Name: Olivier Blanchard
Born: Paris, France – 9 May 1971
Residence: Greenville, SC (USA)
Occupation: Principal at BrandBuilder Marketing, a Greenville-based Brand Consulting and Marketing Management firm.
Height: 6′ 0″
Weight: 165 lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Languages: French 100%, English 100%, Spanish 34.71%, Italian 2.1%
Current Chairs and Boards: SmartBrief Social Media Advisory Board, Social Media Club – Greenville, Linking The Upstate, TED Greenville, Charette Labs.
My Professional Background in 60 words or less: Military then B2B then B2C. Fortune 500s and SMBs. Product Management, Sales Management, Marketing Management, Brand Management, Operational Management, Social Media Management. Marine Nationale, T&S Brass, Microsoft, K2, Corante, SYNNEX, WOMMA, Hincapie Sportswear, LikeMinds, F360, Marketing Profs, SCHA, Furman University, Design Centers International, America’s Mart, Smartbrief, Red Chair Group.
What I Do: As BrandBuilder Marketing’s principal and senior strategist, I help companies develop, build, integrate, manage and measure Social Media Programs. I also help companies manage their reputations online and offline, and establish leadership in their markets.
I often train company executives and project teams in all matters of social media management and measurement, then help them build and integrate effective programs into every facet of their business, from Public Relations, business development and market research to Human Resources and Customer Support.
Find out more at www.TheBrandBuilderMarketing.com.
In addition to my company’s day-to-day activities, I spend a good amount of time speaking about effective brand development, marketing strategy and corporate social media engagement, so don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to have me speak at your next event: (olivier@thebrandbuildermarketing.com)
Blogs: The BrandBuilder, Marketing 2.0, and Interactive/Media/Design (the Royal Academy of Art’s blog – The Hague), Social Media ROI.net
Professional Summary: 15+ years of marketing management experience. Broken down into specific categories: Marketing project management, Social Media Program Management, strategic branding, brand management, online reputation management, product launch management, marketing communications management, community development, business development, and product design ideation experience. I have worked in government, manufacturing, energy, fashion, retail, event management and business services sectors, and just spent a year learning how to help software resellers and IT shops better engage with small and mid-sized businesses in the US. (I figured it might come in handy.)
Education: I hold an International Baccalaureate degree from the International School of Brussels and a BA degree from Furman University.
Other Interests: Innovation, Design, new collaborative tools, Triathlon, Cycling, photography, sailing, skiing, scuba, adventure travel, anthropology, geostrategy, writing, social media and business strategy.
Random facts: I lived in Europe until the age of 17. I have always been fascinated by great Marketing and by the way some companies seem to understand that tying consistently delightful experiences with their brands always spells 
success for them. I was always drawn to print and TV ads, even as a kid. While the other kids were drawing robots, aliens and superheroes, I was designing slogans and ad campaigns for imaginary products I spent weeks prototyping out of molding clay and model materials. I have since managed to successfully bridge the gap between product ideation and design (my name appears on a number of very cool patents), and the marketing that helps accelerate broad product adoption – which makes me a little different in my approach to marketing than folks who come from strictly PR and ad agency backgrounds.
I grew up in a culture which favored quality over quantity, substance over hype, style over fashion, exceptional over average, extraordinary craftsmanship over “made in China” labels, and originality over standardization. This early education in the unmatched value of true quality and authenticity has shaped every aspect of my way of thinking, from the projects I choose to work on to what products and brands I opt to invest in on a daily basis. Settling for average or “good enough” aren’t really options in my world.
