Victoria, this is an excellent question. Yes. I think a person can be branded. Usually, you are known for your personal and professional practices. These are actions people see and recall. I equate it to reputation. An example is treating people fairly and without favoritism. You also can be branded for an expertise, like writing. You can develop your brand also by what you choose not to do, ie bad mouth people.

posted May 11, 2011

A brand is simply identity. In a company, this is frequently told through color, font, slogans, etc. but the heart of a brand is deeper than any of that. It is a set of promises and expectations and the marketing communication aspects of the brand (color, phrases, etc.) make it easier for the consumer to find and relate to that set of expectations. Some companies do branding very well. Many do not.

This definition can apply to an individual. By acting and presenting yourself in a way that is always consistent with your identity, i.e. the set of expectations others should have of you and the set of promises you are willing to make, you can create your own brand.

On to the next part of the question. I don't believe that linkedin or any of the other social sites should be considered the main (or even a large part) of your personal brand. Certainly since many of us use these sites to communicate with the world at large, they do play a part but to allow yourself to be defined by your social media presence is very limiting.

posted May 11, 2011

It seems to me that an individual can brand themselves, but under specific conditions.

For instance, an Artists' reputation may be very specific and well-known, and this might make people think of said Artist rather than another when looking for a specific type of art. This can be especially true of Hollywood actors, who often have to struggle to avoid being constantly cast into specific roles that correspond to people's expectations of them.

So individuals can be brought to mind before others thanks to their reputation. Does that make them a brand? Maybe not, it just gives them the same effects as brand recognition. So, is a brand more than brand recognition? Sure, why not. It can also be a type of stamp of confidence and stability. If you loved your Maytag dishwashers, you know what to expect from the next one you buy. The same goes with cars. On top of being a reputation, a brand also brings continuity. What comes from the same brand will come from the same place, and the apple won't fall too far from the tree one hopes.

Individuals can generate that kind of feeling of security too. Not only cant hey be associated with a specific niche of needs and expertise, but also with a certain degree of reliability, so far, just like a brand.

Finally, brands work thanks to marketing. You have to make the logo's and the name known, you want to control the image they convey, and you want to build on previous successes which the brand has had. Individuals can do this now more than ever, thanks to Social Media. You can control your image, google the information that is associated to your name, link your social network profiles to your blogs and other profiles to control where people get information from you, you can get good references on LinkedIn, etc.

Individuals can therefore use their name, image, and personal reputation as a stamp that they put on their work when they present it to the world (past and future clients and colleagues). Is that becoming a brand? Maybe, maybe not, but it's certainly applying to your own personal image lots of strategies our peers have developed for brand management.

However, if you're not bringing forth a product, if you're not bringing a personal touch to your work, if you're not active on social media, and if you don't have a certain degree of success, I don't see how you could say that you are branding yourself.

As far as the ethics aspect goes, we can all have our qualms about treating our reputation and our life work as marketing and consumer products. But that's a whole other topic isn't it? :P

posted May 11, 2011

I think it could be said that a person can embody the values and essence of a company, but in the end, people are complicated, emotional and varied. Brands should be consistent, simple and onpoint.

posted May 11, 2011

Hi Victoria. I am not sure why anyone would wish to be identified as a brand. In the last series of The Apprentice in the UK, a candidate was vilified for defining himself as "Stuart Baggs the Brand". Admittedly that has not stopped him from establishing his own web site with that as a slogan but it did stop people from taking him seriously.
Nevertheless, it serves an important lesson that people are more commonly defined by their behaviour rather than the way they attempt to package themselves.

posted May 11, 2011

I think an individual CAN be branded but only CERTAIN individuals in certain circumstances. Some people ARE their brand or their image, which is inherently connected to that person's persona. But I think this only goes for those like Trump, who have a degree of fame (or infamy in some cases.) This group would contain actors, solo musicians, prolific authors and some artists -- mostly creatives who build a brand that IS centered upon the individual, not a company or a simple offering. Cher, Madonna, Prince etc. are so intrinsically branded that we have only to say their first names or show his symbol to know who they are and what they do.

Someone like Lady Gaga though is a most definitely a brand -- though it is NOT an individual. The individual underneath the character, Ms. Stefani Germanotta, seems to be preserved in her private life and is NOT open to the scrutiny that the Gaga brand is, this is an important distinction and shows how carefully she has marketed herself to her fans and what a shrewd businesswoman she is.

