Before social media turned practically everyone into a public figure, few CEOs included the word persona in their everyday vocabularies, much less hired publicists and marketing strategists to help them craft a personal brand.

But now that business owners are among the 72 percent of online adults who use social media, they are branding themselves with every tweet they post, every YouTube video they produce.

If you want to turn your personal brand into a powerful part of your digital marketing strategy, spend some time studying the habits of your industry leaders. And take some lessons from three women: Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and your Mom.

 
Permanent Imprint: Marilyn Monroe
Norma Jeane Mortenson carefully crafted the voice, walk, pout and smile that became indelibly identified with Marilyn Monroe, the sex symbol whose posthumous celebrity has lived for more than a half century since the actress’s death in 1962.

Marilyn Monroe is an example of perfect personal branding. Her public image was so well rehearsed that, when Marilyn slipped back into her Norma Jeane mannerisms, she could go out in public without being noticed. As an actor, Marilyn grew to resent how well she perfected her bombshell image — she was repeatedly rejected for serious roles.

But for CEOs, there are numerous advantages to typecasting. Take the effort to secure a distinctive, memorable personal brand, and it’s locked in for life. You don’t have to keep proving yourself over and over again to your clients.

Here are 3 ways to take the Marilyn Monroe approach to personal branding:

1. Create a visual gimmick.
Marilyn Monroe is easy to picture: red lipstick, skin-tight, cleavage-baring dress and platinum blonde hair.

Make yourself memorable. Always wear orange, carry a walking stick or hand out personalized M&Ms instead of business cards. Establish a memorable visual image — and reinforce it daily.

2. Create a realistic personal brand.
Marilyn’s brand was extraordinary, but it meshed with the dreams of Norma Jeane, who always wanted to become an actress. And she was a genuine beauty, as stunning with a bare face and messy hair as she was in artfully applied makeup.

Strive for a personal brand that is a better version of yourself, but don’t stray too far from the real you. Actors can leave their characters behind when they walk off a set, but you have to live your brand. So, keep it authentic. Because the truth will come out. Don’t pretend to love dogs, kids or apple pie if you hate them. But do strive to show respect for people whose views differ from your own.

3. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
Don’t go public with your personal brand until you’re confident you can pull off the image you seek. Just as it takes practice to prepare for a game and rehearsal to get ready for a stage production, it takes repeated effort to develop your personal brand. Marilyn studied the art of movement, reading books such as “The Thinking Body” in order to perfect her posture and walk.

If, for example, you want to present a more polished image in public, videotape yourself and critically examine your performance. Do you mumble or speak too loudly? Do you interrupt people or create awkward silences? Privately work on improving such issues before debuting the new you.

 
Perpetual Change: Madonna
Not everyone wants things — including their personal brand — to stay the same. If the idea of sticking to the same script for 20 or 30 years bores you, create a brand that embraces change.

Madonna perfected this. The one constant in her image was change.

Want to stay out of a personal branding rut? Practice these tips:

1. Rotate the tires.
Think of your personal brand as if it were your car. Rotate your brand message frequently. Unless you have supreme self-confidence, it’s better to make minor changes often than dramatic changes every year. Don’t do the equivalent of wearing a cone bra to work if you typically wear a Brooks Brothers suit. To soften a stolid image, change the color of your shirt in the spring and go for a blazer, no-tie look in the fall.

2. Admit mistakes and missteps.
Madonna is not known for apologizing for what her critics call outrageous behavior. But she’s been open about her regrets. In “Drowned World/Substitute for Love,” she admits, “I traded fame for love without a second thought… And now I find I’ve changed my mind.”

If you make a point of keeping your personal brand in a state of flux, you’re bound to make some gaffes along the way. Keep the mistakes from becoming a permanent part of your brand by quickly taking ownership of misbehavior or ill-considered comments.

The faster you get in front of personal branding problems the quicker you put them behind you.

3. Don’t confuse change with chaos.
The changes you make in your personal brand should have a purpose. An evolving personal brand is not the same as a revolving one. Your personal brand is strengthened when life experiences change your views. Parenthood and the early loss of her mother are among significant events that added new dimensions to Madonna’s image.

Your personal brand is harmed when change appears opportunistic or as if you’re simply latching on to a trend.

 
Moral Compass: Mom
A good way to test — and protect — your personal brand is to ask yourself, “What would my mom say?”

My mom warned me against acting on impulse, whether it was buying a new pair of shoes or lashing out in anger. I consider her “walk away” advice every time I’m tempted to take on a deep-pocketed client I don’t trust and before I send a hastily-composed email.

The mom test helps you align your personal brand with your core values. So if you ever wonder whether your actions are helping or harming your brand, ask yourself whether your mom would approve.

