Expert canvasses personal branding, digital marketing in school curricula

Executive Chairman of BOX 411, a branding and digital marketing agency, Kelvin Akparanta, has canvassed introduction of personal branding and digital marketing in nation’s school curricula.

Akparanta, who gave the charge in Calabar, Cross River State in a statement yesterday, said: “I advocate that personal branding and digital marketing should be taught in Nigerian schools as basic courses.”

He said the unemployment challenge facing the country would be reversed if the Federal Government approved personal branding and digital marketing as strategy to revamp the economy in a digital and entrepreneurial age.

Akparanta, who is also the Chief Marketing and Branding Officer of Activecode Business Hub, stated that personal branding was crucial in today’s economy, because people were the most important selling point of products and services product.

“People trust people, they are looking for someone they can recommend and advocate for. If your personal branding is strong, strangers will tell others that you are the best of the best. Claiming to be the best is much more powerful when it comes from someone other than yourself or your dad,” he said.

He stressed that if the basics of personal branding and its importance were inculcated in young people, they would grow up stronger and better in their careers as professionals and businessmen.

“Millennial are changing the way we think, especially those that graduated during the recession. Imagine getting an expensive degree, then having to live in your parent’s house, as there are no jobs.

“With the recession blamed on corruption and other factors, this has left a bad taste in many mouths. Not to mention higher rents, living cost and health care expenses. People now want to spend their money wisely,” he stated.

Akparanta, who wrote the book: Everything Personal Branding and Digital Marketing, argued that if the Federal Government could consider branding and digital marketing, the country would be building the next set of world class professionals and business generation.

“I have done the full work putting this book together. The course outline is already set up and could be improved upon for a viable classroom experience.

“I hereby implore the Minister of Education to explore ways to make the assertions a reality. The multinational IT companies like Google, Amazon and others are creating their own curricula and trying to change the narrative in technology, because they believe the future is digital and it all starts with personal branding,” he stressed.