Case Study
BETH GIBSON (Planning Solutions Corp) - A dreamer and a doer
Beth founded her company – Planning Solutions Corp – in 2002. Her mission is to strategize and execute high-profile projects of critical importance in the community. The tag line, “Inspiring, Imagining & Implementing the Impossible”, delivers a powerful message about her corporate brand.
The key expressions that describe the company’s values are critical thinking, to see things differently, to overcome obstacles, and trust: in high-stakes projects, failure is an intermediate obstacle, and she only wants to work with clients who trust her to deliver.
Her company’s identity is solidly anchored in the archetype of the creator, that speaks of the ability to give form to a vision, creating something of enduring value out of ideas, thinking outside of the immediately perceptible constraints. Successful brands are easy to identify with because they are explicit about the archetype that is truest to their core values, mission and vision, attracting those who are searching for someone or a company with those characteristics.
Client overview
The challenge
Beth’s personal brand is aligned with that of her company, for she is very much a creator. But she has upcoming business ideas that extrapolate from that one archetype, and naturally, her personality has more depth and complexity, which she desired to include in her personal branding images.
The experience
To understand Beth’s constellation of archetypes, we first set up a Discovery Meeting, to assess if the study would be a good fit for her brand vision and goals. After confirming our partnership, we scheduled an In-Home Brand Strategy and Style Consultation.
During this session we identified her personal brand values and brand personality: Beth is an individual who values freedom of thinking and living authentically. Along with her husband, she seeks adventure in a Jeep outfitted with a hard top camping tent. Although they love the rugged outdoors, they do it in style and comfort and chose high quality equipment.
This lifestyle is consistent with the archetype of the explorer.
Beth’s outfits show an unique style and quality. And she carries herself with poise and elegance. She speaks with unassuming authority. When she speaks of her future projects, she uses the expressions such as helping others, helping people get more organized, connecting services. These elements suggest that her other sub-archetypes are the ruler, the networker, the innovator.
These archetypal identities are universally identified by their unique set of colors, body languages, and surrounding visual clues. To present a cohesive, but multi-faceted personal image, we talked about the hierarchy of these elements and how they personally speak to Beth. We agreed on a color palette that would remit to the elements of trust and elegance (navy blue) and adventure and independence (earthy tones).
As for her body language and expressions, I noticed some unique mannerisms that should be respected and showcased. Beth is very elegant and feminine, but not girly. She slightly raises her chin, tilting the head sideways when talking to you. To honor the networker and connector in her, we also wanted to use body language and expressions to convey approachability.
Based on the discovery, we curated a set of five outfits that Beth loves and feels comfortable wearing, that adequately conveyed the desired message.
Beth’s brand session took place in-studio. Beth was greeted by our professional hair and make-up artist (HMUA) and assistant. Beth’s haircut is short and sophisticated, but she wanted it styled in a carefully disheveled way (which aligns with her independent thinking, non-conformist, streak). During the session, we strategically aligned every style choice with the brand emotions Beth wished to evoke for her audience.
After the session
Beth participated in a curated image reveal, where she was able to select and order her final images with the help of a specialized software that allows images to be compared and rated.
The results
Beth’s digital presence matches her personal brand strategy and values, properly aligned with her company’s brand, but also allowing for broader emotional connection with her potential clients and future business endeavors.