Or ask her yourself. She’d probably love to hear from you. And being nice to your mom is good for your image.

By Katherine Kotaw

Soure: AllBusiness

Arriva il momento in cui una persona che conoscevi solo superficialmente ti stupisce, ed eccomi qui. In situazioni normali ve la introdurrei con due parole semplici solo per farvi capire quello che c’è nelle righe sotto, invece vorrei fortemente che vi fermaste a leggere quest’intervista fino in fondo. Non sto scherzando. Ecco a voi Marina Graziani.

Il fatto che il tuo sia uno dei volti più indimenticabili nella storia della “Veline” di Striscia La Notizia ti ha aiutato a distanza di anni dal tuo debutto su quel bancone?

Sicuramente i miei trascorsi da Velina mi hanno regalato allora, come oggi, grandi soddisfazioni. (* Aggiungerei tra queste che ancora entro negli stessi shorts!) Compiuti i trent’anni ho deciso di cambiare vita professionale, ho prelevato 400 euro circa e sono partita per l’Australia, il mio obiettivo era proprio quello di svezzarmi da un mondo “stellato” e cavarmela da sola! Una terapia d’urto che mi è servita tantissimo. Al mio rientro in Italia sono passata dal fare la cameriera e lavapiatti, al mondo della comunicazione, eventi & management!

Arrivando dalla tv e dallo spettacolo in generale, non è stato facile reinserirmi nel mondo “tradizionale” del lavoro, facendomi largo tra diffidenza ed etichette… ma con il tempo e tanta voglia di fare, ho abbattuto questi muri. Il mio ruolo oggi è di ufficio stampa celebrity/vip endorsements per 3 aziende di moda, un’attività che si nutre di pubbliche relazioni e preziosi contatti costruiti in più di 15 anni d’esperienza professionale. Attingo quindi dai miei trascorsi e devo dire grazie per questa opportunità.

Hai sempre continuato a fare spettacolo, tv, spot pubblicitari e anche cinema ma non ti sei fermata li, ti sei creata anche una vita fuori dagli schermi, da manager. Come mai?

Ho sempre amato il lavoro nello spettacolo ma non l’ambiente… ho sentito forte l’esigenza di staccarmi da certi equilibri ambigui e cambiare aria. Credo poi che la libertà risieda nell’indipendenza. Voglio avere una mia realizzazione e gratificazione personale, non riuscirei mai a fare solo la mantenuta. Come non sarei mai riuscita a fare la “prezzemolina” a vita, senza arte ne parte. Di Simona Ventura e Michelle Hunziker ce ne sono poche, per altri talenti sempre meno spazi e poche opportunità… La vita è lunga e può regalare tante esperienze meravigliose, io ho sete di scoprirle.

Raccontami chi è la Marina Graziani di adesso, cosa preferisce fare e qual è il suo punto forte! (non è una trappola per farti parlare in terza persona giuro!)

Nel profilo del mio account di twitter ho scritto “l’unica costante è il cambiamento”… Io sono così, il mio elemento è l’acqua, ho bisogno di fluire, scorrere.  Il mio punto di forza è per l’appunto la propensione al cambiamento, nella grande ricerca di stimoli e di prove nuove da superare, sempre con lealtà e principi ben saldi.

Questa è la Marina di adesso e di sempre, oggi sicuramente più consapevole e solida di un tempo. Sto costruendo la mia colonna vertebrale, le mie certezze, e tutto questo non ha prezzo in fatto di libertà mentale e autostima. Se poi si cade (…e quante volte!), ci si rialza.

A cosa stai lavorando in questo periodo e com’è il tuo piano “d’attacco”?

In questo periodo porto avanti le mie attività di ufficio stampa celebrity e vip endorsements per le 3 aziende moda di cui parlavo prima.  Nello specifico sono: LEROCK (www.lerock.it), ALBERTO FERMANI (www.albertofermani.it) e EUROPEAN CULTURE (www.european-culture.it).

LEROCK in particolare è un po’ quello che mi ha instradata, per loro mi occupo anche di marketing e comunicazione in senso più ampio e questo mi da delle grandi motivazioni! L’azienda tra l’altro sta facendo passi da gigante in pochissimi anni e in tempi difficili, quindi ancor più stimolante fare parte di un progetto ambizioso e vincente! In questo periodo infine si stanno aprendo nella mia carriera nuove strade di collaborazione con importanti mercati internazionali… non aggiungo altro per scaramanzia ma incrocio le dita!

Meglio star o manager? E perché?

