Brand or Be Branded: How to Make Your Name Work for You

If you don’t define your personal brand, someone else will do it for you. Dupé Ajayi challenges advertising professionals to stop leaving their reputation to chance and start shaping how they are perceived in the industry. Because advertising is an unpredictable, sometimes volatile business built entirely on perception—and we can’t afford to overlook what people say about us when we're not in the room.

Whether you're climbing the organization or agency ranks, leading creative teams, building a freelance brand, or navigating career pivots you won't want to miss this insightful session filled with helpful tips and easy, no-cringe ways to build a personal brand without feeling self-promotional.

Key Takeaways:

• How personal branding can help you stand out in a crowded industry
• Why a strong reputation creates career leverage in unpredictable environments
• Simple ways to strengthen your brand without being extra
• Practical strategies—like how to position your experience to become the go-to name in your discipline

Dupé Ajayi is currently the Head of Telling Everybody at Workolution, former Global Marketing Lead at AirBnB, and founder of The Ajayi Effect. Her professional journey is a testament to the transformative power of marketing harnessed for positive change, guided by an unwavering commitment to equity. Her work as a storyteller and marketer spans esteemed organizations, including impactful roles at Girls Who Code, Airbnb.org, ABC News, the Brooklyn Public Library, Bank of America, The Raben Group, The City of New York’s Housing Authority, MTV, BET, Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, Mary J. Blige, and Rent the Runway’s Project Entrepreneur. Each experience contributed to her multifaceted expertise, honing her ability to communicate narratives that resonate and drive change. If equity isn't involved, she won't be.

A sincere thank you to our sponsors at RIT: The School of Art and Design, MAGIC Spell Studio, and College of Communicationsfor hosting us at the Wegman's Theater within MAGIC Spell Studio.

Host or Publisher AAF Greater Rochester