For a 5 Year Old: Personal branding is like having a super cool superhero costume for work. It shows everyone how awesome and special you are.

It helps you make lots of friends in the business world because they know what you’re good at.

Just like your favorite superhero, your personal brand is your own special way to tell your story to others.

When people know your story and like it, they want to work with you or buy things from you.

So, personal branding is like being a superhero at work – it helps you do great things!

The Grown Up Version: Elevating Your Career Through Strategic Personal Branding

Personal branding is a crucial tool in the modern professional landscape, serving as a unique identifier in your field. It's about crafting and communicating your distinct professional narrative and expertise.

1. Distinct Professional Identity: It combines your achievements, skills, and unique value, akin to a bespoke suit in the corporate world.

2. Networking and Collaborations: Effective personal branding builds and nurtures a professional network, opening doors to collaborative opportunities.

3. Thought Leadership: It allows you to control your narrative, positioning yourself as a thought leader and influencer in your field.

4. Opportunity Magnet: A strong personal brand attracts aligned opportunities, from clients to career advancements.

5. Authority and Impact: Beyond recognition, it elevates your status as an authority, enabling you to make a significant impact in your industry.

In summary, personal branding is less about self-promotion and more about strategically positioning yourself for professional growth and influence.

#CareerStrategy #ProfessionalIdentity #ThoughtLeadership #NetworkingSuccess #InfluenceThroughBranding

In the whirlwind world of e-commerce, where Amazon reigns supreme like a digital Caesar, there's a curious new gladiator in town: the human brand ambassador. Now, don't get me wrong, the concept of brand ambassadors isn't new. Since time immemorial (or at least since the advent of social media), brands have been enticing humans with the allure of fame, fortune, and freebies to hawk their wares. But, in a twist that could only come from the silicon-infused brains of our tech overlords, these brand ambassadorships are now morphing into something more... automated.

Enter Amazon's influencer program, a dazzling, fast-paced circus where anyone with a social media account and a pulse (the latter being optional, I presume) can become a mini-celebrity overnight. The process is astonishingly swift: one minute you're a mere mortal, the next, you're bestowed the sacred mantle of an Amazon influencer. "Upload your profile! Start promoting!" the emails scream, as if Zeus himself is handing down digital thunderbolts from the cloud.

But here's the rub – it's all starting to feel a bit like a grand experiment in AI training. You see, by tracking which products you successfully peddle to your unsuspecting followers, Amazon is not just filling its coffers; it's also fine-tuning its algorithms. Each click, each purchase you drive, feeds the ever-hungry AI, teaching it the dark arts of persuasion and influence.

And so, we find ourselves unwitting pawns in a grand scheme. Our Instagram posts and TikTok dances are merely data points, grist for the AI mill. What happens when the algorithms get so good, they render human influencers obsolete? Will we wake up one day to find our feeds populated by perfectly optimized, AI-generated influencers, their digital smiles undimmed by the rigors of human emotion?

It's a brave new world, folks. One where our desire for likes and shares might just pave the way for our own obsolescence. So, the next time you see an influencer waxing lyrical about the latest Amazon gadget, ask yourself: is this the beginning of the end? Are we teaching our silicon successors how to out-influence, out-sell, and out-human us?

In the meantime, I'll be here, watching this space with a bowl of popcorn, eagerly awaiting the first AI influencer scandal. "Alexa, play dramatic music."

In 2024, super boost your brand with TikTok and Instagram Reels for catchy videos, partner with like-minded influencers, and turn data into engaging stories. Embrace interactive podcasts and Twitter Spaces for lively discussions. Dominate your niche, jump on YouTube Shorts and TikTok Duets for trending content, and smarten up your ads with dynamic remarketing. SEO-driven blogging keeps your brand Google-friendly. It's all about being fun, trendy, and unforgettably digital! Be Super Creative gives you a jump on the new year with 10 ways to boost brand awareness on Social Media in 2024.

1. Short-Form Video Content - Instagram Reels & TikTok are your go-to now.

2. Strategic Partnerships - Collaborate with brands and influencers who resonate with your vibe.

3. Storytelling with Data - Weave your narrative with stats that stick.

4. Interactive Podcasts - Use platforms like Spotify to add polls and Q&As.

5. Twitter Spaces - Lead live audio conversations that matter.

6. Niche Market Focus - Carve out your unique spot in the market.

7. YouTube Shorts - Jump on the short video bandwagon.

8. TikTok Duets - Engage with your community by participating in trends.

9. Dynamic Remarketing - Tailor your ads based on user behavior.

10. SEO-Driven Blogging - Content is king, but SEO is the crown.

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, AI tools are revolutionizing the way creatives approach their work. These tools are not just changing the game – they're enhancing the creative process, unleashing new possibilities, and pushing the boundaries of imagination. Here are 10 incredible AI tools that are empowering creatives to explore new realms of creativity:

1. Artbreeder: This AI-powered platform lets you blend and morph images, creating unique and stunning visual compositions that ignite your artistic inspiration.

2. Runway ML: A versatile tool that allows creatives to experiment with AI-powered techniques like style transfer, text generation, and even pose estimation for dynamic visual creations.

3. DeepDream: Developed by Google, DeepDream transforms your images into mesmerizing and surreal dream-like artworks, offering a fresh perspective on your own creations.

4. Adobe Sensei: Integrated into Adobe Creative Cloud, Sensei brings AI and machine learning to your favorite Adobe tools, offering automated tasks, intelligent image cropping, and more.

5. Artificial Intelligence Logo Maker: Designing logos becomes a breeze with AI-generated options that align with your brand's essence and style.

6. CopyAI: This tool assists in content creation by generating compelling copy for various purposes, from social media posts to marketing campaigns.

7. Runway Sketch: Ideal for illustrators, Runway Sketch translates your hand-drawn sketches into digital assets, allowing for seamless integration with your creative projects.

8. Canva's DesignAI: Enhance your graphic design endeavors with Canva's AI-driven tool, which suggests layouts, fonts, and color palettes tailored to your project.

9. DeepArt.io: Transform your photos into artwork resembling famous artists' styles, offering a fresh take on classic aesthetics.

10. NVIDIA GauGAN: Dive into the world of AI-generated landscapes with GauGAN, enabling you to turn basic sketches into realistic and breathtaking scenes.

Why AI is Good for Creatives:

• Enhanced Efficiency: AI tools automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for creatives to focus on their core creative processes.

• Fresh Perspectives: AI-generated ideas and insights provide new angles for creative exploration.

• Quick Prototyping: Rapidly generate prototypes and variations to test ideas before committing resources.

• Data-Driven Decisions: AI aids in data analysis, helping creatives make informed decisions based on trends and insights.

AI that Generates Creatives:

AI tools, like those mentioned above, use algorithms to analyze existing creative works and generate new content inspired by those patterns. They don't replace creativity but act as collaborators, offering unique perspectives and ideas.

Is AI Going to Replace Creatives?

No, AI will not replace creatives. While AI can handle certain repetitive tasks and generate ideas, the human touch – emotional intelligence, nuanced creativity, and the ability to tell compelling stories – remains indispensable. AI is a tool to amplify and complement the creative process, not to replace it.

By embracing these AI tools, creatives can open doors to innovation and explore uncharted territories, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in their craft.

Be Super Creative

Delanie West's at Midwest Con 2023

Thanks to MidwestCon for inviting me to speak on Integrating Technology into the Creative Process alongside moderator Patrick Haney, Tysonn Betts, Jennifer Javornik and Adam Kahn.

The Convergence of Storytelling and Immersive Tech

Shira Lazar Moderator & Adhrucia Apana