In my free time, I hang out with my family, participate in triathlons, and take photos or anything and everything I can get my hands on. I can hold my breath for 3 minutes, 12 seconds. I watch way too 
much television. I am a movie-going fiend. I cannot be away from wireless internet access for more than an hour without going into seizures. I do not eat meat. My organic smoothies are legendary in some circles. I am definitely not a defensive driver. My favorite place to unwind is the Cote D’Azur. I am addicted to travel, portrait photography, social media tools, gadgets and great food. My wife and I own two chihuahuas and a golden retriever – one of these chihuahuas is Chico, the BrandBuilder mascot. Our kids have nine pet rats, which are not Brandbuilder mascots. My favorite film director is by far Terrence Malick (although David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh aren’t far behind). My favorite books are probably The Road and Fight Club. (I read Zola and Hemingway… I just prefer McCarthy and Palahniuk.) My first job out of college was with the Fusiliers Marins (French Navy Marines). I am planning vacations in France, Costa Rica and Thailand in the next two years. Cycling for hours on end is one of my favorite ways to unwind when no beaches or ski slopes are available. I always count in French (something about having learned my multiplications tables before knowing how to speak English).
Turnons: Anything innovative, the sound of genuine laughter, the smells and sounds of the South of France, conversations with free-thinkers, anything made or crafted rather than manufactured, a real night sky (the kind you get at sea), vision, talent, courage, honesty, integrity, imagination, enthusiasm, good manners, genuine smiles, great ideas.
Turnoffs: Groupthink, substandard customer experiences, uninspired advertising, lousy customer service, artificially flavored foods, rulebooks, artificial looking people, poorly disguised bulls**t ,bad grammar, cheaply built products, fearful narrow-minded people, social climbers, hypocrisy, selfishness, racism, sexism, greed, fear of failure, intellectual laziness, self-righteous armchair quarterbacks.
The resume word cloud:
Wow, I don’t know why there are no comments on such a fascinating bio. Honestly, this has got to be one of the most, not only interesting, but also thought-provoking and inspiring bios I’ve ever read. I agree with all of your sentiments about life in general and appreciate a lot of the statements you make here. I’m glad to see there are others out there with keen perspective and solid opinions. Merci et bravo!
I didn’t even notice people could leave comments on the bio.
Merci beaucoup. Great blog, by the way. Keep it up.
do you not enjoy cars? because you said you don’t like mass-produced items… or is it just a french thing, being an exclusivist?
I miss the days of Polish jokes, when the French weren’t so reviled by anglophones. It’s okay. I don’t mind. I’m half Polish too, so i’m basically screwed.
I’m okay with mass produced items – like phones, computers, cameras, socks and cars – and yes, they can be pretty cool, but I much prefer things that are crafted rather than factory-made. I don’t think it’s purely a French thing but being French makes me more prone to leaning towards old world craftsmanship rather than mass roduced “disposable” products. Why? Because I grew up around craftsmanship. Growing up in Paris in the 1970’s, bread came from the baker’s oven across the street. It didn’t sit on a department store shelf wrapped in plastic. The meat came from the back of the butcher shop on the corner, not a neat little sealed plastic tray in the meat department. The butcher actually cut it for us. Our vegetables and fruits came from local farms. When I visited my grandparents in Cannes, our fish came from small two-man boats who sold their catch daily right there on the pier. The guys who fixed up staricases and houses were craftsmen. They knew how to truly work with wood and stone. They were construction artists rather than just 2×4 cutters and nail hitters. It’s a different mentality and a different type of culture that gets into your bones. Even though i’ve lived in the US half my life now, I doubt it will ever go away. Honestly, I hope it never does.
The thing about craftsmanship is that it aims to last a lifetime. It’s stuff you can pass down to the next generation (like a timepiece, a quality writing instrument, a saddle, etc.). Food falls into a different category (sadly, you can’t pass down a good wedge of monastery-aged gruyere) but I’ll take a home-made muffin made with fresh ingredients over a factory-baked shrink-wrapped muffin any day.
I think that having a sense of continuity, of legacy when it comes to traditions, food and craftsmanship also bleeds into other areas of life, like professional responsibility, relationships, parenting, etc. It’s very much a cultural thing rather than just a personal preference, methinks.
