Music is part of my personal brand.  I’ve written about it before. But for the last six months I’ve created quite a significant illustration of that particular personal brand trait.

As a little joke/hat-tip to my friend, Terry Starbucker, I started tweeting about what was rolling off of my iPod.  Some times it was in the middle of the day.  Some times it was after lunch.  But after a few weeks, I realized most of my melodic tweets took place first thing in the morning.

Why?

Music DRIVES me.  I don’t care if it’s the classic William Tell Overture or a smooth George Michael track, or even the mind-bending, screaming Velvet Revolver; music is never far from my ears.  It’s part of my brand.

So, virtually every morning, from early September 2009, to this morning, I have turned on my iPod and the first song (sometimes the second or third - ’cause who wants to get going to The Wiggles or Raffi?) that rolls off the virtual turntable becomes my “Get-Going groove of the day.”

Music moves me.  And strange enough, I’ve found many of YOU have responded as well. Countless times, I’ve been asked to provide play-lists of my grooves.  I’ve burnt a quite a few of CDs for friends. And I realize The Get-Going groove of the day has touched more than my own personal brand.  Heck, I get emails and direct messages if I’ve forgotten, or the groovy tweet has been delayed even a half hour, so someone has been affected…

So here you go.  The first volume of The Brand Chef’s Get-going groove of the day is listed below. (Tracks/links and Tweets!)

ENJOY!

Piggies - The Beatles:
My Get-Going groove of the day (Saturday Edition): LINK - I’m not sure what’s more disturbing… the song or the video… WOW.

Brick House - The Commodores:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK - Lionel before he went to the dark side… WHAT A GROOVE FOR FRIDAY! Have a GREAT DAY!

It Hurts Me Too - Eric Clapton:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK - Great attitude tune for the gloomy day! Grrrrrrrr!

Jump Jive An’ Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK — came up on the iPod on the treadmill Sunday… So, I cranked the pace to 9! (dumb)

Carry on Wayward Son - Kansas:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK — great 70’s “rock your soul” motivation —> ’nuff said…

Soul Vaccination - Tower of Power:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK Since my arm STILL hurts from yesterday’s flu shot… Time to get FUNKY!

Here I Am - Lyle Lovett:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK - only album I’ve ever purchased that is remotely close to country… The guy has STYLE!

Life is Wonderful - Jason Mraz:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK - One of my new favorite songs… Something to remember EVERY DAY!

Battle of Who Could Care Less - Ben Folds Five:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK — Okay Monday, take that…

Pump It Up - Elvis Costello:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK - the week is almost over… Maybe Elvis can help us get there?

Rock and Roll is Dead - Lenny Kravitz:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK — A little gritty groove for the Monday blues… Get up and get moving!

Basket Case - Green Day:
My Get-Going groove of the day : LINK A little pop-punk in the hope that this will clear the gloom from the morning. And GO!

Working Man - Rush:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK … kind of appropriate on a day like today?

Bicycle Race - Queen:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK — so much innuendo for so early on a Monday morning… ?

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m yours - Stevie Wonder:
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK — Classic Stevie…

Something - Paul McCartney (Concert for George):
My Get-Going groove of the day: LINK - From the Concert for George … Watch the whole video… Heartbreaking & inspiring.

I’ll continue to post the Get-going groove of the day - every day possible - to my Twitter and Facebook accounts.  Why?  ‘Cause every day needs a little groove… So stay tuned (every day around 8am) for more!

Until next time…

Keep Cooking! (tasty tunes to tickle your tail lights…)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

A thought came to my mind this morning.  It was in relation to a “Get-Going Groove of the day” post I made about Jaco Pastorius.

“Are you good or are you damn good?”

He was a troubled musician that had a talent that was second to none. He changed the world of music.  He changed electric bass.

He completely altered jazz for ever because he was DAMN good. He embodied unmatched creative innovation. (All before the age of 35.)

Take a look / listen here (from the early 1980’s & well worth the 9:41):
(Facebookers and feed readers, click on this link to see the video.)

Because of his amazing talent and passion for his trade/art, he was able to move mountains – just look at some of the “shout outs” in his bio.

But he was troubled.  An addict.  A broken soul…  And he was taken from us too soon.

So, what’s the connection?

Jaco Pastorius’ track helped me realize there is a difference between just being good and being DAMN good.

If you’ve ever asked yourself any of the following questions:

“Is there more?  What kind of impact will I have?  What legacy will I leave for my children - the world?”

you may want to ask yourself…

Are you good or are you DAMN good?

When I say DAMN good, I mean do you simply do what is expected or do you innovate?

Do you clock in and do your work to get from point A to point B?  Or do you utilize your talent, your passion, to change the perspective of those around you?  Do you make the world better for yourself - for others?

Jaco Pastorius, through the pain, loneliness and mind-numbing distortion of addiction, left the world a better place.  He took the one thing that seemed to make him happy and worked it to its pinnacle, a mark to which the rest of the music world would measure themselves against.

This leads to a few final questions:

“How can you take your current situation and become more like Jaco Pastorius?  How can you take your passion to a level that further defines you, your career and solidifies your future?”

