British TV reporter Laura Kuenssberg has highlighted the increased branding around journalists on social media, moving her highly successful Twitter account from the BBC to her new employer at ITV.
Kuenssberg will be ITV's business editor from September, and immediately changed the name of her Twitter account from BBCLauraK to ITVLauraK on getting the job.
Although the BBC is not challenging the change, other industries have begun inserting social media clauses into contracts to keep hold of the good will created by a brand personality. Recruiters, for example, are often required to hand over their LinkedIn accounts upon leaving, so their contacts remain with the employer.