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What does your business card communicate about your brand?

Last week John Baird, Foreign Secretary and one of the Canadian governments leading figures, caused a bit of storm with a recent business card re-design.  He seems even to have strayed from the 'brand standards' that are recommended and his Chief of Staff even had to sign a disclaimer to formally acknowledge that his office was advised against the changes.  There is always the challenge of wanting to have a… Read More »What does your business card communicate about your brand?

And the new Premier of Ontario is……….likeable?

The provincial election in Ontario is a little over a week away and depending on which poll you believe anyone of the three main parties could end up winning.  But if it came down to backyard barbecue invitations instead of votes NDP leader Andrea Horwath would be the winner with 37% of respondents to an IPSOS Reid poll saying they would prefer to have her than 32% for PC leader… Read More »And the new Premier of Ontario is……….likeable?

“I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation.”

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These are not always the words you would expect to hear from a leading CEO when admitting that a move they made in the market was the wrong one, or at the very least one that should have had a more considered approach.  They are certainly not the words that Jim Balsilee the Co-CEO of Research in Motion, makers of the Blackberry, has uttered (well at least not publicly). The… Read More »“I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation.”

Do you have nothing to say in your e-mails?

The passing of Jack Layton just recently was especially personal as I found his courage in the battle with cancer was an inspiration for my own. I was not surprised by the outpouring of emotion and support for someone I considered a rare breed – an authentic and generally honest politician!  The more cynical and condemning responses, especially to his letter to all Canadians, were a little more surprising, but perhaps… Read More »Do you have nothing to say in your e-mails?

Cancer is personal, so it’s part of my brand

"You're not alone, in fact this type of cancer is the fastest growing type of oral cancer in men under 55, who do not smoke and are not heavy drinkers" That word "cancer" immediately causes a heightened level of awareness as well as obvious concern. Last October after a great summer vacation with my family in Jamaica and what I thought was a viral lump in my neck gland had… Read More »Cancer is personal, so it’s part of my brand

Winner of todays Globe & Mail election caption competition.

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My entry today won the caption of the day for the Globe & Mail's daily election caption competition. Well worth the visit each day, some very funny comments to bring a smile to any otherwise rather dull affair. You can follow each day by liking their Facebook page.

Are you vetting your own Facebook profile?

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  With the news this week that the Conservative party are vetting Facebook profiles attendees to rallies and events, even ejecting two students at one event, it's a good reminder that you need to be vetting your own profile before someone else does. Three good rules regarding anything you post online: Would you be happy with your mother reading it? Is it equally oaky to see what you are posting on… Read More »Are you vetting your own Facebook profile?

Canadians – Have your vote now – What do you think are the personal brands of the leaders?

  The first week of the recently announced election here in Canada has been an interesting start to the campaign and already people are starting to compare the leaders personalities and styles as potentailly being the determining factor as to who wins and loses. Each party is playing to the personal brand of the leader to varying degrees, either seeing it as a strength or potentially a liability and based… Read More »Canadians – Have your vote now – What do you think are the personal brands of the leaders?

Where oh where have all your Facebook friends gone?

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Facebook makes a very poor job of keeping its users informed of changes they make to your account. This case in point. The default setting on your news feed is now only seeing feed from those friends who you interact with on a regular basis. So if you wondered why someone you know had seemed to 'disappear' faster than Hosni Mubarak it is because you have not intereacted with them enough. Now… Read More »Where oh where have all your Facebook friends gone?

When having a common name is good for your personal brand

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         Today Chris Lee a Republican Congressman resigned due to posting a picture of himself on Craigslist in response to an ad for 'women to men' contact. It was not so much the inappropriate headshot that caused his downfall but that he claimed to be divorced when infact he is still married and then an aid claiming his personal e-mail account had been hacked. There are already 276,000 web pages… Read More »When having a common name is good for your personal brand