Branding expert Gillian Horan called on businesswomen to be clear on their own personal brand at a special Network Ireland Limerick event which took place in AIB’s 106 O’Connell Street branch, Limerick recently. Emphasising the importance of paying attention to a personal brand for both employees and business owners, she said: “what do you want people to know or say about you when you have left the room?”
Over 70 women in business, the professions and the arts attended the AIB-sponsored event which looked at how to build a game-changing brand to drive business results.
Gillian Horan, CEO of The Pudding, a creative and commercial Branding Company, is one of Ireland’s leading voices in the industry. She was joined by Maxine Amodeo of Tuscany Bistro who provided proof of how a brand can positively impact a small business.
During her talk, Gillian looked at how a well-developed brand can add to the bottom line of a business and gave an example of how a hair salon in Cork sold recently for 25% more than the market value because of brand equity.
She went on to explain some of the principles behind employer branding which is another hot topic for businesses who want to recruit, retain and engage the right people in a market where skilled labour is in short supply.
Speaking at the event, Ms Horan said, “Unfortunately many CEO’s still think branding is about having a logo, but it is so much more. Anyone that does invest their brand knows that it drives business results and ultimately boosts profits.”
As a real life case study, Maxine Amodeo joined Gillian on stage to explain how the Tuscany Bistro Restaurant Group brings their brand to life across everything they do from the customer experience, to the decor to staff training, customer communications and more.
Catriona O’Donoghue, President of Network Ireland Limerick, said “Branding matters more and more to individuals and organisations so the huge interest in this event was unsurprising. It was very interesting to hear how you can leverage a brand to avail of opportunities personally or for your business.”
Network Ireland Limerick is sponsored by the Local Enterprise Offices in Limerick. Their next event coincides with Network Ireland’s celebration of International Women’s Day on 8th March at Thomond Park.