Meglio essere se stessi indipendentemente da un ruolo! Ma mettiamola così, oggi voglio essere una “star di manager”! Almeno ci proverò, su questo stanne certa! Ho avuto il massimo da una delle trasmissioni italiane più importanti e oggi sono a pieno responsabile delle mie conquiste o fallimenti professionali. In certi ambiti non ci si può improvvisare, i risultati si ottengono con capacità e dedizione. Ogni cosa ha comunque il suo giusto tempo e io non ho fretta! La bellezza sfuma negli anni, il cervello si arricchisce ogni giorno di più, anche per noi bionde (tinte e/o ex Veline! )!

La soddisfazione più grande della tua vita? E il momento più buio?

La soddisfazione più grande è proprio quella di essermi ricostruita un’identità professionale dopo alcuni anni di sofferenza e insicurezze, anche sul piano personale. Lo ammetto, non è stato facile. Il momento più brutto della mia vita è stato quello dell’adolescenza, distrutta dalla morte di mio padre inaspettata e dolorosissima. Da allora tutto è cambiato. Rimpiango ogni giorno di non averlo vicino, ma so che sarebbe orgoglioso di me.

Ti sei iscritta da poco su Twitter, chi sono i 3 profili che per il momento preferisci e vorresti consigliarci?

A parte il tuo? ( mi lusinghi  )

In testa metto la mia amica (e Pr cazzuta) Valentina Piccirillo (@Val_picci), responsabile di avermi introdotto nel network dopo mie innumerevoli resistenze! Responsabile anche di averci fatto conoscere! A parte il soggettivo… oggettivamente ironica nei suoi tweet, sintetica e diretta, porta sempre un sorriso nel leggerla!

Tra gli altri, seguo volentieri Asia Argento (@Asiaargento23), fa retweet anche degli insulti e forse mai dei complimenti, non è distaccata e talvolta regala qualche sfumatura di sé molto interessante.

Infine aggiungerei Antonio Capitani (@antoniocapitani) per essere sempre aggiornata sugli astri! Anche lui cordiale e partecipativo con chi gli scrive.

Sei felice?

Questo è di sicuro un periodo importante e positivo nella mia vita, ma la felicità è fatta di attimi, i miei veri obiettivi sono la serenità e l’equilibrio. E’ un lavoro quotidiano, attraverso le variabili positive e negative della vita posso cmq guardarmi allo specchio ed essere felice di me stessa, sempre fedele ai miei principi e pronta a lottare.

Questa è certamente la conquista più grande.

By Andrea Delogu 
Source: blog.panorama.it

When Jan Scheuermann grasped a chocolate bar and raised it to her mouth last year, it was a neuroscience breakthrough. Scheuermann, who has lost the movement of her limbs due to a degenerative spinal condition, was piloting a mechanical arm connected to her brain, using her thoughts to replicate natural motion.

It was also a triumph for Andrew Schwartz, a neurophysiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, who’s spent three dec-ades mapping the connections between the brain and the body. Until the 1980s, scientists believed the brain interacted with limbs in a fairly rote, mechanical way: Certain neurons lit up when corresponding muscles moved. Schwartz was part of a Johns Hopkins University research team that found the brain was actually expressing an intentional behavior, like turning a doorknob, that he could read in the neuron’s electrical signals. “When you watch someone dancing … there’s a sort of beautiful coordination and precision and athleticism incorporated in the movement,” he says. “Those are the kinds of things we could find in this cortical activity.”

With that understanding, Schwartz’s team developed a prosthesis that could mimic complex motions. They implanted electrical sensors into Scheuermann’s brain—192 needles 1/15 of an inch long. These transmit information to software they developed to translate her thoughts into the motion of an arm that moves in three dimensions, with a wrist that turns and bends and fingers that clasp. By the second day, she could give Schwartz a high-five. In 13 weeks, Scheuermann had a degree of control that the scientist had expected would take a year to master.

Brain-connected prosthetics could reduce the effort patients need to make, says Ryan Blanck, a prosthetist at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio who works with service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. “In the past, you had to do a lot of mental gymnastics to operate the prosthesis,” he says. Patients dislike them because they’re not intuitive.

Schwartz’s path to prosthetics came through a long-held interest in understanding spinal cord injuries. “Andy started out as a scientist. He came into this piece of it wanting to understand how the brain works,” says William Heetderks, a director of extramural science programs at the National Institutes of Health, which has funded some of Schwartz’s research. Over time, Heetderks says, Schwartz became committed to making the technology a viable therapy. “He was going to make this system work for rehabilitation,” he says.

Schwartz’s device is a long way from commercial availability. Among other challenges, the initial version requires a brain implant and a cord that connects the mechanical arm to the patient. Still, Schwartz says, the success of the trial shows “conclusively that this has true therapeutic value.” With each successful movement—picking up a ball, stacking cones, lifting a piece of food—he could tell Scheuermann, “nobody else in the world in recorded history has ever done this.”

