“The Prince of Branding” came to Syracuse University on Monday.

Matt Prince, social media manager for the Walt Disney Co., spoke to a full Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications about personal branding and how he has created his own brand.

The presentation was sponsored by the SU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

“Personal brand is the definition of you, as defined by others,” Prince said. “Your brand isn’t what you do, it’s what people think you do.”

Before working for Disney in California, Prince held jobs as an executive speechwriter and director of communications for the Orange County Business Council.

In today’s world, companies are becoming more like individuals, and individuals are becoming more like companies in the way each person brands himself or herself, he said.

Prince discussed his “10 secrets of personal branding,” focusing on setting goals, using social media and constantly improving professionally.

“No matter what you do, you can do better. You need to do better than the people around you and look for ways to set yourself apart,” Prince said.

A large part of Prince’s presentation centered on social media, something Prince focuses on at his job at Disney. He said that with so many types of social media, it’s important to use them in a positive way without relying on them as sole means of communication.

“Who you know opens a lot of doors,” Prince said. “But what you know can blow those doors off the hinges. It’s important to have both pieces to be successful.”

Prince told the audience that the world is constantly changing, and it’s important to be open to new ideas.

“The industry is evolving. The jobs you guys are going to have five years from now don’t even exist yet,” Prince said.

While the content of the presentation kept the audience interested, Emelia Armstead, programming director for the SU chapter of the PRSSA, said Prince’s personality is what made an impression on her. Prince seemed humble and grounded, Armstead said, especially given his many accomplishments at such a young age.

Stephen Connors, a freshman newspaper and online journalism major, said Prince gave a good foundation for how to create a personal brand at a young age.

“Being a freshman, I’m struggling to find an identity for how to brand myself in the communications field, so I think he gave a lot of good information on how to do that,” Connors said.

Given Prince’s expertise in the public relations field, his presentation was especially relatable for students looking to break into the PR industry.

“I’m a public relations major, so everything he was saying was relevant to me,” said Weiwei Lin, a junior public relations and finance major. “I thought the 10 tips he gave were helpful, especially the ones about social media, so I’m probably going to apply some of those tips to my own life.”

Published on April 8, 2013 at 11:17 pm

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27