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Steve Jobs is CEO Branding

Apple is certainly a powerful brand in its own right, but behind the Apple icon was a CEO brand icon who built his company brand by developing his own CEO brand. The debate over the last few years has been about what will happen to Apple when Steve Jobs is gone. After all, his CEO brand elevated Apple’s brand and fueled Apple’s increase in corporate revenue and stock price.

Lessons on CEO Branding by Steve Jobs
Besides leaving a legend of innovative products and visionary thinking, Steve Jobs can teach us a lot about CEO branding. Here are some lessons to be learned:

• Align Actions and Decisions with CEO Brand Attributes: Everything that Steve Jobs did tied to the attributes he felt were important as a CEO, including inspiring others, changing lives, and designing products that people didn’t know that they wanted. His traits as a CEO were inherent in Apple’s strategy, marketing, and product development. This alignment only further solidified Apple’s brand image as well as his own CEO brand.
• Be Consistent: Jobs regularly delivered on what he said he was going to achieve. And, if he didn’t think he could achieve it, it didn’t get announced or shared publicly. Being consistent in his actions and words helped to strengthen his CEO brand and build his reputation with his stakeholders. /li>
• Be Authentic: Maybe there’s nothing more authentic than a black turtleneck and jeans. This doesn’t mean that every CEO has to dress down, but this was a way that Steve Jobs let his personality shine through. It was he who he was, and his followers respected him for it. When he did product introductions each year, it was him, the product, and his audience. He kept it simple but everyone knew it was real. Steve Jobs never tried to be like any other CEO; he just wanted to be himself whether anyone else liked it or not. It turns out, though, that he was admired even by his competitors.
• Have Vision: There can be no doubt that Steve Jobs was a true visionary. He wanted to change the world and how people lived, and he did that with every product he introduced. His vision became the beacon of his CEO brand and where people turned when they wanted something new. Steve Jobs used his vision to be a game changer. Being a breakthrough thinker is a valuable attribute for any CEO brand.
• Exude Confidence: When he did speak in public, Steve Jobs showed his audience that he knew what he was talking about and he knew it was a success. His confidence was only furthered by his enthusiasm and passion, something every CEO can add to enhance their brand
• Have Presence: The rumor was that Steve Jobs ruled with an iron fist. Now, it may not be necessary to be tyrannical but he certainly developed an imposing presence that employees, customers, and the media respected. They recognized that maybe toughness was an essential part of CEO branding because it backed up the innovation, drive, and passion that he represented

The Future of CEO Branding at Apple
What remains to be seen is if Tim Cook will now develop his own CEO brand for Apple and help take the company forward. While this remains to be seen, it’s important to note that Tim Cook must not try to copy the Steve Jobs CEO brand, but he must develop his own unique and captivating CEO brand that will captivate Apple’s loyal following. Sure, he has rather large and imposing shoes to fill, but all he can do is create new footsteps that people will want to follow.

Raoul Davis is a brand accelerator specializing in helping CEO’s build a brand strategy to increase their visibility and industry status to grow corporate revenues. Davis is a Senior Partner at Ascendant Strategy (www.ascendantstrategy.net). The firm specializes in CEO branding through tools such as PR, speaking engagements, securing book deals, and social media. Additionally, Ascendant helps corporate executives make the transition to CEO in their entrepreneurial ventures.