You ARE a Brand!

April 8, 2017

When I ask most people whether they are a brand, the response is mixed.In fact, most people immediately think of celebrities like Oprah, Martha Stewart, or perhaps Mark Cuban when it comes to personal brands. These individuals have managed to build a strong personal brand in their respective industries.

They are the face of their companies and have become household names.  Over time, we have associated their names with innovation, creativity, leadership and ultimately huge profits.  Their names also have become the seal of approval for us.  As a result, we all know them, and what they stand for so we are more comfortable purchasing products they have either created or endorsed.   Oprah’s Book Club is just one example.  Every book recommended has skyrocketed to the best sellers list and resulted in the author becoming an instant millionaire.

Celebrity athletes have also been around for decades.  Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, and Michael Phelps all understand the importance of carefully managing their brands as an athlete and in their personal lives. The endorsements from Nike and other major companies have a tremendous impact on their ability to build additional wealth.

Surprisingly, over recent years, more and more individuals have become celebrities in their respective careers.  For instance, there are now celebrity chefs such as Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, and Rachael Ray.  These people have restaurants, cookware and all kinds of products with their names attached to them.  Wealso have rock star ministers who preach positive thinking and prosperity, write best sellers and have 20,000-50,000 members in their respective congregations.   And what about celebrity CEOs like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg?  When you think of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet is what comes to mind for most people.

The good news is you don’t have to be a celebrity, head of a major company or write a best seller to be considered a brand.  And, you don’t have to have a high profile, public name to have a strong personal brand.  Business industry consultant, Tom Peters coined the phrase Personal Branding in a 1997 article that appeared in Fast Company. In the article, he stated, “We are all in charge of our careers and head marketer of a brand called you.

From a product perspective, “to brand” refers to all the activities to shape customer perceptions. Reputation, relationship, and experiences all factor into how a person perceives a product.  The same holds true when it comes to personal brands.  Your personal brand is impacted by the reputation you build, your relationships and the experiences people have when they encounter you.  Whether you like it or not, everyday people make judgments about you.  You may not think of yourself as a brand, but the reality is, we are all brands.

 

“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. ”

– Tom Peters in Fast Company