By John Tozzi
Source:  www.businessweek.com

Yeople, meaning Young People, is a young and fast-growing Italian cool gadget start-up that ideated “I Like You Pendant and Necklace” a new cool Valentine’s Day gifts for social network addicts.

After the great success of the ”I Like Your Kitchen Glove” made by Enrique Luis Sardi (Cookie Cup etc.) that is booming worldwide, the “I Like You Pendant and Necklace” according to Alessandro Volo, Yeople’s Business Development Manager wants to follow the same success path.

Karina Reis, Yeople’s Brand Development Expert, says that the team developed the I Like pendant in order to allow everybody to express in a social and modern way how much she/he likes her/his special someone.

The I Like You Pendant and Necklace Valentine’s Day Special Box includes also a bracelet and it represents a modern and cool answer to the classic and old style pendants and necklaces that are currently sold. Given the social attitude of team members (average age is 27) all the products are developed following intuitions, trends and carefully listening to customer’s suggestions. In this case a survey showed that the target customer is bored of ordinary gifts and wants something special, unique and at the same time easy recognizable and self-expressing a status.

I Like You Pendant and Necklace satisfies these needs with its polished pendant that goes beyond hearts, stars and other common pendants. It sets a social way to show and express the feelings for a special someone. I Like You Pendant and Necklace follows Yeople’s philosophy that gifts and accessories that someone wears talk about this someone more than any other word.

Source: www.onlineprnews.com

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According to research firm, IHS iSuppli, two major facilities, which accounts a quarter of the global production of silicon wafers, have halted production as officials try to measure the damage caused by the devastating earthquake that hit the country this month.

IHS iSuppli reported on Monday that Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. has stopped production at its Shirakawa facility and MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. has halted manufacturing at its Utsunomiya plant. The two units produce as much as 25 per cent of the silicon wafers used in making semiconductors.

The Shun-Etsu facility, which produces 300-mm wafers used mainly in the manufacturing of memory devices alone accounts for 20% of the world’s wafer production, while the MEMC plant accounts for 5%.

Shin-Etsu has confirmed that the plan has been closed as engineers are finding it difficult to inspect the facility for damages due to the aftershocks following the March 11 earthquake measuring 9 in the richter scale. “At present, it is still unclear how long it takes to restore such damaged facilities and equipments,” the company said in a statement.

It is not known till when the facilities will remain closed, but a longer halt could seriously affect the global supply chain and have a huge negative impact on the industry, according to the research firm.

“We are currently speaking to a few parties and we haven’t appointed anyone as yet”. But he did confirm that Mumbai was indeed on their radar. ‘Yes, we are looking at Mumbai for our second dealership for India. We will make an announcement to that effect in the coming months”, said Stephan Winkelman, President of Automobili Lamborghini after the rumors that the Lamborghini is in the process of appointing a second dealer for India.

Mumbai, city that has strong influence on the Indian economy, is expected to host the second showroom for the company. Earlier, the website, bsmotoring. com, has reported about the proposal and some other news published a report regarding the appointment of Auto Hangar as the Mumbai dealer for Lamborghini.

The Lamborghini is a renowned company for the manufacturing of the Gallardo and Aventador supercars. The company has launched the Aventador globally that replaces the Murcielago. The 691 bhp supercar can even accelerate from 0-100 kph in 2.9 seconds and reach a highest speed of 350 kph. It is sold for Rs 3.85 crore in India. Further, The Aventador confirmed the benefits of the advanced electronic ESP technology.

Tata Housing Development Co. announced that it would set up ‘Subh Grah’ projects in about four cities that comprises Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mumbai during the existing financial year to meet up the low-cost housing requirements of individuals.

The Tata Group company is also eyeing to make entry in the global markets via the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Tata Housing Managing Director and CEO Brotin Banerjee stated, “So far, we have developed three affordable housing projects that have been successful. In 2011-12, we will be doing four such new projects. There is huge demand for low cost housing, particularly in metros and State capitals, which we can meet in partnership with the government. If the government provides us land, we can deliver smart-value homes and low-cost projects to meet housing needs of people.”

Tata Housing, which also introduced the luxury housing project Primanti in Gurgaon, including 1,100 units, stated that during 2011-12, it would make an investment of Rs. 1,000 crore towards formulating land bank and another Rs
2,000 crore towards construction.

“Last year, we did around 9,000 homes while this fiscal we plan to double this. We will launch 8-10 new projects this year…we are also looking at two new lines of business related to land development,” he said.

Especially, Tata Housing is developing at more than 100% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) for the last three years.

Referring to the real estate company’s projected worldwide foray, Mr. Banerjee said, “We are looking for partners to enter into two countries in the SAARC region through the PPP model. Our focus will be affordable housing projects to meet shortage of housing.”

Monic Anan