Comments on: The Danger of Personal Branding http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/ Thoughts on the intersection of social media and 1:1 marketing Mon, 21 May 2012 16:04:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: David Svet http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10969 David Svet Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:57:31 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10969 Thanks Tom! It sounds like it's an opportunity to extend our 15 minutes. Most of us are probably better off without the first 15. ;) Love the idea of feeding an ego raw steak everyday. Gotta remember that one. Thanks Tom! It sounds like it’s an opportunity to extend our 15 minutes. Most of us are probably better off without the first 15. ;)

Love the idea of feeding an ego raw steak everyday. Gotta remember that one.

]]> By: Tom Vangeloff http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10966 Tom Vangeloff Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:39:54 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10966 I’m one of those who has dipped his toe in social media and found it not so essential as all that. Perhaps we are indeed the next evolutionary dead end. Perhaps not. Either way, my thought is that the concept of personal brand is inherently dehumanizing. Online communities and their social media drivers have enabled anyone and everyone to become “famous”—at least in their own minds and perhaps in the minds of a relatively small circle of followers. If you are famous, or aspire to fame, it makes perfect sense to be concerned about your brand because all those people out there will (hopefully) never be able to know the actual you. Thus the need for a brand that does everything David and Autom claim. When fame and its trappings become your chief concern in life, you and your brand get all mixed up. We see it when sports stars and entertainment celebrities publicly refer to themselves in the third person. And again, when they blame others for the trouble they get into. Ultimately, it becomes nearly impossible for such as these to derive pleasure and satisfaction from fundamental human interaction. Whether or not you enjoy true fame, I believe the idea of developing your own personal brand to stand in for what you are in fact is not a healthy thing. Generally speaking, people are no match for their own egos. You don’t want to be feeding that thing raw steak every day. Obviously, to be successful as a true “star” you have to somehow manage your public image. What’s bothersome is that most of us are beginning to think that being akin to a “star” is the only way to succeed. I’m one of those who has dipped his toe in social media and found it not so essential as all that. Perhaps we are indeed the next evolutionary dead end. Perhaps not. Either way, my thought is that the concept of personal brand is inherently dehumanizing. Online communities and their social media drivers have enabled anyone and everyone to become “famous”—at least in their own minds and perhaps in the minds of a relatively small circle of followers. If you are famous, or aspire to fame, it makes perfect sense to be concerned about your brand because all those people out there will (hopefully) never be able to know the actual you. Thus the need for a brand that does everything David and Autom claim. When fame and its trappings become your chief concern in life, you and your brand get all mixed up. We see it when sports stars and entertainment celebrities publicly refer to themselves in the third person. And again, when they blame others for the trouble they get into. Ultimately, it becomes nearly impossible for such as these to derive pleasure and satisfaction from fundamental human interaction. Whether or not you enjoy true fame, I believe the idea of developing your own personal brand to stand in for what you are in fact is not a healthy thing. Generally speaking, people are no match for their own egos. You don’t want to be feeding that thing raw steak every day. Obviously, to be successful as a true “star” you have to somehow manage your public image. What’s bothersome is that most of us are beginning to think that being akin to a “star” is the only way to succeed.

]]> By: admin http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10958 admin Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:40:30 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10958 Mike and Kevin, thank you. You both make great points. It's the lack of substance in some people's personal brands and their hiding behind the phrase that seems to be bugging me. It's not the phrase. That could be anything. Thanks for your help and clarity! Mike and Kevin, thank you. You both make great points. It’s the lack of substance in some people’s personal brands and their hiding behind the phrase that seems to be bugging me. It’s not the phrase. That could be anything. Thanks for your help and clarity!

]]> By: Kevin Sime http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10955 Kevin Sime Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:54:48 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10955 The ability to maintain a distinctive meaning of a word or phrase is directly proportional to the distinctiveness and substance behind it. Think of the devolution of the phrase "Gold Card" or even "marketing" and you'll get my point. My arguable muddied point is that I'm much more concerned about developing the substance behind branding and other professional skill areas than I am about lamenting something that's already happened. At the end of the day, either phrase is an entry point to the answering the questions that really matter: Who are you? What are you doing? What difference does either make? If I have to spend extra time educating, so be it. If they at least have a notion of what it means and they're interested in something more, I can show them the substance that makes a real difference. The ability to maintain a distinctive meaning of a word or phrase is directly proportional to the distinctiveness and substance behind it. Think of the devolution of the phrase “Gold Card” or even “marketing” and you’ll get my point. My arguable muddied point is that I’m much more concerned about developing the substance behind branding and other professional skill areas than I am about lamenting something that’s already happened. At the end of the day, either phrase is an entry point to the answering the questions that really matter: Who are you? What are you doing? What difference does either make? If I have to spend extra time educating, so be it. If they at least have a notion of what it means and they’re interested in something more, I can show them the substance that makes a real difference.

