CASE STUDY
How can you tie the pieces of your career together to create one cohesive, powerful brand?
For media personality Lucia Nazzaro, the key was tapping into the personal brand framework of brandiD.
“Creating my brand with brandiD was such a valuable process to help me move forward as a company. Anyone who’s starting a business can benefit from building their brand with brandiD.”
Lucia Nazzaro
Lucia Nazzaro is a two-time Emmy-nominated television host, multimedia producer, licensed clinical therapist, and purpose-driven change agent who uses media and storytelling to make the world a better place.
CHALLENGES
Tying together a multifaceted career into one cohesive brand
When Lucia Nazzaro came to brandiD, she brought a range of career experiences with her. She was a two-time Emmy nominee for her role as host of the CW Network’s weekday primetime, a multimedia personality for outlets like CNN.com and MSN.com, and a nationally syndicated radio show host. Plus, she was a social issues expert and licensed clinical therapist.
Lucia wanted to build a brand for herself that encapsulated all of her experience and interests—as well as share it succinctly with the world—but she had one question: how?
“I had a lot of pieces of a puzzle that I wanted to put together,” Lucia said. “The majority of my career was in media, but in all different mediums—TV, radio, and online. Then I had this extra credential in social work because I wanted to focus on women’s issues, social issues, and health and wellness.
“I wasn’t sure how to integrate all of these pieces together,” she said. “I was way too close to my own identity to figure it out.”
Lucia needed a strategic partner to help her develop a cohesive brand and communicate it effectively so she could showcase the depth she brings and attract the right future projects.
Solution
An expert brander + a step-by-step process that makes uncovering your brand a breeze
Through a Google search, Lucia discovered brandiD and had an initial conversation with company founder, Rachel Gogos. What she heard impressed her.
“After telling Rachel my story and what I was looking to do, it was clear that she got it,” Lucia said. “I could see that she really knew what she was talking about. I’d had a lot of exposure to branding, especially working in media. At the time, I was working in-house for a digital news company and had seen the internal branding that goes on at a larger organization. I’d also worked for startups, and saw the people who’d come in and say, ‘Ok, this is how you brand.’ I could tell a good brander from someone who didn’t know what they were talking about, and it was clear Rachel really knew her stuff.”
Lucia said she also appreciated that Rachel wasn’t interested in chasing trends, which can be common in the branding world.
“I’m leery of people who are into chasing trends,” said Lucia, “because then your business is always chasing trends. I’m more interested in people who are saying, ‘This is what’s going to be happening in five years or ten years.’ After talking to Rachel, I knew she had that mindset, too.”
Lucia said that when the branding process began, she was looking for a lot of guidance, and found it not only in Rachel’s expertise but in the brandiD framework, which included a deep dive into all of the things that Lucia valued most—both in business and in life.
The process helped her define the fundamentals of her brand—like her mission, her vision, her core values, and her brand attributes.
It also helped her analyze her biggest talents, passions, and strengths—both as she defined them and how they were perceived by others. Lucia said this was an important step for her.
“One of the biggest things I got from the branding process was the ability to see my own strengths,” she said. “I didn’t really see my strengths as much or hone in on them before, but when I read about them from other people, I could see them.
“After seeing the feedback from my 360 assessment, combined with Rachel’s insights, I started to see the crossover and it became clear what my brand was.”
RESULTS
A cohesive brand—packaged and communicated clearly—that gave Lucia clarity and hope
The brandiD personal brand framework resulted in a different outcome than Lucia expected, but one that made perfect sense.
“Initially, I wanted to brand myself as this big expert, but Rachel did a great job of going instead for the heart of who I am, which is a storyteller,” Lucia said. “I have social work as an extra component of what I bring into my storytelling, but I really am a storyteller and I think Rachel saw that more than I did.”
With the cohesive, common thread of “storyteller” nailed down—as well as all of Lucia’s reflective, introspective work complete—brandiD went to work creating an Identity Profile Book and an About page for her website that succinctly showcases her brand and paints a full picture of who Lucia is and what she stands for.
Lucia said both have been incredibly helpful.
“The opportunity for the Identity Profile is huge—for anyone,” she said. “When you’re making a decision to do something or not, you can go back to your profile and align it with your core values or your vision. It can help you make decisions about which way to go in business, or how to go personally with opportunities that present themselves. There are a handful of ways that that Identity Profile can have a major impact on people. It truly is your north star.”
Lucia said the biggest results she’s received from her work with brandiD come in the form of clarity and hope.
“The process provided clarity about who I am and what my brand is,” she said. “It also provided focus and the courage to just start—at a time when things felt so murky to me.
“But most importantly, I felt hope when I saw my brand come together. Hope that yes, these pieces really do all fit together—it’s all here and it all makes sense.”
And for a storyteller, there couldn’t be a better ending than that.
Want to create a brand that helps you tie it all together into one cohesive, powerful package?
Find out how we combine strategy + our proprietary personal brand framework to make it happen.
Schedule a free strategy call today