I had the opportunity to speak about branding at a local Seattle high school a couple weeks ago. It came as no surprise to me that some of the students feel manipulated by the branding efforts of large corporations.
What did surprise me, however, is that fully half of the students felt that they are not manipulated at all. Instead they felt while businesses can effectively market themselves in very visible ways, each person has choices about what to buy and which mediums to view. My point exactly!
The students liked the idea of defining their personal brands. The teacher liked it so much in fact that she suggested making it into a class project.
It was a nice way to spend an hour and great to connect with some smart, passionate young adults.
