Personal Brand Exploration

1. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
Carlos Cruz
Project & Portfolio I: Week 3
August 25, 2019

2. The eldest of three siblings, Carlos Cruz grew
up in a small town of Lynwood, California,
which shaped his “Biker-style” ethics and
principles. He’s been an avid Mountain Biking
fan his entire life and dreams of marketing
events and riders for Red Bull. After serving 8
years in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman ,
Carlos enrolled in the Sports Marketing &
Media program at Full Sail University where
he’s focused on developing digital marketing
skills.
IDENTITY

3. PROFESSION
Potential Job Titles:
• Marketing Coordinator
• Social Media Coordinator
• Brand Manager
Creator Archetype - producing
brand events that involves fans by
creating a rider and fan
interaction. Using industry trends
and defining new ones to
fascinate audiences and inspire
them to attend Biking events.
Digital Marketing for Professional Biking Organizations

4. • DEMOGRAPHICS: 90% Female,
35-45 years old, Predominately
White, Married, College
Educated, Located in middle-
America.
• PSYCHOGRAPHICS: Enjoys risky
outdoor activities, spends free
time playing with kids outside,
adheres to conservative lifestyles
and opinions.
• IDEAL AUDIENCE MEMBERS:
Annie Stephens, Brand Manager
(Red Bull), W. Hayes Wheelless,
Sports Marketing Manager (Red
Bull), Elizabeth Ahern, Senior
Recruiters & Hiring Managers at Red Bull, Monster, and
Bicycling
TARGET AUDIENCE

5. GOALS
Short Term: (Immediately After Graduation, 2020)
• Land an entry-level marketing position at Red Bull.
‣ Connect with, and send a follow up
promotional email to, 25 Red Bull team
members on LinkedIn by December 31, 2019.
Mid Term: (2025)
• Lead a successful digital marketing campaign aimed
at Mountain Biking attendance.
‣ Expand year-over-year Mountain Biking event
attendance by 30% nationwide by December
31, 2025.
Long Term: (2040)
• Establish a Mountain Biking shop that helps aspiring
riders increase sponsorships.
‣ Save a total of $80,000, and secure 3 business
partnerships by December 31, 2040.

6. SKILLS ANALYSIS
Notable Skills & Current Proficiencies:
Notable Skills REQUIRED in TRADE & Current Proficiencies:
Social Media Marketing 90%
PowerPoint 30%
Time Management 70%
Public Speaking 60%
SOFTHARD
Photoshop 70%
PowerPoint 50%
Professional Writing 40%
Public Speaking 60%
SOFTHARD

7. I help professional Biking organizations
increase MTB attendance by entertaining
and inspiring American families through
digital media storytelling.
PROMISE

8. CREDENTIALS
Work Experience:
• 8 years service in U.S. Army
Education:
• Sports Marketing & Media, B.S., Full Sail University (Exp. 2021)
Awards:
• Good Conduct Medal, U.S. Army

9. COMPETITION
Shannon Burke
Industry Experience:
• Current student enrolled in Sports
Marketing & Media, B.S. at Full Sail
University
Education:
• Current student enrolled in Sports Marketing &
Media, B.S. at Full Sail University
Noteworthy Experience:
• Not enough information on profile.
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Product Development - 0 endorsements
• Adobe Photoshop - 0 endorsements
• Microsoft Word - 0 endorsements
Carlos Cruz
Overall Online Presence:
• 3 connections, banner image not yet customized,
detailed profile summaries, URL customized
• Grade: Poor, 25 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• Current student enrolled in Sports
Marketing & Media, B.S. at Full Sail
University
Education:
• Current student enrolled in Sports Marketing &
Media, B.S. at Full Sail University
Leadership Experience:
• U.S. Army, multiple leadership roles
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Social Media Marketing - 0 endorsements
• Research - 0 endorsements
• Public Speaking - 0 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• 17 connections, banner image customized,
professional headshot, detailed summaries
throughout profile with two content pieces, no
articles published, sporadically active on personal
social media accounts, URL customized
• Grade: Average, 55 out of 100