That’s what I mean.
i understand what you mean, but i wonder whether you’re entirely right about craftsmanship. we live in a consumption age and it is now common for all items to be made in a fashion so that they break down within their useful life, usually a couple of years, if not less. same thing with customized items, but they do tend to be more dependable, at least the expensive ones.
it’s nice that you’ve been raised in a more personal environment, but I asked if it was because you were French since I know plenty of Germans who have similar backgrounds (especially in those two little bits called Alsace and Lorraine) but do not exhibit the same characteristics, the same feelings towards such things.
and I’m not sure what, and I don’t mean to offend you, but there is something that makes French people be disliked. I don’t like generalizations myself but from what interactions I’ve had French people seem to be more self-absorbed, more arrogant. I once wanted to apply for a university in Nantes and sent an email in English, from the English part of the website, only to receive a very annoying email in French. And I know some French, but still, I’ve never received mails in German.
but i’m drifting, anyway, it’s nice that you enjoy the finer things is life. and that you had the opportunity to have them.
It’s all good, man.
Funny you should mention ze Germans. Even though we share a border and are geographically as close as NC and SC, we are complete polar opposites, culturally. We’re wine people and they’re beer people. Our language is smooth and musical, while theirs is much more authoritative and gutural. We favor romantic architecture while they favor clean, sharp, blocky architecture. I could go on and on, but the point is that France and Germany are culturally like oil and water.
Which is probably why we keep going to war with each other.
At any rate, Germans are more about mass consumption than the French. Or the Italians. Or the Spanish. The difference may very well be a hops vs. grapes thing.
It’s kind of like this: Substitute “mass consumption” with something else… like a sport, or a particular type of music. The Spanish love the guitar. The French don’t. Belgians love to eat mayonnaise with their fries. The French don’t. Brits love porridge. The French don’t. Just because one European culture likes something (or adopts something) doesn’t mean others will.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that the French are any more self-absorbed than Germans. I find most Germans and French people to be pretty unapproachable and cold – at least in public settings like airport terminals and tourist traps.
The French have annoying habits, sure, like arguing about every damn thing, thinking that all Americans are ignorant and uncooth, refusing to cater to non-francophones. I’ll give you that… but:
When I was living in Europe and applied to go to college in the US, I didn’t send them applications in French. The Universities I contacted never sent me emails or letters in French. Likewise, when I studied in Spain, my correspondences were 100% in Spanish, as were my classes. Neither the Spanish University nor the Spanish authorities catered to my French or English language preferences. So I don’t know that your experience with the Nantes thing is purely a French thing.
I’d be willing to bet that if you traveled in Europe, you would find that Italians and Germans are as annoying as the French.
Although, yes, the French aren’t likely to be all friendly and make conversation with strangers. The French typically aren’t joiners, and their social circles aren’t as readily open as Germans. What you might interpret as being self absorbed may actually be little more than social shyness.
If you take a big step back, I would venture to say that on the whole, Americans are more disliked than the French. Personally, I think it’s all bullshit: France has its percentage of jerks, just like the US and Germany and Japan and New Zealand and Canada. I’d venture to say that this percentage is pretty much flat across the board. The only difference is that some cultures create imaginary cultural stereotypes like: The French are snobs, Iranians are crazy jihadists, Americans are fat uneducated Jesus freaks, Belgians are dumb, Jews are greedy, etc. It’s all crap. If you expect the French to be snooty, you will look for snooty French behaviors and justify the steretype to make the pieces fit in your head. I know loads of folks in France who still dislike Germans, even though they have no real reason to.
I catch myself being very critical of “stereotypical” Americans, Italians, germans, etc, and it is very tough for me sometimes to snap out of that mode and erase the stereotype from my mind completely. Easier said than done. I am a snooty Frenchman after all.
I pretty much guarantee that if you ever met me on the street, you wouldn’t know I’m French though. Yet I am. I would totally throw you off. (And I’m a lot more amiable in person.)
Cheers.
I like zee germans, and the reason why is that they respect people. sure, if you go to speak to them in english they will be as annoying as the french, but if you speak in german, they’re you/re best friend. they respect you for learning their language, while they do not know yours, and they treat you nicely because of that. whereas the french tend to patronize more.
as for you, why did you ever leave France? it’s got good schools, and good wages, and nice healthy food.
I wanted to live in the same country as Starsky and Hutch.
interesting bio – for the most part spot on – damn shame we don’t get to elaborate on a day to day basis anymore. i would love to bounce some ideas off of you some time… send me an email sometime @ my yahoo address…. hope you are doing well and i thought you should know i just had one of the best steaks in my life a few days ago — 12oz. filet mignoncooked Pittsburgh style – delicish….
