This week, as I wasted time on–AHEM, I mean as I QUICKLY GLANCED at–my Twitter feed, I noticed #AskJack2 was trending globally. My natural curiosity led me to click on the hashtag and it took me to this page which was full of questions for someone apparently named Jack.
Jack Harries, I learned, was a child TV star in the UK (he was on the BBC rather than the Disney channel) and vlogger (that’s “video blogger”). He has over 576,000 followers on Twitter, almost 966,000 subscribers on YouTube with over 45,000,000 views of his videos, and an impressive quiff hairdo. He even has his own Wikipedia entry! While he doesn’t have a website yet, he has made the smart move of buying both “jackharries.co.uk” and “jacksgap.com”. He often makes videos with his twin brother, and from the couple that I’ve watched, they’re actually kind of cute and fun in a very teenage-cool kind of way.
Yes, I said “teenage”. This guy is nineteen. And this 19-year-old has established his personal brand more successfully than a lot of celebrities. His use of social media is consistent in its tone-of-voice and general theme:
If anyone is looking for a very simple, fun example of how to manage a personal brand, this guy’s got it right. He’s upbeat, positive, and entertaining because he enjoys doing fun, every day things. One could argue that his apparent mastery of his personal brand comes from growing up in a generation where people “live” online, and one could also argue that sharing so much of yourself with millions of internet viewers is perhaps not the wisest idea, but hey, he’s over 18 and that’s his choice.
My point is that he strikes a perfect balance between brand identity (as in, how the brand sees itself) and brand image (how the brand is viewed by the public). Both he and his followers describe him as “cheeky, fun, and a bit random.” There you have it. That’s brand equity for you. Jack has set the tone for how people view him (or his “branded” version of himself), and if he continues to manage this successfully he will make quite a name for himself. This kid just needs to post “good morning!” on Twitter and he gets hundreds of responses and retweets. You can’t buy that kind of engagement, folks.
I’m curious to see where he’ll go in terms of internet celebrity and if his will be a sustainable business model (Justin Bieber, anyone?). The work he’s doing online now may very well bring him success in his dream job as a television presenter. In any case, bravo to Jack, and I wish him all the best.
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Each week I will post my thoughts on a trending global #hashtag on Twitter.
