Branded: What Do You Do?

More from Ben Hunt's, The Epsilon Theory Zeitgeist (Finance and politics seen through the lenses of narrative, game theory, and history.) compelling must read, The Last Chance...
"Not all scarcity and access is created equal, even if the language used to describe them is. "Anyone who tells you there’s a whisky in the world for which the drinking experience is worth $4,000 more than comparable options has lost the plot.
Following up on Has Branding Lost The Plot? Once again it's "Flush it Thursday" or "Thursday in the Loo"..  and this week we are taking a major shift.  So please sh*t back and relax with week's offering... Branded: Lost The Plot? Join the bowel movement by sharing this story....

With all the trendy workplace catchphrases and corporate "best" practices du jour, we sometimes are made to feel like this

The fact is this isn't our first goat-roping, and we've been around the block more than a few times. Moving West and along those lines...

We once had a "talent acquisition executive" from a fancy MBA school launch into "lets talk about me" mode, and how he was "building his brand". Much like the oft abused word "robust", as soon as the word "brand" came out of his pie hole, this was the "tip off" that his methods were not fit for purpose, and he quickly proved as much.

This "brand builder" wanted us to fill out a 15 page career survey which detailed "where we wanted to be in 10 years", our "perceived strengths and weaknesses with examples" and "what we brought to the table for the client".  

"We use this to help position you to maximize your value" - Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?

This subtle reminder was issued to the "branded" one, he was the one contacting us on behalf of his client, to entice us to leave and not the other way round.  Then we blew his little "branded" mind...

We already were "what and where we wanted to be" and never want to "grow up".  and further... although my reputation may have preceded me on occasion, I have always been more concerned with my character, what I truly am. Thus I frankly don't give a damn what others think of me.  In closing...

If it could not be discerned as to how our background might be a "fit" (another "tip off" word) by READING a detailed multi page CV with at length project supplements, and/or during an interview (telcon or otherwise), neither he nor his client were fit for our future purposes.

What is it with these new age, sound byte, ADD, elevator version and twitter afflicted  types?  Is their neediness so large, and attention span so small, that one has to pre-masticate the info and feed it to them in small spoonful's, like pabulum to a baby?

Needless to say, the "branded" one had hog tied his MBA gob smacked clients by extracting sizable up front retainer fees.  Several months later, for a dearth of suitable prospects, the client realized they had been had. 

After the "branded" one was sued for non performance, a relocation of his "re-branded" hide to another search firm was necessary.  With the infantile screening methods no need to wonder why.  This leaves little doubt that said "credentialed" MBA might have come from the branded "Disgraziato Business School"? 

As to the "branded" headhunters snob appeal methods, his DUMB founded corporate clients buy in to the scarcity and exclusivity of access, and all the campaign catch slogans mentioned last week: ex nihilo, illusory, imaginary, delusional and cray cray apply in the extreme.  

This leaves little to wonder about all this new age idiocy, and the "credentialed" yet uninitiated nipple-heads that buy into the vapor of recycled "memes".  Coming full circle from Chuck Connors and the Branded Theme, this video demonstrates how we really feel about it...






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