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Dec 1
There is No ing in Brand

Unless you are using a branding iron or needle for tattoos, there is no ing in brand.

I make the mistake of using the participle branding and certainly allow others, but I see a problem.  As personal brand concepts are becoming more widely discussed on and offline; and coaches are marketing personal brand services, I see a clear confusion between marketing and brand. 

Let’s start here in part one of a series on personal brand:   

You have a market (maybe not always easily defined).  Then you have marketing.

You have a brand (maybe not always easily defined).  Then you have marketing.

Brand exists in the moment.  Yes, you have a brand right now.  You can re-brand to change an image or perception, but the experience remains along the way. You need marketing to communicate the brand.

Brand is soft.  It is an experience defined by the market/customer. It can be you, your business, products and culture.

Marketing is more tangible.  Name, logo, slogan, design, influence, scheme, campaign, etc.

Brand is a collection of the marketing collateral.  Important: the brand can be perceived different than the message.  That is where market research comes in. 

In other words you don't start personal branding, the action, but you may start awareness of your brand and a strategy to improve and communicate your value proposition. 

Part two: Brand Manager for Your Career

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8 Comments/Trackbacks




David, this sounds like a great series. Thanks for the concise explanations.

Wish I had seen this before yesterday's post. But I still maintain that superior quality with directed marketing will take care of the 'personal brand'.

People are trying to market themselves before they really have a product. What's your product, bloggers? Telling other people how to brand themselves?

It just seems like a closed loop.

And Oprah or Warren Buffet didn't start off with personal branding. That was built as what they did gained excellence and specificity. It took care of itself because they weren't 'trying' to be anyone than what they were or do anything they weren't truly interested.

Oprah did not become a 'brand' until she stopped doing the typical daytime talk show on transvestites or baby daddies. When she focused on her vision and her message, THEN she became a brand.

Thanks Hayden, You are correct about people trying to market themselves before they have a product. So that is were the training would begin - value proposition, etc.

To your other points, these examples did have a personal brand already -- brands evolve and strategy helps get you where you want to be. Strategies change too and smart people surround themselves with the teams to get there.

I disagree with Hayden. Oprah did have a brand in her early format and even before she became a household name. Her market grew.

Well put - my personal brand exists in the moment. I realize I evaluate my marketing strategy, products, customer service, office/showroom experience and more to reflect my personal brand.

Being aware of how people perceive and experience you is so important. It becomes more difficult as you grow unless you hire the right people who reflect your values.

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