Personal Branding Seminar

The Spring 2024 Personal Branding Seminar was conducted in two sessions. Session one was aimed at giving our scholar-athletes foundational knowledge of branding concepts for them to build a personal brand that best aligns with their holistic identity. Session two had our scholar-athletes’ evaluate the development of their brand and explore strategies to modify or maximize its impact.

It is a priority of P.A.W. Journey to prepare and empower each of our influential young men to develop their personal brands. Effective personal branding allows each of our scholar-athletes to tell their stories, perspectives, and passions to the world! Using their platform as a collegiate athlete, our leaders are able to show themselves beyond their jersey number to an ever-expanding audience through social media and marketing.

Showcase

The P.A.W. Journey Showcase is a lifestyle photoshoot that allows our scholar-athletes to put the skills learned in the personal branding seminars to action. Each scholar-athlete selects every aspect of their photoshoots, to allow everyone the freedom to express themselves. For the 2024 P.A.W. Journey Showcase, our scholar-athletes also designed the second set.

Social Media Summit - 2019

In the age of online influence, understanding one’s digital footprint and brand leveragability is a necessary life skill for today’s Tigers. Through the connection made through Clemson Football’s Creative Solutions Team, P.A.W. Journey was able to host executives from Twitter, Facebook/Instagram, and Nike to discuss their respective platforms and opportunities for personal brand growth.

Through using examples of currently well-branded athletes, Twitter’s David Herman shared how the words and hashtags chosen from the 280-character limit can engage diverse demographics and build following. From Facebook/Instagram, Vincent Pannozzo, introduced features of each platform that current brand powerhouses are utilizing to inform and interact with fanbases created and maintained through social media. The program culminated with Nike’s Jeff Lulay, discussing how using aforementioned platforms and other media contributes to brand opportunities and securing endorsements.

Beyond expanding their knowledge of the pathways to connect and construct their social media identities, the student leaders gained valuable knowledge on the security of these platforms and extra precautions to take when online. The scholar-athletes were also able to talk directly to the executive guests to ask questions and set up additional security for their accounts from the experts.