The cover letter, reimagined as a motion picture

Areas of Study , Coursework , Marketing Stories | Oct 27, 2011 | Nicole Gesualdo

About 60 Gabelli juniors now have a cover letter you can watch.

As part of the Business Communication II course, these members of the Integrated Business Core were challenged to come up with a “brand video” — about two minutes of well-scripted, tightly edited footage that captured their personal brand. The goal? To catch the attention of a potential employer.

The videos were judged by Fordham faculty and industry professionals, who chose winners. Scroll down for the first-, second- and third-place submissions and the three other finalists.

The assignment was inspired by an article by Tom Peters in the magazine Fast Company, said Professor Travis Russ, who teaches this course. Russ wants his students to understand that they are the brand managers of their own public image. Good stewardship of that image — and the ability to communicate its value to others — can yield great rewards. Letting it languish can be dangerous.

In the article, Peters wrote: “You’re every bit as much of a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question that the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different?”

See below to find out how the winners answered that question.

FIRST PLACE: Sasha Lildharrie

SECOND PLACE: Amanda Kawczak
http://www.slideshare.net/amarie16/brand-video-9435627

THIRD PLACE: Andrew LaRocca
http://www.slideshare.net/andrewLarocca/andrew-video

FINALISTS:
Ryan Coppola
www.slideshare.net/ryancoppola/ryan-coppola-brand-video

Monica Hefferan-Horner
www.slideshare.net/monicaheff/brand-video-2011

Ryan Moroni
www.slideshare.net/ryanmoroni/ryan-moroni-brand-video

Camera photograph courtesy of Flickr’s Creative Commons.