The outlier. Who are they? Seth Godin described an outlier as “someone who has established themselves from outside of the main stream as an expert. They define themselves in their unique way as a trusted expert on the fringe of the main stream.”

A good example of an outlier is Richard Branson, the suave English multi-billionaire head of the Virgin Group.  Richard Branson is in the corporate milieu but through his imagination, out-of-the-box ideas and fearless spirit, he’s created businesses that are both unique and outside of the safe standard norm. Richard Branson is the perfect example of an outlier. He’s someone that has established themselves on the fringe of the regular.

Quite often, when someone is an outlier, you’ll find that they have created a singularly original personal brand that goes along with that. Part of having that unique brand is having visual recognition that you are different from the classic blue suit accountant-look.

You rarely see Richard Branson in a tie. Instead, he always projects a very breezy style with his wild mane of hair. You can imagine him stepping onto a beach or into a boardroom with complete ease. Richard Branson is the anti-hero. He is anti-establishment. He runs his life with a “This is my island and these are my rules kind of mentality”, and that’s what defines him as unique. Richard Brand has a distinctive personal brand that is all his own and matches his values and his outlook. He is the definition of a branded outlier.

One of the best ways to start developing these relationships is to establish similar interests between you and your customers. This comes through in your basic brand messaging – in other words, how you communicate online.

Once you’ve identified your target market, you need to define the demographic and the psychology of that group. What matters to them? What’s the best way to engage them? Work on finding the correct tone – one that doesn’t make them feel as though you’re speaking above or below them, but directly to them. As you start to talk and think and act like your target market, you’ll gain trust. Your customers will decide that you are one of them, you are part of their tribe. Once they trust you, you’re in.

The ease with which your customers will let you into their lives once they trust you, shows how vital it is that your brand reflects the group that you’re trying to communicate with.

The top brands in advertising do just that. Specifically the top brands on Facebook show the corporate stars in companies that are connected well with their customers. As of October 2011 the number of “likes” on Facebook show that these companies have created a successful brand: Coca Cola 34.5 million likes, Starbucks 25.5 million likes, Oreo 23.1 million likes, Red Bull 22.4 million likes, Converse Allstar 20.8 million likes, and Skittles 19.4 million likes. Entertainers are brands as well and the number of Facebook likes for Lady Gaga (61.7 million likes in October 2011) and Rihanna with 57.5 millions likes show that they are connecting with their fans.

The fans of these brands feel that they have a one way communication with these companies and entertainers. It’s as though they have a direct personal relationship with them.

Facebook is very powerful in being able to communicate in this way – through visual and through words. These connections help people connect to brands and help them to perceive a relationship.

To understand your own brand, you must recognize your brand’s style.

What is your signature look? Do you have a particular style or cut of clothing that you’re known for? Is there a colour that you often wear or a unique and stylish pair of glasses that seem to have been made just for you?

Once you recognize your brand’s style, you can make decisions to help reinforce your brand. People will start to see images or objects that are part of your brand style and they will subconsciously think of you, however more importantly, your signature brand style is a style that suits you and it speaks to your personality.

To find your signature style try to pinpoint the one thing that really represents your brand in a strong way. This should be something that you can repeat in your brand story, and this will become your signature style.

I first met Adrienne in an acting workshop I was teaching. She stood out from the group as a thoughtful and committed actress, however when I reviewed her brand discovery information, I learned that she also has an extremely rich and diverse background in Arts and Science. What a fabulous mix of left and right brain!

Adrienne has extensive training in the arena of fine arts. She not only trained at the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto, but she also attended a Montreal-based Fine Arts Program in her bilingual high school called F.A.C.E, where she studied visual arts, theatre/drama, vocal and instrumental music. Continuing her education, Adrienne attended Sherry Black’s Broadstreet Dance in Victoria, as well as the Theatre Program at the University of Victoria.

As dedicated as Adrienne is to the arts, she also fused academics into her journey and completed a B.Sc in Biology as well as a M.Sc in Plant Science.

After years of exploring both the Arts and Sciences, Adrienne really understands that life is all about balance and the ability to embrace change. She lives each day with passion, clarity and heartfelt authenticity.