On the other side of the coin is someone like Paris Hilton and her reality television cronies, they are famous because of WHO they are not because of anything they really do -- ALL they are is a brand.

BUT to say that ANY individual can be branded -- or should be, is a bit ridiculous. When you own a company or a product your brand is, inevitably, part you -- because it originates from your ideas, values and reputation but you maintain a separate identity as an individual.

So really, the answer, for me is that an individual, depending upon their trajectory or industry can be a brand, or they can be the purveyor of their brand or reduced to nothing more than a brand.

Well, that's my philosophy on the branded individual -- I'd love to hear other opinions.

posted May 11, 2011

What are you known for? - In effect, that is your brand. Companies try to make themselves known in ways that bring them business. Often people do as well. If I am known as a problem-solver or as an XBRL expert, that is my brand. You say that you are "Modello Media CEO ~ Social Media Performance Consultant ~ Social Media Training ~ Speaker, Business Development." That is how you are trying to brand yourself. Does this succeed in bringing us business? Job offers?

posted May 11, 2011

Victoria, it is my opinion that a person as a product can definitely be branded.

When you were a child you might have known a sweet elderly lady who always had candy in her purse, smelled like a particular perfume or maybe it was the fragrance of fresh baked cookies. Later you knew a particular salesman that always wore a plaid coat or a bow tie. It could have been a football coach who wore an unusual hat or sweatshirt that made him recognizable and set him apart from all others. What they were doing was a crude and maybe unintentional form of branding. That is one end of the personal branding spectrum.

On the other end you have very specific and intentional branding done by entertainers and professional athletes. There often is one specific thing you remember about them. It is usually something that brings those celebrities to mind quickly. This can be considered their trademark but when that is combined into their “overall package”, with all of the other elements that make them who and what they are, they have effectively created a brand. Examples could be Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Madonna, and the list goes on and on. They are certainly is brands.
Now on a more realistic scale, one to which we can all certainly relate, Our presentation style, our speech patterns and in many case the overall way with which we present ourselves in public all make up our brand. Some effectively build a recognizable and effective brand identity while others create a brand that is confusing and less than memorable to say the least. Tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn provide us with venues with which to support our brand. They afford individuals, freelancers, consultants, corporations, etc. with the backdrop for brand development, cultivation and support.

These tools do not create our brand. That is up to us. They do however provide us a means with which to present our story to the public. It is our responsibility to effectively build and manage that intangible tangible we call our brand.

posted May 11, 2011

Sure!

posted May 11, 2011

I think your brand is how you are perceived. Ideally, you (or a business) are able to control this, hence we speak of establishing or developing a brand. The brand is little more than a set of expectations. Thus, just like Kodak and Disney, Donald Trump, Lady Gaga, Madonna, the Dalai Lama and the Pope all have public brands. I think you could say that each of them also has at least one private brand. The public brand governs how people consume their product (The Apprentice, Trump Towers, the next record or concert tour, or their teachings and outreach. The public brand is what they have developed that determines how their family and friends relate to them: warm and cuddly parent? intimidating and cold? approachable? etc. We all do this and, in many cases, both brands are truthful representaitons of who we are.
So I would argue that we could each have multiple public brands. How our brand is perceived by people at work when we work in an office or factory might be different from how our brand is perceived by visitors to our Facebook page or followers of our Twitter accounts. And our brand on LinkedIn is something of which we are all (I think) quite conscious: after all, if our goal is to network and make friends, possibly develop careers, we want to highlight what we believe our our strengths.
Attempting to present perceived strengths is precisely what Microsoft and Apple do when attending to their brands. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, circumstances conspire to short-circuit our efforts to establish positive brands and then Toyota is hit with horrific recalls. Again, the same thing can happen to individuals. Cyber-bullying, divorces which alienate large groups of our friends and family, and many other issues can strike at our personal best efforts.

posted May 11, 2011

Well here is my 2 cents worth. It is my understanding that Branding can be for a Business Name or Your Own Name. It just depends which side of the road you want to go.

If you brand your name, then if something happened to you that you could not operate Your Name as the brand in business. You could lose everything, because people know your the person (brand) connected to it.

