Fulfilling Millennials Craving for Personal Branding

As Millennials (Gen Y) more and more becomes the dominant generation, personal branding would be elevated into a whole new height. It would not be just for the use of public figures, or aspiring public figures, neither for people wanting to get a job. Personal branding would be some sort of basic need which brands should accommodate for the common Millennials. A generation that many have called wanting to be the center of attention, glorify being under the lime light, or the main star in the “hit show” that is his/her personal life.

In the last 5 years, we at LM Brand Strategist have done and encountered many requests to engage in personal branding projects for various public figures in various sectors. The main ingredient is quite simple that is being genuine or being yourself. An ingredient that most brand consultants we believe would agree. In a more practical level, that ingredient of being genuine can be divided into three areas. First, one’s track record. Second, one’s idea or vision. Third, one’s personalities. Also in a technical level, how would those three areas can be conveyed through the way one talk, act, dress, etc? All being combined and communicated to achieve that desired positioning in the minds of target audience (yes even personal branding need target audience) of “A specific topic = A Person”. For example ask yourself who does the term “Consultant” remind you of? Or the term “Mechanic”? The name of the person that pops out in your head when hearing those terms mean that person, intentional or not, has done a pretty good personal branding with you as the target audience.

Nasionalisme Milenial Indonesia

Beberapa waktu yang lalu CNN menayangkan sebuah segmen tentang bagaimana baiknya perusahaan sekarang berhadapan dengan Generasi Milenial. Segmen ini dianggap penting karena makin banyak perusahaan yang mengeluh tentang perilaku unik Generasi Milenial yang menurut mereka merepotkan. Begitu juga beberapa teman saya sudah mengeluhkan tentang etika bekerja generasi Milenial yang sangat berbeda. Perhatian yang begitu besar di dunia swasta tentang transisi generasi ini menimbulkan pertanyaan bagaimana karakter unik Generasi Milenial akan mempengaruhi sikap nasionalisme di masa sekarang dan ke depan? Terutama di Indonesia.

Definisi teoritis Generasi Milenial adalah mereka yang lahir di antara tahun 1980-2001. Indonesia sendiri sudah berumur senja tapi memiliki wajah yang muda. Menurut data BPS Juli 2011 jumlah penduduk yang masuk kategori Generasi Milenial mencapai lebih kurang 104 juta orang atau 43 persen. Bahkan bila kita ingin kembangkan, saat ini 70 persen penduduk Indonesia berumur di bawah 40 tahun. Wajah mayoritas penduduk Indonesia yang begitu muda menunjukkan ada transisi generasi dan dengan itu ada perubahan perilaku di berbagai bidang, termasuk dalam kehidupan berbangsa dan bernegara.