Brands are everywhere. (I know, it’s so cliche)

It’s present right in front of your eyes as you read this, and even where you’re sitting on right now. It’s on you – over your body, and it’s inside you – from what you ate on your last meal.

The funny thing is, though, despite brands being virtually everywhere - we only know a handful. And of these handful, we love and trust only a pinch.

With the ever-abundant sources of information provided today, it is quite easy to bring about another product or service, and hence, another brand. Which results in too many choices and options for brands.

But when it comes to selecting, it all comes down to that brand that you love and trust, and that you will keep loyal to. And that’s what makes that “pinch” of brands successful.

I’m not an expert in brands. But having come from a very dynamic and global background, I have seen many ways in which people think about brands – whether it’s from the perspective of different cultures, or simply different human likings. Based on my global background, and what I consider my strength – a keen ability to gain insight – I’ve decided to run this website in order to deliver my perspectives on why some brands do better than others. Or, as per my blog name, how some brands endure and outrun competitors.

A Bit About Myself

I AM THE GUY…

- who will place a welcome mat and open the door, knowing you’re coming
- who will hug you upon greeting, knowing you’ve had a difficult year
- who will delight you with a cool, light beer knowing you’re dying to replenish your mind
- who will start a conversation with you knowing there’s a roomful of pain in your heart, aching to burst out
- who will ask you to speak the truth, knowing that you want someone to trust
- who will argue with you for the sake that you love honest and meaningful arguments
- who will say sorry knowing you want to feel assured that I’m on your side

NO. I’m not a sycophant, a fawner, a flatterer, or a yes-man.

I am YOU.

I am what a product is for a shopping mom. I am what a Porsche is to a 53-year old father of 3 college kids. I am what a job-loss is to a disabled single mother with 4 children. I am what AIDS is to an African infant.

I am IN the situation.

I have not experienced any of these, but this is how I think. And given the right research to support, this is what I hope to do: to dig and communicate the insights that touch the core value of people.

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My name is Dongkwan Kim. You can call me DK. I am a Management Team member and Executive Marketing Director at an IT start-up firm in the user-generated content and online video arenas.

My global background of living and traveling in numerous countries across many continents has given me a unique ability for consumer insight. As a result, my passion and love towards marketing to the dynamic consumer profiles in the United States comes naturally.

As a firm believer and practitionist in self-development, I hope to experience new opportunities to grow, develop, and hone my skills and experience in the field of marketing.

Looking to hire? If you wish to contact me, please feel free to e-mail me at [dk at brandathon dot com]

Also, if you wish to learn more about who I am, check out my personal website at www.dongkwankim.com

Where’s Your Hometown?

I’ve been asked this question numerous times. Where’s your home? Where are you from?

Truth be told, I don’t know. If I had a chance to say, I would say, “the world.”

Since birth, I have been a worldwide traveler. I’m Korean by blood and language, yet I was born in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Only at age 4, I moved to Dae-Chi Dong in Seoul, Korea, where I for the first time, had to learn to speak Korean – up till then, my only language was Spanish. As I picked up Korean in a Korean-only environment, I slowly lost my Spanish tongue, and at the same time, my memory up until around when I was 7.

After moving to a different part of Seoul in Myungil-dong, as I adjusted to Korean, our family moved to Tunis, the capital of Tunisia in North Africa. It was a big change, because we were basically stranded in a totally new culture where everything was traditional at its best. As I learned to understand a new language – English, while attending an international school, I have learned a mix of eclectic foreign-American culture, the Islamic culture, and historic Roman and French cultures.

Now that English became my dominant language, I had to move again, back to South Korea. This time, I was in Hooam-dong, attending a school of Roman Catholic heritage, and learning the extreme difference between foreign and Korean culture. Everything seemed new, and just as I was adjusting to my new school, I had to move again, this time in Bundang, a new suburban town minutes away from Seoul.

After only a semester of adjusting, I was bound on a another journey, this time, to Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa. It was right after the end of the Apartheid era, where Nelson Mandela just became President. I attended a traditional British-style boarding school, where it was totally different from Korea, and a total different world to the international school in Tunisia. It was a country mixed of western and African cultures, a country where the land was totally harmonious to modernism and traditionalism, but where the people were not in harmony between races.

So after attending two different schools in South Africa, and after years of experiencing the different educational systems, I decided to come to the United States, alone, at the age of 16. My family was back in Korea, and I ended up in boarding school in Washington, D.C. I learned of the great U.S. educational system, and to me, this was more than just coping to the American way of living. It was also holding dear to my Korean heritage, as it was the first non-Korean country where I actually had to interact with other Korean students. This was a totally new experience, which helped me grow into a new person.

My graduation from high school led me to continue studying in the United States, this time, in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University. During this time, my parents were in Bucharest, the capital of Romania in eastern Europe. This meant traveling to my new home, to experience another culture in the after-math of a communist ridden state. It was a new experience, but soon I found myself fulfilling the age of military service in Korea. Since I haven’t had much education in Korea, I wasn’t accustomed to the Korean way – a structured, enforced way of learning. The military was that at a concentrated level, where there was no freedom I’ve experienced so far in my foreign endeavors. To many, it would be an inhumane experience, but to Koreans, it became a natural experience, since it’s only a one-time thing. After over 2 years of understanding the importance of liberty and freedom, and of capitalism, and the importance of time-management, I came back to the United States.

Back in Pittsburgh, I became a totally different person. I wanted to make something out of me – to reach my goal that I had as a child – be the next Bill Gates. But as my studies continued into understanding the software and programming languages, it became more difficult for me. Was I after Bill Gates because of his wealth, or because of what he has offered the world? It seemed like I was following where wealth was, and naturally, I became disinterested in the field of all things related to computers.

I moved on looking for new clues to where my strengths lied – and given my life so far – a life of worldly travels, a life of understanding and listening to people, and a life of adapting to cultures – advertising hit me so hard that I had to pursue it no matter what. It became the first time where I realized my true potential, and the first time when learning became the most fun thing to do. So I was at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh (AIP), where they offered a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising.

My AIP life was filled with enthusiasm, initiative, and wanting to do more. But at the same time, with my parents retired, and where after years of schooling, financing became more difficult, I had to graduate early. This meant taking 7 classes every quarter, so that I can enter the industry quicker so that I may support my parents. So I lived a hectic life, trying to do too many things in the least amount of time. The limitations of being an international student made things more difficult for me, but I knew I could become someone big if I tried hard. Results were quite different.

I had been accelerating too fast and not looking at the signs. I was too desperate, and my sights became parochial. I thought only about being a copywriter, and only at the end did I realize that perhaps that is not what I truly was good at. What I was good at, was understanding people, knowing how to trigger them. What I was good at, was bringing change, and a fresh perspective on things. What I was passionate for, was in all things related to marketing, and having an entrepreneurial mind.

So, I decided to join my current company, a start-up in online IT, as it was a way for me to learn about entrepreneurship and where I could practice my passion for marketing. It’s been a very new experience, where I was able to learn the limits that a start-up could face, and the reality of the professional work force. It became a learning experience, and especially, of one that helped me broaden my view, and to have a visionary mindset.

So here I am, now understanding what I have to do. There’s a lot for me to do. I’m young to be an entrepreneur and management member, but not young for a junior in marketing. I have made an important life decision that would be for the best of myself and those around me, coupled with my true passion in life.

My journey starts here, to change the way people look at brands, to change the way people look at advertising messages. And my aspiration, is to become a leader in this field, to influence people all over this world, as I have seen and experience during my lifetime across the globe.

So, where is my hometown? I’m from your hometown. I am your neighbor, anywhere on this planet.