10. COMPETITION
Elizabeth Ahern
Industry Experience:
• Sr. Marketing Manager at Red Bull,
manages all brand marketing
activities for the Southwest Region
• Field Marketing Manager at Red Bull
Education:
• Masters Degree in Business Administration at
Harvard University
Leadership Experience:
• Managing Southwest Region for brand marketing
• Managed 2 full-time employees and 30 part-time
employees
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Research - 8 endorsements
• Social Media - 6 endorsements
• Market Research - 5 endorsements
Carlos Cruz
Overall Online Presence:
• Less than 200 connections, banner image not yet
customized, amateur headshot, lack of details
throughout profile, no articles published, inactive on
social media, URL not yet customized
• Grade: Good, 80 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• Current student enrolled in Sports
Marketing & Media, B.S. at Full Sail
University
Education:
• Current student enrolled in Sports Marketing &
Media, B.S. at Full Sail University
Leadership Experience:
• U.S. Army, multiple leadership roles
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Social Media Marketing - 0 endorsements
• Research - 0 endorsements
• Public Speaking - 0 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• 17 connections, banner image customized, detailed
summaries throughout profile, sporadically active on
personal social media accounts, URL customized
• Grade: poor, 30 out of 100

11. BRAND POSITION
Renewing honor, courage, and commitment
in the workplace by coming in clutch when a
deadline needs to be met last minute.
CARLOS “THE CLUTCH” CRUZ
Carlos earned the nickname
“The Clutch” in the Army as he
often lead his brothers at arms
in completing the mission by
any means necessary.

12. NETWORKING &
MARKETING
Industry Events & Organizations
• Downhill World Cup
‣ April 27 - 28 | Maribor, Slovenia
• Austin Ridge Rider (ARR)
‣ Open Membership | Austin, TX
• Mercedes-Benz UCI MTB World Cup Finals
‣ Sep 6 - Sep 8, 2019 | Snowshoe, WV
Digital Marketing
• Primary Content: est. =YouTube channel called “Mountain
Biking ”; 15 min. episodes showing local riders and their
bike ride reels; 1 episode per week;
• Primary Tools: FB and Instagram - promote Channel
through 30 sec. promo videos; LinkedIn - network with
industry pros and publish monthly articles highlighting
some of the channels best rides.
• Website: Full Sail digital portfolio site to showcase school
work; use blog to showcase Biker marketing knowledge
and embed YouTube episodes

13. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mentor
• Seeking senior-level marketing pro with at least 25
yrs of experience in MTB industry; family man that
upholds Christian values, Jan. 2020
Formal Education
• Complete Sports Marketing & Media, B.S. by
expected graduation date in 2021
Technical Skills
• Set up free HubSpot CRM; complete all CRM courses
through HubSpot Academy, Dec. 2019
• SEO Foundations - Lynda.com, May 2019
• WordPress 5 Essential Training - Lynda.com, May
2019
Soft Skills
• Writing Formal Business Letters & Emails -
Lynda.com, Sept. 2019
• Business Writing Principles - Lynda.com, Oct. 2019
• Join local Biking Club and regularly attend monthly
events, starting Oct. 2019
• Impromptu Speaking - Lynda.com, Nov. 2019

14. Carlos Cruz
You know how the MTB fanbase has been
gradually slipping over the past decade? Well,
what I do is produce personal brand stories that
entertain and inspire American families to celebrate remarkable feats of
bravery within professional Mountain Bike Riding. In fact, after graduating
from Full Sail University, I produced a short film that showed the life of
Mountain Bikers to help attract the younger generation get involved more
with the sport.
“

15. REFERENCES
Ahern, E. (2019). Elizabeth Ahern LinkedIn Profile. Retrieved
August 25, 2019, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/
elizabeth-ahern-7145bb18/
Burke, S. (2019) Shannon Burke LinkedIn Profile. Retrieved
August 25 2019, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/
shannon-burke-b31479a0/
Comparably (2019) Red Bull. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
https://www.comparably.com/companies/red-bull/
employees
Kirk, Randy((2019) Starting a Bike Shop. Retrieved August
25,2019. https://www.startingabiz.com/starting-a-bike-shop/
Career Descriptions (2019) Sports Marketing Career
Description. Retrieved August 25,2019. http://
www.careerdescriptions.org/sports-marketing.html