Safe. Backed by research. Depends on decisions by committee. Frequently changes identity. Looks good but lacks larger purpose.
When was the last time you heard a person described in these words? And yet, that’s probably an apt description of the way most brands are created and sustained. As brand stewards, how many of us can honestly say that’s not how things work?
And yet, in many ways, personal branding and brand branding are very similar. Individuals and brands are born with certain hard-wired characteristics: physical features, internal mechanisms, and similarities to the people responsible for their birth. But not much else beyond these things. What defines them over the course of their lives is not so much what they do with it, but who they are at their core, what value(s) they firmly stand for.
Much has been written and said about personal branding, from the first time management guru Tom Peters wrote about it in 1997, to now when the guru du jour on the topic, Dan Schwabel expounds on it (while on that, his www.personalbrandingblog.com has to be one of the worst designed blogs out there currently. I much prefer the simple and compelling insights Rohit Bhargava provides periodically at www.rohitbhargava.com).
But perhaps the pithiest exposition on it is from the genius du jour, Steve Jobs, in an internal meeting in 1997 (that year again!). He was talking about a brand brand, not a personal brand. But he might as well have been talking about himself, about every person in Apple. In fact, he did exactly that when he introduced the Think Different campaign to everyone at Apple (you can see the video here: http://goo.gl/6m2Y). He was showcasing, in his inimitable style, why what we make, what we do, and how we do it can change over time. But who we are at our core must. remain. unchanged.
It’s the one thing brands need to share with people, with the most impact, with the most regularity. It also, I think, happens to be the thing that most brands don’t do—either with impact or regularity. The ones that do are the ones that stand out and have a more or less permanent place in people’s lives. Nike consistently espouses its “can do” spirit. Coke builds its world around the happiness it spreads. Closer home in India, Tata Tea stands up against corruption.
But since I’m on a roll with Steve Jobs and Apple, let me go a little further with that example. What Apple does is it uses simplicity, design and technology to create products that people want, time and again. That’s Steve Jobs’ style of dressing (the unmistakable black turtleneck, blue jeans and sneakers), his eye for calligraphy, and the talented Apple engineers who make up these things. But who it is unchanging: a passionate person who is crazy enough to think it can – and has – changed the world. In other words, Steve Jobs himself. That has never changed.
So, who is your brand again?
(The author is National Planning Head, Dentsu Marcom)
