Looking for a speaker for your next conference, workshop or strategic retreat to help you implement a practical blueprint to help you transform your culture and help you build a stronger brand and a stronger business? Then look no further. Ron’s unique approach to brand-building involves tearing down the silos between your branding and HR teams and having these two groups of professionals work more closely together by sharing information and resources, and working towards common goals.
Ron’s keynotes are designed to be “crash courses” on a selected topic related to “Bhrandng” and are most appropriate for audiences who need to cover as much ground as possible in as little time as possible – for instance, during a segment at a conference. Ron’s keynotes are especially relevant to leadership, marketing and HR-themed conferences.
Ron’s interactive workshops are designed to provide a deep dive into principles of “Bhranding” and are most appropriate for audiences who want to take the first steps towards developing a “Bhranding” environment in their organizations. Ron’s workshops can be delivered as part of a conference or, for businesses that want to book Ron specifically for their organizations, can be tailored to the needs of their organizations.
Ron’s custom-built strategic retreats are designed for teams who are ready to roll up their sleeves and apply the six keys of “The Bhranding Equation” to their organizations right away. Ron’s strategic retreats are designed for organizations who are already convinced that they need to tear down the silos between their marketing and HR teams and need a guide to help them replace those silos with powerful organizational synergies. Ron’s strategic retreats are custom-built for each organization and are highly interactive, with audiences learning on the spot how to apply the principles of “Bhranding” to their organizations.
Topics
Ron takes a scalable approach to educating and inspiring his audiences about the power of branding and HR professionals working more closely together. Each of the below topics can be delivered as keynotes, workshops or strategic retreats depending on the level of detail needed for each respective event.

Audience(s):

  • HR professionals who want to play a more prominent role in their organizations
  • Business leaders (especially CEOs, marketing professionals and HR specialists) who want their HR teams to “step up to the plate” and help build their organizations’ brands.

 

Why audiences should care about the topic

Your company can have a great website, clever marketing campaigns, impactful social media content and packaging that makes your products jump off the shelves and into customers’ shopping carts – but if your company is full of disengaged employees delivering mediocre or poor services, your organization can still end up with a weak brand. Modern companies understand that brands are built from the inside – not the outside, and that if brands are built from the inside, then HR professionals (the individuals most likely to be responsible for company culture, employee engagement & the overall employee experience) should be treated and recognized as co-defenders of their companies’ brands, right alongside their marketing colleagues. This session is ideal for audiences who work in companies where their HR teams are being undervalued, sidelined or excluded from conversations about their organizations’ brands.

 

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The learning objectives and outcomes of this session include an understanding of:

  • Why branding and HR are two sides of the same coin
  • How the work done by your HR team contributes to your organization’s brand
  • How the six keys of “The Bhranding Equation” framework (Branding + HR = “Bhranding”) can help your branding and HR teams unlock a stronger brand and a stronger business
  • The top three initiatives that your HR teams should be working on right now to support their marketing colleagues’ branding efforts

Audience(s):

  • Business leaders (especially CEOs, marketing professionals and HR specialists) who want to build powerful organizational synergies by de-siloing their organizations and facilitating a collaborative work culture.

 

Why audiences should care about the topic

Branding and HR are two teams in organizations with shared interests, goals and aspirations. Tearing down the silos between your branding and HR professionals will make it easier for these two teams to share information and resources, work collaboratively to achieve the organization’s business and branding goals, and to replace those silos with powerful synergies that help the organization to achieve its branding and business goals.

 

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The learning objectives and outcomes of this session include an understanding of:

  • Why branding and HR are two sides of the same coin
  • How branding and HR can benefit from working collaboratively – instead of in silos
  • How to begin the process of tearing down the silos between your branding and HR teams
  • How the six keys of “The Bhranding Equation” framework (Branding + HR = “Bhranding”) can help your branding and HR teams unlock a stronger brand and a stronger business
  • The top three initiatives that your branding and HR teams should be collaborating on right now

Audience

  • HR professionals who want to play a more prominent role in their organizations

 

Why audiences should care about the topic

Companies stand a better chance of building a stronger brand and a stronger business when their branding and HR teams work together, instead of in silos. If neither the CEO nor the marketing department of their organization shows any interest in branding/HR collaborations, HR professionals should position themselves as co-defenders of their organizations’ brands and take the initiative to offer support to their marketing colleagues. This session is ideal for HR professionals and teams  who feel they are being undervalued, sidelined or excluded from their organizations’ branding initiatives.

