The way people think about branding and corporate influence has changed to focus on people creating and sharing human experiences.

Insights from Dr Talaya Waller

The future of branding is personal. CEOs have become the face of the company; the face of the company is no longer the logo. If you look up most global 500 companies, most likely you will find that they have more followers on social media than the company itself.

Ninety-two percent of consumers trust a recommendation from a person over a company when they buy a product or a service. The average person who posts a brand message on social media gets 561% more engagement than when that same brand message is posted on social media by a company.

It stands to reason that business leaders need to take ownership of their personal brand, and strategically, effectively and consistently manage the perception of their value.

What people are looking for is a CEO who is likeable and relatable. Someone who can attract media attention, bring in more investors and the best talent to the organisation.

For instance, people still want to work for Apple because of Steve Jobs, even though he is not around anymore – that is how great his brand was.

Insights from Solly Moeng

Having a strong brand is not always sufficient. There is a balance that needs to be struck between the brand of the CEO and the brand of the business, for optimal results.

A strong brand can lift a company, but a weak brand can drag it, and the CEO, down. The appointment of Wiseman Nkuhlu as the new chairman at KPMG this January is a case in point.

Nkuhlu’s personal integrity and impeccable credentials as a veteran public servant and former head of the Development Bank of Southern Africa must have been a defining criterion for his appointment.

He provides KPMG with an opportunity to leverage his reputation to rebuild a brand in tatters following its alleged role in state capture and its reported cover-up of the theft of billions of Rands from Randgold Holdings and Exploration.

But Nkuhlu is not unaware of the risks involved, having stated in an interview with the Sunday Times that if KMPG is merely using his appointment to appease stakeholders and stem the tide of the loss of clients, they have made a mistake.

He made it clear to them that he valued his reputation, as that is all he had, and that there was no way he could be compromised.

That is why he insisted on a full mandate to ensure that KPMG follows through with its commitment to full disclosure and cooperation in the various investigations underway. In other words, to align the organisation’s brand to his own.

For branding to reach its full potential in any company or organisation, it is imperative that personal and corporate brands are aligned.

While leveraging each creates new opportunities for both, managing the tension between them is a key challenge for marketers and CEOs alike.