If you have a company name, You just Brand that name, Taco bell, Arby's, etc. If something happens to you as the owner or president you can always deligate or have it written who will take over the business incase something happens that you can't.

Hope that helps.

Cheers
Ron Thompson
http://bit.ly/linkedinSEO

posted May 11, 2011

Interesting question (and indeed collection of questions) and YES, I would say that a person, as an individual and as an "entity" (i.e. what they stand for, represent and what they deliver) can be branded and should be held as precious as any brand could be.

And YES this is possible to achieve through a combination of media channels including LinkedIn - your on-line presence is a critical component of the brand and how it is perceived by others.

There are numerous "attributes" to the brand, indeed a holistic set of brand values and a distinctive brand personality - whether be you called Donald Trump or Hamish Taylor. Whilst I would never describe myself as "The Hamish", I certainly am proud to be a "Hamish" variant with all the meaning that goes with being a Scotsman!

Being known principally by my first name wherever I go, to the extent of being Hamish-san rather than Taylor-san during my 7+ year som Japan, then there is a strong brand identity. Equally to friends, colleagues and close customers, I quickly become 'H'.

The value of that brand? Well that's for others to decide and me to preserve and build!

Kind regards

Hamish.

Links:

• http://www.shinergise.com

posted May 11, 2011

Yes, we all have a personal brand. That personal brand can be split out into our private and public personas, each having a unique or potentially cohesive brand. Everything you do, everything you say, all becomes part of your brand. And that brand effects everything, but don't let that scare you away from being a unique and amazing individual.

posted May 11, 2011

I think this type of branding is simply a matter of focusing on a few things you do best and making sure you emphasize those characteristics in your resume, publicity materials or other means of interaction having to do with your career or business. One of my favorite career books is written on this topic. There is also a blog centered on personal branding; the second link below is to an article listing more books on the subject.

Links:

• http://www.amazon.com/Brand-Yourself-Create-Identity-Brilliant/dp/034542359...
• http://blog.brand-yourself.com/personal-brand/how-to-personal-brand/guide-t...

posted May 12, 2011

Absolutely. I think individuals should definitely brand themselves, but in a certain niche.

For example, Robin Robins is a "Marketing Expert who helps IT companies increase sales". John Jantsch helps "small businesses market their services / products on a shoestring budget."

posted May 12, 2011

Three names

Oprah - tabloid talk show host
Jimmy Buffett - country singer of questionable talent
Martha Stewart - mediocre stockbroker, convicted criminal, divorced homemaker

3 Successful Brands

3 Business Empires

posted May 12, 2011

Yes, good 'ol Martha, and Rachel Ray (yuck, but true) are both the CEOs and a part of the brand...Dr J

posted May 12, 2011

Of course it can apply to an individual. We all "brand" ourselves to one degree or another, intentionally or unintentionally, actively or passively. And "branding" can apply to inanimate objects, as well. Said another way,ANYTHING can be branded.

The complimentary hemispheres of any brand are their rational and emotional sides. The rational is almost self-explanatory, the product, service or individual's rational features and benefits, e.g minty scent, faster delivery, friendly smile. The emotional elements are the ones that really set brands apart: comforting, confident, engaging. These are derived from the rational side, but form closer bonds with the brand's audiences.

Everybody's brand has both sides; and both sides are critical, especially today when there are fewer and fewer super-defining rational elements, but many ways the emotional aspects can be selected and emphasized.

As for using LI to "brand" oneself, of course it can play a part. Can it do that do it by itself? No.

posted May 12, 2011

Tom Peters has a lot of focus on the Brand You idea. Check out the re!magine book, but also lots of great content on his blog.

Links:

• http://www.tompeters.com/dispatches/brand_you/
• http://www.tompeters.com/

posted May 12, 2011

Gary Vaynerchuk's book, "Crush It," really grabbed my attention and convinced me of the power of personal branding. I'm also really enjoying his latest book, The Thank You Economy. As I get more and more into social media, I realize the branding power of putting my true self out in public view. For somebody who only sees my Website - or has personally met me at an event - I'm the brand they get to know.

Links:

• http://crushitbook.com/
• http://garyvaynerchuk.com/

posted May 12, 2011

Not only do I think it can, I think that it *must* in an increasingly-competitive business environment and job market.