 

Learning Outcomes

The learning objectives and outcomes of this session include an understanding of:

  • Why branding and HR are two sides of the same coin
  • How HR professionals can position themselves as co-defenders of their companies’ brands
  • How HR can begin the process of tearing down the silos between their organizations’ branding and HR teams
  • How the six keys of “The Bhranding Equation” framework (Branding + HR = “Bhranding”) can help your branding and HR teams unlock a stronger brand and a stronger business
  • The top three initiatives that your branding and HR teams should be collaborating on right now

Audience:

  • Marketing professionals who want their initiatives to be supported by by a team of highly engaged employees who they can “pass the baton” onto to close the sale.
  • Business leaders (especially CEOs, marketing professionals and HR specialists) who want to de-silo their organizations and facilitate a more collaborative work culture.

 

Why audiences should care about the topic

No matter how clever or creative your marketing team may be, they simply cannot build a strong brand on their own. Even the most creative marketing, advertising or social media campaigns can be completely derailed by disengaged employees delivering mediocre or poor customer service. When marketers embrace HR as co-defenders of their organizations’ brands, those organizations benefit from branding/HR synergies that simply could not occur when these two groups of professionals work independently of each other. This session is ideal for audiences who work in organizations whose marketing initiatives are being hampered by a poor company culture and disengaged employees.

 

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The learning objectives and outcomes of this session include an understanding of:

  • Why branding and HR are two sides of the same coin
  • Why HR professionals are actually co-defenders of their companies’ brands
  • How marketing can begin the process of tearing down the silos between your branding and HR teams
  • How the six keys of “The Bhranding Equation” framework (Branding + HR = “Bhranding”) can help your branding and HR teams unlock a stronger brand and a stronger business
  • The top three initiatives that your branding and HR teams should be collaborating on right now

Audience:

  • Business leaders (especially CEOs, marketing professionals and/or HR specialists) who want to develop a culture where fun, productivity and profitability can co-exist

 

Why audiences should care about the topic

Your industry’s “best and brightest” are increasingly choosing their next employer based not only on factors like remuneration packages and career advancement, but also on the organization’s overall company culture. Organizations with highly engaged cultures tend to have an easier time attracting high-performance employees because of their strong employer brands.  On the other hand, organizations with poor cultures often have to choose from a remaining pool of less-qualified candidates and are more likely to pay a “culture tax” of higher salaries to entice potential employees. These organizations are also more likely to have to contend with low productivity, high employee turnover, absenteeism and “presenteeism”. This session is ideal for companies that want to introduce and encourage fun into the workplace as part of a broader initiative to develop a highly engaged culture.

 

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The learning objectives and outcomes of this session include an understanding of:

  • How fun can have a positive impact on employee engagement
  • How to introduce fun in the workplace without forcing it down employees’ throats
  • How to use fun in the workplace as a management tool to benefit your bottom line

Audience:

  • Business leaders (especially CEOs, marketing professionals and/or HR specialists) whose organizations are struggling to deliver consistently high levels of customer experience as a result of low employee engagement

 

Why audiences should care about the topic

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The learning objectives and outcomes of this session include an understanding of:

  • Why your organization needs to put employees (not customers) first
  • The relationship between employee engagement and customer engagement
  • Why branding and HR are two sides of the same coin
  • What “putting employees first” really means and how does “putting employees first” impact your customers

Audience:

  • Business leaders (especially of CEOs and HR specialists) who want to develop and maintain a highly engaged culture where employees are excited and committed to helping their organizations to achieve its branding and business goals

 

Why audiences should care about the topic

The larger an organization grows, the more difficult it can be for the leadership team to keep its culture intact. This session introduces the concept of “brand anchors” (such as an inspired purpose, crystal-clear visions, compelling core values, powerful mantras, transparent employee feedback channels and engaging rewards and recognition programs) and discusses how business leaders can use these brand anchors to keep their organization marching to the beat of the same drum as it grows. This session is designed specifically for business leaders of small to medium-sized companies who are experiencing rapid growth, and are seeking ways to ensure that their company culture stays intact as the organization expands.

