Description

Henry Wong, the author of Telling Your Story, discusses the importance of branding and how it relates to personal and company success. He emphasizes the power of authenticity and finding one's unique position in the marketplace. Wong explains the process of developing a brand, including understanding one's purpose and mission, and aligning it with the core values of the company. He also highlights the significance of having a strong brand in attracting the right employees and customers. Wong advises companies to hire a branding consultant early on to shape their brand and increase its value. In this conversation, Henry Wong discusses the process of distilling your brand story into a concise and impactful message. He emphasizes the importance of expressing yourself in a few words, like a billboard, to capture people's attention. Wong shares an exercise inspired by Ernest Hemingway, where he challenges people to express themselves in six words, similar to Hemingway's famous six-word story. He also highlights the significance of owning a single word that represents your brand and using it as a foundation to build your story. Wong explains that aligning your team with your brand mission is crucial for success and discusses the importance of holding both the team and leadership accountable. He shares examples of successful brand turnarounds and emphasizes the power of design in reinvigorating a brand. Wong concludes by discussing his book, which provides a step-by-step approach to bringing your brand to life.

Takeaways

• Branding is more than just getting known; it is about establishing a position and meaning to people.
• Authenticity is key to building a successful brand; it is important to be true to yourself and bring out the best part of who you are.
• Understanding your purpose and mission is fundamental to a company's success and can help attract the right employees and customers.
• Having a strong brand can add value to a company, with some attributing up to 25% of the company's value to its brand.
• Developing a brand requires an outside perspective and input from others to gain a comprehensive understanding of how you are perceived.
• Crafting a compelling brand story involves distilling it into different lengths, from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the audience and context. Express yourself in a few words, like a billboard, to capture people's attention.
• Challenge yourself to express your story in six words, inspired by Ernest Hemingway's famous six-word story.
• Own a single word that represents your brand and build your story around it.
• Align your team with your brand mission to ensure success.
• Hold both the team and leadership accountable for living out the brand.
• Successful brand turnarounds often involve reinvigorating the brand through design.
• Henry Wong's book provides a step-by-step approach to bringing your brand to life.

Chapters

00:00: Introduction and Background

06:24: Understanding Purpose and Mission

13:30: Reinforcing Purpose and Mission in a Company

25:37: Aligning Your Team with Your Brand Mission

35:03: Bringing Your Brand to Life: A Step-by-Step Approach