But I think the issue here is one of nomenclature. We are all products, in the sense that our career is a solution to an employer's problems. Many people's careers happen to them, rather than being the product of deliberate, considered thought and a plan of action.

And it's a useful metaphor. Not every person is an equally good fit, capable of equal successes, in the same industry/business/department. Our respective skills and work styles dictate that specific combinations will yield superior results, which is of interest to all parties. We are each individuals, and each department/business/industry is just a bit different. Getting that chemistry right is a tricky business but when it works, it really works.

When viewed through this lens, it's easy to see that our respective uniqueness--aka, our unique selling/value proposition--is a critical component to our brands.

A lot of people make the mistake of conceiving of a brand as a mere marketing gimmick. This misconception reveals ignorance of the true meaning of the concept.

Your personal brand is nothing less than your professional essence. So yes, it does speak to your experience or skills and work style, but it's also a statement about how you accomplish your successes and perhaps on behalf of what organizations. Because it's about one's professional essence, it flows as a river from the basis of one's strengths and core values, along the banks of experience and training, finally issuing into an isthmus of identity.

I've attached a link to the original Tom Peters Fast Company article that kicked off the entire concept in the popular consciousness: I think he explains the concept quite well, and better than any of us here could.

Links:

• http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html

posted May 12, 2011

Hello, Victoria. There's a lot of talk going on all the time about creating your personal brand. What does that mean? A short, descriptive and memorable phrase that describes who you are and what your value is. How important is it for professionals (and especially job seekers) to have a personal brand? Pretty important. It can be the icebreaker for encouraging conversations when meeting new people. It can also give prospective employers an idea at the outset if you're what they're looking for. It should make people who read your personal brand want to know more about you.

Now, having said all this, I find myself struggling with a personal brand, as well. I've tried several and haven't yet found the one that I think works for me. I did try "The Information Booth" at one time, because of my IT background. But clever doesn't always communicate well what you want to. That one made me sound like a business and not a person.
And how do you come up with something memorable when there are so many of us trying to present ourselves to prospective employers in a memorable way? Memorable branding works mostly for companies and products, less so for people.

So, here's my two cents: a personal brand makes perfect sense, as long as it's short and nails your passion and/or value. If you can make it memorable, Madison Avenue wants you. Just go with what sounds right to you.

posted May 12, 2011

Yes, I believe there is such a thing as the brand of the individual. Think of it this way - your brand is your personal legacy. What will be different about the people, process or culture after you have gone? What lasting effect will you leave? That's your brand, it's what you become known for - so make sure it's good!

posted May 12, 2011

Victoria. There are so many good answers and examples so far of the fact that an individual CAN be a brand. But another question could be, how about an individual who is PART of a brand.
Take for example Steve Jobs. The mention of his name automatically evokes the Apple brand, right? So, are they integral or separate? Could they live separately successfully? What if Steve Jobs leaves Apple, for any reason, does that affect the Apple brand? Some would say yes. Could Steve use "his" brand to affect another company? I would argue in the affirmative as well although he is currently defined by his affiliation with Apple.
So an individual, beyond the obvious such Lady Gaga and others, can be branded. Not easy, but doable.

posted May 12, 2011

This is just another example of people tgrying to make themselves important by throwing around words and phrases that they don't understand.

Wise is a brand of potato chips
Levi is a brand of jeans
Kleenex is a brand of facial tissue.

That's all there is to it.

posted May 12, 2011

Absolutely. Years ago Wired Magazine put out an article called "Branding You" which was a good example. In the old days we just said "people buy from people" but today you need to know more people than you may be able to meet. Branding "you" provides the viral marketing needed to get your reputation, skill, service, knowledge or other value well known within your respective industry. You not branding your name as much as you are branding a high level of skill which is tied to the name. It's the same as when your see Nike, HP or other brand, you, in most cases, see quality in the background. Properly branding "you" is really branding your skill and reputation.

posted May 12, 2011

Yes: Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Sting, Beckham, etc.

- Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting
Unforgettable Communication Skills That Will Set Your Ideas Free™
Facebook: http://goo.gl/POgY
Web: http://www.BlueElephantConsulting.com

posted May 12, 2011