The Approach

Adrienne looked to me to help her integrate her multidimensional personality and varied accomplishments into a cohesive full brand. In addition, our goal for this process was to showcase her dramatic range in a visual series of head-shots for her talent agency.

Analysis of Adrienne’s Brand Strengths

When meeting Adrienne in person, I was struck immediately by her grounded nature, open joy and hyper intelligence. Her original photographs, while solid, didn’t do enough to illuminate her layers with drama or impact.

The Brand Stories

We choose award winning photographer Michael Boland of Michael Boland Photography to shoot Adrienne’s Brand Stories. Michael’s work has been published numerous times in many of the worlds leading publications including: Azure, Surface, Newsweek, Wallpaper and can be seen in more detail at Mike Boland Headshots on Tumblr. (You can contact Michael directly by emailing him at info@michaelboland.ca.)

In the end, I developed five brand stories for Adrienne. These stories work together to capture her full brand range for all of her markets. What follows are details of two of the five brand stories.

Brand Story 1: Visionary-Business Coach

Storyboard A: Business expert with strong vision. For a few pictures, Adrienne should keep her arms crossed with her glasses on. Portray a sense of commitment and leadership.

Storyboard B: The Visionary is relaxed with a warm smile and a reassuring gaze giving a sense of optimism. One idea for the shot would be to have Adrienne sitting, relaxed into a chair.

Brand Story 2: Best Friend/Hipster

Storyboard A: The Best Friend, showing a relaxed stance, with arms on the hips or to the side, and a joyful smile showing in the eyes.

Storyboard B: The Hipster, shows a warm smile, and an energy that is goofy, laughing, comedic, and light.

The Results

Adrienne’s pictures blew me out of the water! Michael Boland’s work was crisp and tight and the images show such clarity in energy and personality. In her dramatic shots, we wanted there to be a depth and gravitas – almost like a moment in a riveting scene. The viewer should wonder what lies beneath the surface and that’s exactly what emerged from those images. Her hipster shots, on the other hand, nailed the ‘Feist’ modern edge perfectly. Adrienne’s quirky, gamine looks in her best friend shot have become a key image in social media marketing and it elevates her image to attract more precise and solid connections.

Adrienne’s Testimonial

Pamela has been such a joy to work with. I took a Commercial Audition Workshop with her and Casting Director Sean Milliken in November 2011. I can say hands down it was one of the most useful and practical approaches to a workshop I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

After taking some time off from the industry I wasn’t sure how to approach coming back after so many years away. With Pamela’s guidance and personal brand build, she was able to capture the essence of who I am, the unique journey that has led me to where I am today and the confidence to move forward with clarity about who I really am and what I want people to see. Her methods are deeply thoughtful and she is skilled at getting to the heart of what matters.

As a client I am thrilled with the outcome of my personal brand story. I would highly recommend Pamela to anyone wishing to develop a public image that expresses all that they are, from the inside out.

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The Approach

To date, Janet’s paintings have been the star, but as her engagement with the public increases to include newspaper interviews and speaking engagements, it became obvious that it was time to amp up her personal brand. Janet will also be attending the Banff Artist In Residency (BAIR) Winter Program in March 2012, so we knew her branding needing to be in place and ready to wow quickly.

My vision was to create a cohesive re-branding strategy to bridge all the elements of Janet; artist, business person, fitness buff, and parent. All these sides come together more than ever with her increased online presence through her website, Twitter and Facebook.

Previously, her main publicity photo captured her demure and elegant artist self in the style of a portrait, however I felt that we needed colour and emotion to really bring her brand to full effect.

Analysis of Janet’s Brand Strengths

Janet and I followed my Branding Process, and during the process I didn’t have to look far to gather what I needed. She was a walking brand sandwich board already! Polished, poised, self aware, fit, and with a self-assurance that might make one assume she grew up as the daughter of a diplomat. After talking with her for a bit about her exemplary posture, she confirmed that she spent her childhood committed to gymnastics – that explains it!

In advertising we refer to Janet as ‘aspirational’. She exudes a fun and has such an open confidence that you deem her an expert on all levels of being human, and you trust and like her. This is the ultimate brand. All we needed to do was to convey this fully, and we would succeed with all of her audiences from business to personal.

