Hi Thalia -- I couldn't agree more! One of these days, we'll figure out what to call the art of personal branding. You're right that it has all the wrong connotations and turns many people off. I've thought about this for years and tried on many different word combos, but personal branding is an example of a sector that has cemented its own brand identity and proves the rule that once "branded," it's very hard , if not impossible, to change the narrative.
Lyn, this is an interesting read. Personally, I'm under the conviction that personal branding shouldn't really the same as professional direction. The issue isn't with the idea of branding, I think it's the word choice. 'Brand' or 'branded'---if we're talking perception---gives people the idea that a complex human being need only be singularly perceived (and permanently so), which from a marketing perspective is 'easier.' But from the perspective of the personality at hand---it's far too hard for any human being to be perceived as one thing or even multiple things at once all the time. I don't have a solution to this. And your article brought up some great points (and prompts me to further review my position on branding). Thank you for this :)
Hi Thalia -- I couldn't agree more! One of these days, we'll figure out what to call the art of personal branding. You're right that it has all the wrong connotations and turns many people off. I've thought about this for years and tried on many different word combos, but personal branding is an example of a sector that has cemented its own brand identity and proves the rule that once "branded," it's very hard , if not impossible, to change the narrative.
I agree—there are so many missteps amidst a tidal wave of unrelenting coverage. Not sure it's recoverable. And you're right—it's a cautionary tale.
Lyn, this is an interesting read. Personally, I'm under the conviction that personal branding shouldn't really the same as professional direction. The issue isn't with the idea of branding, I think it's the word choice. 'Brand' or 'branded'---if we're talking perception---gives people the idea that a complex human being need only be singularly perceived (and permanently so), which from a marketing perspective is 'easier.' But from the perspective of the personality at hand---it's far too hard for any human being to be perceived as one thing or even multiple things at once all the time. I don't have a solution to this. And your article brought up some great points (and prompts me to further review my position on branding). Thank you for this :)
A brand that’s unlikely ever to recover is Meaghan Markle’s.
She’s a study in arrogance and How To Do Everything Wrong.