We live, it has been said, in the age of the brand. A brand we can believe in has become a quick way to help us poor consumers in making decisions about what to buy. Brands can also be a statement of our aspirations and beliefs. For example, anyone out there with a 12 year old boy around in their lives will know how vital it is to have a Björn Borg underpants, no matter that the quality is not as good as cheaper labels. As Will Hutton put it, “what we wear, eat and drive and which websites we visit have become a source of identity in a secular society”.
Personal branding has become yet another buzz expression we hear and see. On one hand, personal branding is an opportunity to market and promote services you are offering as an individual, identifying you as an expert in that field. Finding out how you are perceived and what your reputation is like can be extremely useful in building up your image and brand, and also in promoting yourself in the world of work. For the sole trader or free lance worker, a good brand image can be important. Your personal logo (the democratizing of heraldry and a family’s coat-of-arms? Oh that was just an idea!) helps to get you spotted and identified.
There was an interesting comment to my last blog where it was stated that personal branding “can be a great thing, both in terms of possibilities in life and as a self development tool”. While I agree, and also that it needs to be of substance and meaning, I do worry a little bit about the idea being abused and mis-used. While Paris Hilton has chosen to be a brand and promote herself in that way, I question whether we all want to, or need to have one. Moreover, we all change and grow over time. My brand or image at 21 is not the brand I have now – is there a danger of us being trapped in a brand we create at one point in our lives? Of course we can ‘rebrand’, but is that more than, for example, updating our CVs? I think it is and not sure I like it.
Oh perhaps I am asking too deep a question, and one I need to think about more. Comments especially welcome!