The Brand Stories

We decided on fashion and celebrity photographer Matt Haylett to do the shoot for Janet’s Brand Story Kit. She was able to source some clothes from her closet, and bought others new for the shoot. Janet had her hair done that morning and brought a makeup artist to the set to help her transition through all of the looks – from the natural to the high glam.

In talking with Janet, I helped her identify some elements that remain consistent and true, regardless of her Brand Story:

1. NYC Art Gallery Owner

The Truth Line: “I am dedicated to my gallery; I am confident in my ability to choose fresh new artists; I am the Anna Wintour of the art world and love it all.”

2. Friday Night Gala

The Truth Line: “I am confident in my body; I am proud of where I am at; I am ready to own the room tonight.”

3. Bliss Woman

The Truth Line: “I value my me time; I feel great; I am dedicated to balance and harmony.”

4. Best Friend

The Truth Line: “I am happy with my kids, home and life. I love nothing more than a glass of wine with my two best friends. I am not afraid to tell it like it is; they will ask me for advice before they go their own doctor!”

The Final Results

Janet’s photos turned out beautifully, and we had many amazing options to chose from. She fully committed to her key truths and they shone through. This was Janet’s first professional photo shoot before, so these results were truly remarkable, but not uncommon when someone understands the brand and the emotion behind it, and the photographer is committed to the same vision. Once you have that understanding and commitment, the rest is all about relaxing and having fun with it.

Janet’s Testimonial

My Brand-Build photos speak for themselves! Pamela’s intuition, years of experience and unique Brand Building template clarified, defined and refined a media brand for me that was spot on and it shows. The storyboard identities she created exemplify who I am and how I wish to be perceived. Thank you, Pamela! I look forward to many more great experiences with you. “

The Approach

Brian was looking to build out a stronger brand campaign for the comedic and dramatic sides of his career and publicity. During our discovery interview, we agreed that his current publicity shots didn’t capture the essence of his range. When you’re dealing casting directors and directors/producers, the visual must hook them immediately, or they’ll move on to the next guy.

When working on an actor’s brand, it’s critical that we balance being truthful to his brand, while still stretching his range to hit the roles he will play. It’s a fine mix of reality and perception.

Analysis of Brian’s Brand Strengths

Using our Branding Process, we completed an analysis of Brian’s strengths and opportunities. Sitting with Brian, I was struck by his warm and dry sense of humour, as well as his energy that is very relatable. He reminded me of a favorite cousin, or a small-town hockey coach, or even a talk show host.

The Brand Stories

To create Brian’s Brand Story Kit, I created four stories that I felt would address all of the elements of his career and speak to his audiences in the most direct way possible. Fashion and celebrity photographer Matt Haylett was selected for Brian’s photo shoot.

Brand Story 2: NYC Talk Show Host

The Truth line: “I am dedicated to finding the humour & the truth in all stories; I care deeply about the final product.”

Brand Story 2: Power Meeting

The Truth line: “I control the deal; I weigh all options carefully like a pro poker player who cannot be read.”

3. Weekend Warrior

The Truth Line: “Weekends are about the cottage, goofing around my buddies and watching The Hangover again”

4. Small Business Spokesperson

The Truth Line: “I am committed to my business; a warm expert who has the answers you need!”

The Final Results

Working with the direction of our Brand Stories, Matt was able to bring each story to life beautifully. Brian pulled together all of the wardrobe pieces – borrowed, bought and pulled from depths of his own closet. Moreover, Brian committed to each story like an actor is trained to do! The shots chosen had a consistent thread of sincere emotion and a specific tone. They are beyond portraits, as they each embody their own brand.

Brian now has a solid portfolio of images to market himself on social media and networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, on his own personal website, as well as actor’s promotion on IMDB.com.

Brian’s Brand Stories were completed with perfect timing, as just weeks after we worked with Brian, he broke through with a YouTube video called “The Canada Party“. Brian co-wrote, produced and starred in the video which has received almost 1 million hits and launched him into the media spotlight, including an interview with CNN’s Jeanne Moos.

Brian’s Testimonial