Food for thought.

Keep Cooking (innovation over stagnation)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

This post is for my fellow Midwesterners that have, over the last 60 hours, braved the cold, wind and driving snow from one of the worst blizzards seen in this area in almost a decade.

Last time Iowa had snow like Tuesday and Wednesday’s storm was 1992. I was still cuddled warm in my dorm room at Coe College and didn’t see the need to venture out in the gale winds.  We had plenty of TopRamen,  plenty of Keystone Light, and cable television to keep up safe, warm and entertained for the two days we were snowed into our dorms.  Heck, I didn’t even need to shower if I didn’t feel the urge (although roommates made it evidently clear that one was needed.)

This time, circumstances were different. I’m now a “bonafied” grown-up with responsibilities like a family, home, and a real job.  I have a mortgage to pay, I have children to protect and keep warm and fed.  I even have a dog that needs to be cared for – a long leap from the last blizzard that crippled the area.

So, how did I get through it this time?

Winter-time brands, baby…

Here are 16 brands I’d like to thank for getting me through “Death Storm 2009:”

• Jeep - My trusty Liberty was sideways a few times, but that was probably operator error … probably?
• Toro - Without my trusty snow blower, I would STILL be shoveling through the 4′ drifts.  I *heart* Toro!
  
• Old Navy - “Economical” Winter coat…  ’nuff said.
  
• Thinsulate - mmmm…  toasty warm snow pants for the kids (and dad).
• Encore Movie Channels - what a great way to decompress from 4 hours of pushing snow…  some mindless classics (Die Hard, Step Brothers, and soooo many more…)
  
• Cartoon Network & Nickelodeon - although the kids spent most of the time outside (crazy!)
  
• Apple Computers - without = SOCIAL MEDIA PANIC…  No blog Posts!  No Twitter? No Facebook? The end of civilization as we know it!  Cats and Dogs living together…  complete, mass-hysteria!
  
• Pillsbury - two words: Christmas Cookies!
  
• Pork - The Other White Meat - The kids and I made “home-made” pizza… Between you and me, nothing goes better on pizza than oodles of Italian pork sausage!
  
• Skittles - Can you say “Taste The Rainbow?” and, no they didn’t go on the pizza… dessert…  ?
  
• TownHouse Crackers - a perfect part of a late-night snack… (kickn’ Web site as well!)
  
• Shullsburg Cheese - and what else to top those crackers?  Say Cheese!  And they’re a Midwestern brand to boot!
• KCCI TV8 - my favorite weather tracking team…
  
• Iowa DOT - the folks in those big, yellow trucks that kept burying the end of my driveway… but I’m DARN glad they’re there to get the city moving again!
• Aspercream - ’cause I’m not 18 any more… (OR: go out strong and don’t let them see you limp back in.)
  
• Serta - the best way to end the day…
  

So, by the list, you can pretty much tell what I did over the last 60+ hours.  Brands defined my day…

What brands did you depend on to make it through the storm?  Were there some that you counted on more during the storm than any other day (Toro, Aspercream)?

Here’s hoping you all are happy, safe and warm. Just think…  this Winter just started.

Keep Cooking (warm thoughts)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Now that you have a Twitter account, what do you do to make it work for you?

Jump In and Start Tweeting:
Social media is not exactly social in the beginning.  It’s a lot of people, alone, standing at the edge of the chasm yelling trivial facts about themselves and their industry.  And that’s why statistics say that up to 60% of Twitter users quit after a short time.

A conversation starts with “Hello.” It’s a simple concept, but even communication-savvy professionals seem to forget this fact when they first sign into their Twitter account.

Take a strategic approach to positioning your brand.  Start talking about what you do.  Start referencing your skills, your accomplishments and your vision for a better personal or professional brand dialogue.

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Find Some Friends:
Nothing is more gut-wrenching than the idea going to a party alone.  Twitter has MILLIONS of people at the party, so there has to be someone to talk to, ya’ think?  But how do you find them and how do they find you?

Here are some tactics I’ve used to find like individuals and thought leaders in my industry:

The first and easiest step is to follow those who your friends follow.  Find a person with similar interests to yours and look at who they are following.  Often times, if you work in the same industry, you’ll find people that you know (or want to know).  Engage them.

Another good way to start building your network is to start with a basic Twitter search at “http://search.twitter.com“.  Search terms related to your personal and professional interests (e.g. -  marketing, cooking, photography, Des Moines, Iowa, etc.)

NOTE: For those that think keeping the security setting ON their Twitter account is a good idea.  It’s not. Twitter is the pinnacle of social media dialogue, so why lock people out of the conversation?  As soon as you set up your account, unprotect your tweets, go to Account and deselect “Protect my tweets” now!

If you’re looking to use Twitter as a micro-social venue (corporate connection hub), you may find it limiting at 140 characters per post. Also, anyone you “friend” will most certainly be a little confused when they arrive to your party and the front door is locked.

