Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36will love you. But don’t get hung up on a partic- ular brand. Understand who they are and think about whether you are a good match for them AND if they’re a good match for you. Madeline: What is the most important thing to remember about your brand? Julia: The most important thing is to be yourself. There have been cases when agents have encour- aged athletes to be one thing when, in truth, the image created was not really them. This is never a permanent image because, at some point, the athlete does something that is true to them (good or bad) and then everything starts to fall apart. A strong brand image is one that develops over time. It's not something that someone can devel- op for you. And you don’t really decide, either. You just are. Madeline Gordon is a Business major at Lehigh University and is also an outstanding young golfer in her own right. 6 | January 2017 #juniorgolfmag Visit us at juniorgolfmag.net Y ou may not realize it, but you are con- stantly building your personal brand. The style of golf you play, the way you carry yourself and the quality of your interac- tions with others all work to establish the per- sona that becomes your unique brand. So how do you create a positive brand, even at a young age, that is natural and a true product of your personality? For the answers to those questions, I sought out Julia Carcamo, president and chief brand strategist at J. Carcamo & Associates, a brand development and marketing strategy firm based out of Marrero, Louisiana. Her compa- ny was instrumental in the opening and brand- ing of Steve Wynn’s signature resort, Wynn Las Vegas, and she co-founded espÑOLA, a Hispanic marketing and engagement agency, among other achievements. Here are some of her insights. Madeline: Let me start right off with a basic question. What is image? Julia: That’s a great place to start, but not such a basic question. Many companies think of their image as the products they sell. People generally think of image as the way they look, but it really is deeper than that. It is a reflec- tion like a mirror, but what you see isn’t always what a friend or potential sponsor may see. What they see is your actual image. So, I guess a good summary is that image is everything about you – the way you dress, the way you approach school or your sport, the way you act and, of course, how you look. Madeline: What’s your advice regarding per- sonal behavior and social media? Julia: In today’s world, nothing is ever private – either because you’re posting something or your friends are tagging you in something. It’s a very fine line. You’re young. You need to be enjoying life. You have lots of years ahead of you to be serious and boring. So, I say have fun, but be- fore you do something disastrous, listen to that little voice in your head. Sometimes it’s really loud and says, “STOP! What are you? Crazy?” Sometimes it only whispers, “Hey, maybe this isn’t such a great idea.” Listen to it. You may think of taking a little gamble on something be- cause you’re among friends, but if your plan is to be in professional sports and really be successful, you have to understand that little mistakes could have big repercussions. Lastly, it’s important to realize that nothing truly goes away. Madeline: What are some of the first steps you would take to start building an image? Julia: Think about what you want to be when you grow up. I know it sounds silly, but I even give that advice to companies. Where do you see yourself when you’re at your peak? Are you look- ing to play golf because you love the game and all you want to do is play? Or do you want to play the game, win and get sponsors? Let’s face it – sponsorships are where the money is. Sponsors want a winner, but sponsors also want to partner with a golfer who is like their company. If you’re doing work for different local causes, a sponsor that values community will love you. If you’re a high-performance golfer, a company like Nike What Is the Essence of Your Brand? Brand and image expert Julia Carcamo Junior Rising Star Caroline Wales 13 years old – Palm Springs, California • US Kids Coachella Valley 3-time Top 5 Player of the Year • 2-time Runner-up Player of the Year • 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Local Champion • Scored hole-in-one • Appears in Rickie Fowler First Tee commercial • Competitive gymnast at state/ regional level • Straight A student On top of all this, Caroline gives back to the community – she’s donating bags with books, bookmarks and stuffed animals to 100 underprivileged kindergarten students. Keep it going, Caroline! BYMADELINEGORDON