hopefully)
brand management, inspirational leadership
A recent photo shoot for Vanity Fair may have added a bit of tarnish to the otherwise spotless image of Hannah Montana, the acting/stage name of 15 year-old actress Miley Cyrus. For those of you unfamiliar, Cyrus, the daughter of famed country singer Billy Ray, is in a hit Disney show, playing a girl who lives a double life as a high-school teen by day and a famous pop star by night.
Cyrus, no stranger to the spotlight came out and apologized immediately to her fans for the “racy” photos, citing them as a mistake and adding that she hopes she did not disappoint anyone. Good move on her part. Hopefully this will be a good lesson learned in personal branding. Even a small slip can stain the clean sheet of your image, personal, professional, or company, if not handled in an appropriate and timely manner.
Rebrander beware!
brand management
In case you haven’t noticed over the past few weeks, your Starbucks cup has taken on a new (and slightly less colorful) look. This bold move of changing one of the worlds most recognized logos is all part of effort to rebrand Starbucks, tracing back to its roots of Seattle’s Pike Place Market. In addition to the new design, Starbucks has also begun to serve the Pike Place Roast.
Some argue that Starbucks has a strong enough brand equity that they can afford to experiment, while others have come out in protest to the subtle changes to their morning ritual. Will these new changes take hold among the Starbucks loyalists or are we seeing a slow demise to the treasured franchise as they fight to compete with the low price leaders.
Welcome!
brand management, customer collaboration, customer relationships, growth strategies, inspirational leadership, people development, strategic marketing
Welcome to jerryswilson.com. The online home of “Brand Jerry”.
With my new book, Managing Brand YOU, about to hit the shelves, I figured it to be the opportune time to brush up on the digital side of my brand. So here we go…
Please check out the site to learn about brand Jerry, add the RSS feed, watch some videos, or sign up to get a copy of the Managing Brand YOU workbook to learn how you can start applying the 7-step process to develop your personal brand today!
I look forward to discussing marketing, branding, and managing customer relationships as well as sharing stories and lessons of my years in the field with each of you.
So take a look around and let me know what you think!
speaking
Media
Jerry enjoys speaking publicly, to small or large audiences, on various topics ranging from personal motivation and development to creating customer alliances, and of course on Managing Brand YOU.
recent media
about the
book
by Jerry S Wilson
& Ira Blumenthal 
What is the book all about?
Nationally respected brand experts Jerry Wilson and Ira Blumenthal have helped some of the most exceptional companies and individuals in the world perfect their images.
Now, in Managing Brand YOU, they reveal their proven seven-step process for personal brand building. Using illuminating examples from successful corporations like Coca-Cola and Starbucks, as well as high-profile celebrities like Bono and Oprah, Managing Brand YOU gives readers a step-by-step guide on how to build their own brand.
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