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Schedule It and Tweet It:
I’ll be the first to admit that social media, especially Twitter, can be a HUGE time investment.  To keep from sitting, watching… waiting, and wondering when to jump into the conversation is to simply schedule it and tweet it.

Set aside some time, every day, to get into your twitter stream.  Schedule ideas to talk about based on your current projects or post questions about conversations you see in your stream.  I like to schedule one hour a day to be 100% active on Social Media (that may vary based on the number of accounts you have to manage).

In that hour, start out monitoring conversations within your stream.  The best way to have an engaging brand is to be a resource of knowledge for others.  If you see a question or comment that you can add value to, then jump in and start tweeting.

If you’re not seeing active conversations that you can (or want to) join, have a back-up subject to start a discussion.  Post a question or a comment and try to tag someone to get their attention and join the conversation.  (e.g. - “@TheBrandChef — what did you think of MadMen last night?”). If that person is on line and monitoring their stream, they should reply.  Often times, others monitoring specific terms “Mad Men” will find you and jump into the conversation as well.  There are a lot of ways to start a conversation, but simply saying “Hello…” is always the best.

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Now that you’re in the conversation, let’s look at some more other important solutions to make Twitter a TRUE brand extension for you.

Make Your Brand Unique:
Yep…  the BIG “U” of TRUE Branding.  If someone lands on your Twitter page and it looks like the base template (blue sky/clouds background and the dreaded “o_O” avatar), there’s nothing within that critical first second to entice them into engaging with you or your brand (Engaging is the BIG “E” of TRUE Branding, by-the-way).

Immediately after unlocking your tweets, go to Settings/Picture and upload an image that uniquely defines you/your brand.  Your avatar is your online identity, so make sure you chose wisely.  The photo of you and your boyfriend slamming tequila poppers at Jake’s party may not be indicative of your brand or your mission on Twitter.

If you’re tweeting as an individual, I encourage you to have a portrait taken to give your friends a little eye contact.  If your tweeting on behalf of a company or a group/association, have a professional graphic designer create a fitting icon to use as the avatar that reflects the appropriate brand standards.

Although Twitter does offer you a nice collection of background themes to chose from, customizing one to your own design would help to extend your brand image to a much more unique (and professional) level. Try matching your Web site design.  With that, it  would be wise to have a professional designer work up a good background design for you.  And then, simply by going to Settings/Design, you can customize the theme to your brand standards as well as customize the color pallet to match.

Here are some samples of migrating your visual brand to the Twitter platform: Boesen The Florist and The Meyvn Group.

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That’s Just The Appetizer Course:
Before all of those social media experts get their aviators all fogged up, I do want to admit that we’re still only scratching the surface.  There’s tracking, feeds, third-party applications and even mobile discussions we can have to get you even further on Twitter.  But I think I gave you enough to chew on for now.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Keep Cooking (unique, engaging conversations)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Hey Boomers…  what would you do if you spent the last 35 (or more) years of your life working to secure your family, your finances, your future, and the economy tanked?

Suddenly you find yourself out of a job due to corporate “out-placement” or “downsizing.” Suddenly, the job that you depended on for the well-being of… well, everything is gone. Suddenly you, along with thousands of others, stand on the unfamiliar streets of a bustling city, resume in hand, wondering what your next step should be.

I can only imagine what’s going through your mind…

• It’s easily been 15 years since you even looked for a job.
• You’ve worked within the same systematic corporate structure for years.
• The skill-set that got you your last job has been replaced by two keystrokes and an open source back end managed by a 26 year-old.
• The last version of your resume was typed on a 1973 Smith Corona.
• The “kid” in the coffee shop down the street has more energy than you could ever dream of having - caffeine induced or not.
• A job search at 50 … Might as well be a trek up Mount Everest in Birkenstocks and bikini.

To compete in this frightening job market, you need to find and edge.  You need to find out what makes you unique to potential employers?  you need to find out what relevance you have to potential employers.

Marva Goldsmith has a plan for you… It’s called Personal Branding.

In her new book Branding Yourself After Age 50, Marva applies commercial branding techniques to those competing for new jobs and hoping to gain higher visibility and value. On September 15, Marva will be kicking off her interactive webinar series based on the book to help participants develop their own personal branding strategies.

“I started the book as self-imposed therapy on the eve of my 50th birthday. It took a different direction as I found many of my peers and colleagues facing unexpected and unplanned ‘career outages’,” says Marva. “The webinars are a natural outgrowth of the book and give people a chance to roll up their sleeves with me and come out with a practical, high-impact plan for moving forward.”

So, Boomers… Push aside those AARP solicitations and step up to the plate.  Remember, it was your motivation and cries for change moved the world to look at equality through clearer eyes. YOU taught us the value of a hard day’s work.  And now it’s time for you to make another change - for yourself.

Personal branding and positioning are key to differentiating your value to potential employers.  Marva Goldsmith has seen it, first hand.  And she wants you to see it too.

Check out her Web site, the book and her webinars at http://www.branding50.com/

Keep Cooking (productive personal brand triumph)!
Andrew B. Clark
- The Brand Chef