Felicitations !
I enjoy reading your blog. I find myself thinking alike in many ways… Keep it up / Keep the tri-color flag up too
I wish I had the same writing energy !!
A+
Jean-Philippe
Oliver,
Nice blog. Found it by accident, but I’ll be back.
Just started mine–take a look when you get a second.
http://rblb.wordpress.com/
I’d like to add you to my Blogroll.
Cheers,
Barry
Jean-Philippe mentioned ‘writing energy’. Spot on. Great description. Glad I read.
Salut Olivier,
Je suis a’ Boston, transvase’ de la Cote D’Azur.
Tes ecrits son tres pertinents et tres bien presente’s.
Wahyd
Profile: http://mediacodex.com/about.htm
Connect: http://www.linkedin.com/in/vannoni
Publication: http://manifestmagazine.wordpress.com
Ah super! Merci de m’avoir enoye tes numeros.
canadian jerks? can this be true? say it ain’t so… (of course, there are jerks everywhere…well…except here.
)
following your bio-banter has been fun and most interesting. my addition to the subject is that, once you get to know them, people are people regardless of where they are from. most are fine specimens, too. culture is the pretty wrapping paper on some of the most wonderful gifts we will ever have the honour and pleasure of accepting.
i am so pleased to have found your blog, olivier. what a nice addition to a brand new year!
my best to you…
Oliver,
We at haul have only recently discovered you, your thoughts & writings pop up often in our meetings.
Thanks for your offering.
Regards
Scott Kilmartin
Designer / MD
haul
You guys rock. Thanks for posting comments here.
I found your blog via your recent posting on the growth of the mobile market at a LinkedIN group.
Like finally, it’s catching on.
As an analyst at the Aberdeen Group in Boston in 2000, I tracked global mobile trends.
This was smack dab in the middle of the Internet Boom/Bust.
Many of the mobile ideas getting traction were bandied about back then, but went no where fast, in no small part due to the stubbornness of service providers, Sprint, VW, etc. etc. etc.
Do you have a mailing list? Iif so, please include me.
I would be interested in all things directed toward BBoomers and the mobile market.
Merci beaucoup !!
[...] is a great guy to follow – and if you want to know a whole bunch more about him, and mascot Chico, this is your spot. Do so when you visit his blog, and find him on Twitter at [...]
Loving your blog. I’m a college student who just so happens to be majoring in PR/marketing and minoring in French, so naturally I’m very interested in the whole conversation above
Love the Bio & Randomness!
Enjoyed reading the friendly banter about how la French & ze Germans are like oil & water, etc. LOL. I know all too well having traveled and lived in those places.
I too am a non-meat eater and dog lover. I am glad to have found your blog and now follow you on Twitter & look forward to your tweets
Have a lovely day~
Great blog.
Header photo on right makes me think of Ray Romano. Good or bad, you decide
Crumbs, I came on WordPress this morning just to check my stats and you had top billing, writing about someone who had been foolish whilst Twittering (a subject I myself had touched on recently). Here I am, a good 45 minutes later, still reading through your pages and getting drawn into all the comments. What a great site.
As a fellow Flickr-er (!) I’ll also now be checking out your lovely photos. I guess you could say therefore that you have a new fan!
Keep up the good work.
Olivier,
I’ve been following (lurking) your blog for awhile now. Really (really!) enjoying your style and perspective on all things branding. I just hit the 50 post mark on my blog, which covers branding and design for the screen- motion graphics & broadcast design.
http://dennytu.wordpress.com
Keep up the good work! Let me know what you think?
Denny
[...] Sports Commentary Please, take a second and read this: http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/about/ [...]
Olivier,
I loved reading your bio, as well as the conversations about cultural differences and stereotypes. You are just the kind of person I like to meet and be around, French/ Polish or not. : )
I have lived in Germany and in Vienna, Austria. Even between those two cultures, there are marked differences. That being said, I agree with you. There are jerks in every culture that seem to be the ‘face’ of that culture to others. For me, I love love love being exposed to all of the cultures of the world (we’ve met and gotten to know people from 43+ countries). Cultures are the seasoning that keeps life from being so bland.