]]> By: Mike Brown http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10941 Mike Brown Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:15:33 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10941 Thought about this for a few hours Dave, and maybe it isn't that associating "character, personality, and behavior" with personal branding necessarily cheapens them. If someone has character, an outstanding personality, and positive, beneficial behaviors toward others, it makes them attractive as a person. In personal relationships, it may identify them as a mentor, confidant, or true friend. In business, that attractiveness may be identified as a strong personal brand. What cheapens things is when someone purports to be all those wonderful things, but really isn't. It's not the terminology which cheapens them; it's the lie they're trying to live that does it. Thought about this for a few hours Dave, and maybe it isn’t that associating “character, personality, and behavior” with personal branding necessarily cheapens them. If someone has character, an outstanding personality, and positive, beneficial behaviors toward others, it makes them attractive as a person. In personal relationships, it may identify them as a mentor, confidant, or true friend. In business, that attractiveness may be identified as a strong personal brand. What cheapens things is when someone purports to be all those wonderful things, but really isn’t. It’s not the terminology which cheapens them; it’s the lie they’re trying to live that does it.

]]> By: SusanaB http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10939 SusanaB Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:34:53 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10939 Personal branding has never been my thing for I value privacy; which is coming more and more preciuos these day. Plus, I just drafted a piece on company branding. It focuses on partnering with other companies to build both brands. This presents a question: Does personal branding counteract teamwork? Personal branding has never been my thing for I value privacy; which is coming more and more preciuos these day. Plus, I just drafted a piece on company branding. It focuses on partnering with other companies to build both brands. This presents a question: Does personal branding counteract teamwork?

]]> By: David Svet http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10938 David Svet Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:47:37 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10938 Autom, yes! I guess that's what scares me. It's a term that's been co-opted to summarize a lot of complex human traits for a new type of communication channel. It doesn't quite fit and I'm afraid it will take on a life of its own with people glossing over the substantial differences in branding and personal branding. Heck, truth be told, I've never been that comfortable with brand becoming a verb! ;) Autom, yes! I guess that’s what scares me. It’s a term that’s been co-opted to summarize a lot of complex human traits for a new type of communication channel. It doesn’t quite fit and I’m afraid it will take on a life of its own with people glossing over the substantial differences in branding and personal branding. Heck, truth be told, I’ve never been that comfortable with brand becoming a verb! ;)

]]> By: autom http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10936 autom Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:24:58 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10936 Dave - as I noted in my response to your input on my post, the marketing label is a valid concern, with the potential to diminish the more valuable and often unseen nuances that truly characterize a person, who they are, what they stand for etc. I also noted that I have long avoided writing on the topic as it seemed self-evident to me what personal branding is about (never mind the plethora of posts harping on similar themes and familiar variations of that theme). Yet the term *does* exist and at times employed and referred to like a fad gone out of hand. In my view, perhaps one of the clear dangers of the *concept* of personal branding is not being to sensibly define its context within the dynamics of social networking with a perspective that portrays the phenomenon for what it is. Admittedly the term itself is somewhat of a misnomer but its being bandied about like sliced bread. I appreciate you raising this concern -- it makes for a more fulsome effort to giving context to this seemingly limited, trendy term. Point well taken! ;) A Dave - as I noted in my response to your input on my post, the marketing label is a valid concern, with the potential to diminish the more valuable and often unseen nuances that truly characterize a person, who they are, what they stand for etc. I also noted that I have long avoided writing on the topic as it seemed self-evident to me what personal branding is about (never mind the plethora of posts harping on similar themes and familiar variations of that theme). Yet the term *does* exist and at times employed and referred to like a fad gone out of hand. In my view, perhaps one of the clear dangers of the *concept* of personal branding is not being to sensibly define its context within the dynamics of social networking with a perspective that portrays the phenomenon for what it is. Admittedly the term itself is somewhat of a misnomer but its being bandied about like sliced bread. I appreciate you raising this concern — it makes for a more fulsome effort to giving context to this seemingly limited, trendy term. Point well taken! ;) A

]]> By: David Svet http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10935 David Svet Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:22:14 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10935 Thanks chiming in Craig. That's what I was wondering. It may be much ado about nothing. Perhaps it's just another way of labeling self promotion. I certainly hope it's nothing more. Thanks chiming in Craig. That’s what I was wondering. It may be much ado about nothing. Perhaps it’s just another way of labeling self promotion. I certainly hope it’s nothing more.

]]> By: admin http://spurspectives.com/the-danger-of-personal-branding/#comment-10934 admin Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:05:52 +0000 http://spurspectives.com/?p=245#comment-10934 Thanks Mary. I know what you mean. It's always bothered me but not enough to give it much thought. I think it finally all built up for me and came together when I read Autom's blog. Thanks Mary. I know what you mean. It’s always bothered me but not enough to give it much thought. I think it finally all built up for me and came together when I read Autom’s blog.

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