 

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The learning objectives and outcomes of this session include an understanding of:

  • What exactly “Brand Anchors” are
  • How an organization can benefit by having “Brand Anchors”
  • How to discover, articulate and document your “Brand Anchors”
  • How to use “Brand Anchors” as a leadership tool

FOR YOUR NEXT CONFERENCE, WORKSHOP OR STRATEGIC RETREAT

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

Ron has over a decade of practical, hands-on experience helping companies build stronger brands and stronger businesses. While Ron is passionate about all aspects of branding, he is especially passionate about helping companies build company cultures where hard work, fun and profitability can happily co-exist. Ron has coached business professionals in Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, The Cayman Islands, The US Virgin Islands, The USA, Mexico and Malaysia. Under Ron’s leadership, Blueprint Creative has won several awards (including two “Best of Print” awards) at the Caribbean leg of the American Advertising Awards (AAA), and three Barbados’ Best Employers Awards for its highly engaged company culture and HR practices.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Ron believes that brands are built from the inside, not the outside, and that HR professionals should be considered to be a part of their organizations’ branding teams. Ron is the creator of “The Bhranding Equation” (Branding + HR = “Bhranding”), a custom business framework designed to help companies tear down the silos between their branding and HR teams and replace those silos with powerful organizational synergies. Ron and his team are currently conducting groundbreaking research on the growing global trend of companies pairing their branding and HR teams to work more closely together, either on a project-by-project basis or as fully integrated units. The insights uncovered during the research will be used to help companies all over the globe to do a better job of integrating their branding and HR teams.

WRITING EXPERIENCE

Ron is the author of Tighten Your Shoelaces, which is designed to help entrepreneurs, business owners and other business decision-makers defend and grow their brands during a crisis. The book is designed to help readers navigate challenging scenarios by identifying some of the high-impact principles, strategies and tactics that many of the world’s leading companies use to defend and grow their brands during crises. The book follows a mini case study format which features several globally-recognized companies, and highlights the principles that they used to navigate various crises, including health crises, economic downturns, and unfair competitive practices.
Some of the companies featured in the book include Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty, Ben & Jerry’s, Whole Foods, Blackberry, Burberry, Zappos, Southwest Airlines, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Oreo, Nike, AT&T, Marvel, Lego, Yellow Pages and Wells Fargo, McDonalds, KFC and GEICO. International author, John Spence, who wrote the book Awesomely Simple and who is a Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America and Top 50 Small Business Experts in America wrote the foreword for the book.

CONDUCTED BRANDING WORKSHOPS IN

  • Barbados
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Jamaica
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Miami
  • Puerto Rico
  • Trinidad & Tobago

FAVORITE DESSERTS

  • Lemon Sorbet
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
  • Lemonade
  • Lemon anything!

CONSULTING EXPERIENCE

Ron has advised clients in several industries, including energy, banking, insurance, convenience retailing, manufacturing, accounting and security. Ron has worked on a range of brand related projects, including:

  • brand audits and brand strategy roadmaps
  • marketing, advertising and social media campaigns
  • employee engagement and employee experience projects
  • employer branding programs
  • communications, public relations and crisis management assignments

RECENT SPEAKING EXPERIENCE

  • Nestlé 2021 Caribbean Youth Summit (Trinidad & Tobago/Remote)
  • Cayman Islands Marketing Professionals Association (CIMPA) 2021 Conference (Grand Cayman/ Remote)
  • Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) 2021 Practice Room (Global/Remote)
  • Asia Learning and Development 2019 Conference (Malaysia)
  • Insurance Association of the Caribbean 2019 Conference (Mexico)
  • Human Resources Management Association of Jamaica (HRMAJ) 2019 Conference (Jamaica)
  • Human Resources Management Association of Trinidad & Tobago (HRMATT) 2019 Conference (Trinidad & Jamaica)
  • Cayman Islands Society of Human Resources Professionals 2019 Conference (Grand Cayman)
  • Cayman Islands Society of Human Resources Professionals (CISHRP) 2018 Conference (Grand Cayman)
  • Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Tourism HR 2018 Conference (Grand Cayman)
  • Human Resources Management Association of Barbados (HRMAB) 2018 Conference (Barbados)
  • Human Resources Management Association of Barbados (HRMAB) 2017 Conference (Barbados)

FAVORITE BOOKS

  • Blue Ocean Shift (W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne)
  • The Challenge Culture (Nigel Travis)
  • Awesomely Simple (John Spence)
  • Great by Choice (Jim Collins)
  • Drive (Daniel Pink)
  • Create Distinction (Scott McKain)
  • Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)
  • Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin)
  • Tighten Your Shoelaces (Ron Johnson)

FAVORITE ALBUM

No Need To Argue (The Cranberries)

For more information on Ron’s workshops, keynote speeches or training sessions, please contact Ron at 1.246.256.2315 or Ron@BlueprintCreativeInc.com