Have you ever dreamed of sitting down to have a face-to-face conversation with some of South Africa’s leading figures in the areas of media, politics, business, entrepreneurship, transformation and academia? Donna Rachelson did just that, talking to nine exceptional people about their stories, vulnerabilities and successes for her first book, Branding & Marketing YOU.
“Since I first became interested in the subject of personal branding and marketing, I have wanted to write a book on the subject,” she says. “I have thoroughly researched the topic and have probably read most of the books written about it.”
She notes that she was struck by the fact that most books on the subject of personal branding and marketing seem to be either mostly theoretical or, if there are case studies in the books, they feature only celebrity personalities.
“While we can learn from people like Oprah, Madonna and Nelson Mandela, I want to make the point that you don’t need to be Bill Gates to build and market a powerful brand. I developed the concept for this book, Branding & Marketing YOU, out of a desire to gain insight into some leading South Africans who have developed highly successful personal brands with solid reputations,” Rachelson explains.
Each person profiled in the book is entrepreneurial and successful in his or her own right as a business professional and has become well-known and respected in their field of operation.
“They use innovative and powerful ways to build and market their personal brands and are passionate and driven to make a difference inside and outside of their field of operation,” says Rachelson. “Through my conversations with these nine people, I hope to highlight the importance of personal branding and marketing in today’s business environment and unpack how brands evolve, identifying the components making up a ‘personal’ brand and highlighting how to market it effectively.”
Donna hopes that the book will inspire ordinary South Africans and others – and show that
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