I am looking forward to keeping up with your blog.
Lori
Olivier,
If you want to add Facebook or email sharing buttons to your blog posts, there’s a plugin that does it for you:
http://tinyurl.com/sharebuttons
Hope you find it helpful!
Cheers,
Jerry
Precious, just precious….
[...] 28, 2009 · No Comments Olivier Blanchard have made a great blog post about how Social Media experts, gurus etc. when confronted about ROI on [...]
[...] to hear his perspective on social media ROI – a topic that’s inflamed the Twittersphere since Olivier Blanchard published his series of blog posts that excoriated the pretentious social media gurus who promote [...]
[...] article from Entrepreneur Magazine quotes one of Greenville’s own social media experts, Olivier Blanchard of the Brand Builder Marketing, as well as offers up some tasty morsels on some SM stats and how to [...]
[...] do – no, that you must do – every day in the place that you are. Then along comes the incredible Olivier Blanchard (@thebrandbuilder) and here’s a snippet of his post from late last [...]
[...] 25, 2009 di pgrandicelli Olivier Blanchard, marchettaro di ultima generazione, ci spiega in modo divertente ed estremamente efficace come [...]
[...] Olivier Blanchard has posted a slide presentation that’s right on the money. And I do mean money. He makes clear right away that ROI is about dollars—savings and revenue—not impressions, traffic, or engagements. Then he explains, quite clearly, how to get there. [...]
[...] Olivier Blanchard goes through the key business misconceptions of social media – 1) only works for some companies, 2) you will lose control of message, and 3) it is just a fad. He points out that a wide range of companies from the traditionally non-service oriented cable companies to traditional publishing companies. You won’t lose control of your message if you listen and engage. And social media is not a fad! It is here to stay. Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow. [...]
OMG… I am so happy I “stumbled” upon your blog. nothing really happens by accident and this discovery is right on time!! Your information here is priceless! Thanks for sharing!
BTW… you have also convinced me I need to update my bio on my blog.
I just wrote your biography in 58 words for the Rosey Awards book. Made me want to look you up and, in the event that we cross paths, invite you to coffee.
[...] post form Olivier Blanchard’s Brand Building Blog looks at the building blocks of a corporate social media program – 1) [...]
[...] post form Olivier Blanchard’s Brand Building Blog looks at the building blocks of a corporate social media program – 1) [...]
[...] The BrandBuilder Blog, Oliver Blanchard gives a great overview of and insight into Best Practices for Social Media: The Basics of Program [...]
Olivier,
This is by far the most intriguing Bio I have read on a Blog. The resume tag cloud is great and really hammers home what/who you are as a professional. I’m glad that I have found your blog and have subscribed to the RSS. Hopefully I’ll be able to use your tips on my own blog (still in infant stages).
Thanks again,
Ryan H.
Hey! c’est en faisant une recherche sur ton homonyme/économiste que je suis tombée (c’est le cas de le dire!) par hasard sur ton site; je l’ai consulté avec attention. Des arguments trés intéressants sur lesquels on ne peut être que d’accord. Bravo à toi!
Great insights here, Olivier. As a born German myself, I can’t surpress my attention to detail: Tiny grammar error at ze end of the bio >> “disguised bulls**t ,bad grammar, ”
Just joking ; ]
Thank god I live in the UK now.
Cheerio!
J’aime les personnes cultivées, originales et ouvertes d’esprit et je trouve que vous étes un mélange de tout cela.
Frenchies are arrogant maybe but they have good taste.I like Americans too because they are cool despite the fact that they don’t know much about the rest of the world. I think that every people is a mix of qualities and defaults but we can be better learning from each other.
Indeed. Agreed on all counts.
And solid use of your bilingual abilities, Ernesto.
[...] Olivier Blanchard, founder of Brand Builder Marketing has put together the following slideshow that expertly shows you what you need to know about the basics. Definitely worth a look: [...]