Festival Day 4

Day 4 of the festival and it is flying by. I’ve had a very packed day today. This morning I saw the talks with Mario Testino and Halsey. Both were very insightful- way better than the celebrity talks I saw yesterday. The third talk that I most enjoyed today was the discussion about the relationship between athletes and brands.

Mario Testino has his own agency, which I was unaware of (I just knew he was a famous high fashion photographer). I really appreciated his take on working with clients and this is something I want to strive for when I am in the workforce. He encourages company and brand individuality, which means that he does not expect every piece that he creates for different clients to be the same all across the board. Every photo he takes has the soul of the brand it represents, yet you always know that the photo was taken by Testino. The balance of self branding while also serving the brand of a client that he has achieved is astonishing and admirable. This reinforced to my how important one’s personal brand really is.

Halsey, an overnight pop star, is one of the most well-spoken and mature women in the music industry I have ever seen interview and she is only 22 years old. Something that stuck out to me that she discussed about herself was: “You can create a product that adapts to culture or create a culture that adapts to the product”. In this case she was referring herself to being the product and her music and fans as the culture that will adapt with her as she evolves. This view of her own personal brand allows her to be true to her own personal brand. I think this can most definitely be applied to individuals in the workforce or students as we develop our own brands. We have to make a choice to stay true to ourselves and our personal values, no matter what offer is on the table. Something else she said that stuck with me was about getting an ego as you become successful: “Work just as hard as when you started your journey, even when you have made it. Never get an ego and stop working”. This is something very humbling and is a great reminder to always reevaluate yourself.

The relationships between athletes and branding also brought up a good point. Athletes now are trying to keep their own brand, while representing organizations’s own brands like the NBA or NFL while also being the face of other brands like Nike. This constant battle between three separate brand entities is something that emerging athletes are starting to face because individual athletes are having more of a voice. The marriage of these three brands is a delicate balance, but I believe in the next coming years it is to be expected of all top athletes.