Building Bo's Brand
- Bailey Edrington
- Feb 6, 2017
- 3 min read
First off, I love that I can call this homework. My first task in my social media marketing class was to create a social media profile for a person, place or thing that would otherwise not have one; thus, I have (quite eagerly) embarked upon the journey to create Facebook and Instagram accounts for my stunningly adorable English Bulldog, Bo.
I have to say, Bo's Instagram is my favorite. This (not-so) little guy's personality is best portrayed via picture or video. However, this assignment focused mostly on the portrayal of a brand through Facebook. That said, I wanted to give a little background to my thought-process for "Branding Bo."
Bo's Background
-The dog loves football. No, seriously. We put the TV on ESPN when we leave the house. Call us crazy pet owners (because we most definitely are) but we know our dog loves football. He actually watches the games. It's crazy.
- Bo is a major homebody. While he has never met a stranger, he doesn't like to leave home. He loves his family and he loves his bed, that much is for sure.
- Naps. I really don't need to elaborate much on this one, other than to note that this dog spends about 90% of his existence in REM sleep.
- He is a stereotypical English Bulldog. He doesn't run, he walks. Distance is never his preference. He is the epitome of gassy. He snores. Loudly. He is extremely loyal and loving.
- Lastly, this is one happy-go-lucky dog. He is just happy to have people around him, in his home, scratching his back.
Background to Branding
After thinking about those major facts, I realized they most likely would not translate well into a brand. If I had to personify this dog, he would be a jolly, overweight middle-aged man. Now, since my dog is not Santa Claus nor is he particularly well-known outside of my family and circle of friends, this presents a problem on the branding side.
As a PR professional, I ALWAYS air on the side of the authentic. I don't want to stray too far from the authenticity of Bo's personality, but I do want to add emphasis to its really relatable aspects. Thus, I introspected a bit and realized:
- I have grown to greatly appreciate naps in college.
- And free food.
-And light-hearted and (at times) self-deprecating humor.
I have also come to assume an appreciation of such things is almost universal. So I tried to hone in on these fundamentally relatable high points.
Brand Basics
Profile picture, cover photo and Bo's very own community napping event-- all of these cover the basics of Bo's brand.
(Profile Basics)
Boosting the Brand: Content
Bo's brand includes articles about his favorite things: food, naps and football (seriously, he's such a middle-aged man at heart...)
Also, Bo would be a man of few words. Thus, his text posts are short and sweet and generally accompanied with a multimedia element.
Boosting the Brand: Photo Album
Like I mentioned earlier, I think Bo's personality is best portrayed through pictures. Bo has a bit of a rebellious streak (one I think he's slightly proud of), so I decided to make it a "thing," so to speak.
Brand Hypotheticals
Because I opted to do a Facebook page over a Facebook profile, there are a few facts missing on his page:
1. Favorite Quote: "Home is wherever I'm with you."
2. Favorite Music: Songs about home and family, with a little pop-country thrown in there (courtesy of my dad's influence)
3. Favorite Movies: Unbroken (the dog legitimately watched the entire movie with me and my brother) and the Notebook (because you have to admit, the dog is a softie at heart)
4. Facebook Group: Cowboy's Fan Group. I think due to our family's love for the Dallas Cowboys, our dogs have inherited a love for the Dallas Cowboys. Bo actually watches the games, so I am going to go out on a limb and assume Facebook him would be an active participant in their fan club.
5. Relationship status: "Sorry ladies, but I am already in a committed relationship with long, luxurious naps." AKA single.
Conclusion
Bo's brand was one I greatly enjoyed building. It helps that he is a genuinely simple guy and I had a lot of photos to beef up his profile. Overall, his brand was fairly easy to build, which I can partially attribute to how obsessed I am with my Bully.
If anything, this showed me just how important it is to know your brand. I know my dog like the back of my hand, so it made this assignment quite enjoyable to complete. All in all, having a cohesive understanding of a brand is essential to building an effective social media profile.
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