What do you think most brands are doing wrong in regards to their content strategy? When I think of a brand or company, the first thought that pops into my mind is how does the organization define its identity? What does it stand for? What are its values? Who is its target market? And ultimately, what is the overall message the company or brand is trying to convey? The first and most important mistake I see brands make is straying from the “core brand identity”. Although it is important that a brand stays current with the latest trends and appeals to its customer market, oftentimes I see brands creating and strategizing content just to stay relevant. A classic and timely example is the trend that many companies have of shifting sustainability to one of its core values. Most would agree that whether it is the product, the packaging, or the amount of “chemicals” a service produces, every company is (or should be) adhering to more sustainable practices in today’s society. Drilling down further, it is prudent to recognize whether a brand’s intention is to be sustainable or whether its current sustainable practices are to meet the popular demand of consumers. Will its efforts continue or be fleeting when the next trend takes over the headlines? This idea follows the diffusion of innovations theory. With regards to sustainability, the innovators and even the early adopters implemented sustainable practices from the start. This resulted in an authentic content strategy and was adopted as a core value in a brand identity trusted by consumers.. The late majority and laggards are the group of brands that started implementing more sustainable practices because other successful brands were showing success by doing so. If given the opportunity to interview for the position, I would love to expand on my dialogue and provide specific examples of companies that align with this theory. In short, I believe some brands lose sight of their identity and tend to step into following the lead of others. As a result, those companies and brands don’t experience the same success as the innovators and early adopters.

Home From College is a platform that gives college students and/or young adults the opportunity to build their own professional brand through student focus groups (GIGs), internship and/or full time job opportunities, skillset lessons, and the chance to hear from industry leaders in all business fields whether that be creative, fashion, music, technology, marketing, and so much more.