Some might consider your brand your most important asset. It is how you capture and depict that certain something that sets you apart. If you get it right, people around you will immediately recognize who you are and what you offer.
However, if the necessary time, insight and assessment are not applied, your brand can leave people confused, or worse turn them away.
In the life of a new organization or company, a brand can also set the stage for the audience. With all of this in mind, we have been collaborating to identify the A.W.O.L. All Walks of Life TM brand, and we wanted to share this process with you, our inaugural members.
Our first step was to answer some questions about who we are and what we offer. We recently went through a branding exercise to assist us in this. The conversation and feedback that the following questions stimulated have been vital in working toward our brand and getting all of us on the same page.
Please take a look and comment directly to this post with your own responses to each question. We would love to hear from you and learn about your own ideas for A.W.O.L. All Walks of Life TM.
What is A.W.O.L.? What is our vision for A.W.O.L.?
· Platform or Forum for people to share ideas and network
· Place where professionals can have a voice
· Forum to showcase ideas, talents, accomplishments
· Online workshop…possibly a critic’s corner
· Channel to meet/network with new people
What are A.W.O.L.'s Values?
· Integrity and Accuracy
· Safe environment to share ideas
· Professional and/or Creative
· Open Minded – encourages different perspectives
· Fun!
What is A.W.O.L.’s Target Demographic?
· Both genders
· Established Professionals
· Upstanding citizens (ethical)
How would you describe A.W.O.L.?
·
· Creative
· New experiences
· Fun
· Inspirational
· People connecting
· Marrying traditional and non-traditional
· Getting out of your comfort zone
· Finding new and better ways to do things
What Car would A.W.O.L. Be?
· A Volkswagon Cabriolet Convertible – creative, quirky, fun
OR
· A Prius – smart, new, combines traditional and new ideas
What Colors represent A.W.O.L.?
· Green – infers wealth, environment, military…
· Deep Purple or Magenta – non-traditional and rich
· Orange - Fun, quirky, attention getting
· Possibly black and white as base colors with splashes of other colors
So now what?
Now the fun part begins. We are currently creating a visual identity that will capture all of these attributes and truly represent A.W.O.L.’s core offerings and personality. In the coming weeks we plan to reveal three logo ideas and will give you the chance to vote on your favorite image. We’ll then reveal our new logo and visual identity at our next networking event, scheduled for Wednesday, May 20th in NYC (location to be announced shortly).
We look forward to your responses – have fun with it!
In the meantime, have some fun with this branding exercise and post your ideas! As always, you can comment directly to this post, or email your ideas to us and we’ll post them for you: awol.allwalksoflife@gmail.com.
What did you think about it?
What do you think about the stimulus package?
Is the state of the economy affecting you and the way you are spending money?
Muida Tayman, a professional editor and producer, and Carol Gretter, an Architect and founder of A.W.O.L. - All Walks of Life™ took these questions to the streets of Times Square, talking to folks from all walks of life – including an Economist, a Green Energy Consultant, a Social Worker and a Retired Financial Planner. Watch the interviews to hear their interesting and often surprising responses.
Video produced and edited by Miuda Tayman (www.miuda.us) in coordination with Carol Gretter and A.W.O.L. – All Walks of Life. ™
The idea of A.W.O.L. was first conceived by Carol Gretter, a NY-based architect and co-founder of A.W.O.L. Gretter’s idea was to establish an online magazine where professionals from all walks of life could contribute essays, blog posts and thought leadership as a means of inspiring, influencing and creating multi-disciplinary ideas and new ventures. It was while sharing this idea with friends Amber Edwards and Erika Schwartz over a New Year’s Eve brunch that Gretter’s concept evolved beyond simply an online forum. Edwards, an established marketing director in the Pharmaceuticals industry, and Schwartz, a Financial Services marketing consultant and freelance writer saw great potential for A.W.O.L. as a forum to aid in making introductions and encouraging face-to-face networking. Within weeks, Gretter, Edwards and Schwartz co-founded A.W.O.L. – All Walks of Life,™ as a multi-media forum to help New Yorkers make professional and personal connections and stay inspired in spite of the up-ended economy and influx of on-line social networks that have quickly become a lazy substitute for handshakes and conversation.
It is no coincidence that A.W.O.L.’s co-founders are doing this right now. At a time when Wall Street and
Social and professional online networks provide instant gratification in the form of connecting people and prove to be quite powerful in initiating contacts and building networks, but beyond that initial connection, the potential for real opportunities will fizzle out if “in-the-flesh” interaction does not come into play. A.W.O.L. will seek to not only offer the instantaneous network connection that an online forum provides, but to go one step further and help cultivate those connections into real opportunities with regular networking events and continuous, personal motivation of its members.
“From the person you meet on the street to the conversations you overhear at brunch,” there are opportunities everywhere and there is always someone who can make an introduction or offer that bit of inspiration you need to launch your next adventure,” said Edwards. “It’s one of New York City’s magical traits, agreed Schwartz, “A.W.O.L. is seeking to harness that magic and bring it into a multi-media community where it and its members can thrive.”
The “A.W.O.L. – All Walks of Life”™ blog is live at A.W.O.L.awol-allwalksoflife.blogspot.com and is open for contributions ranging from writing submissions, to the promotion of new concepts and the making of new connections.
