Tweet

WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?

Written by: Jonathan Payne

Article Overview: Each of us has a personal brand. It is made up of the feelings, impressions and images we leave with people.

WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?

It’s funny how the meaning of words changes over time. Many years ago, the word “brand” referred only to the marking a farmer burnt onto cattle to mark them as belonging to him. With each farm having a unique brand mark, it was a means of identification if the animal strayed off or was stolen. I suppose it also had the effect of ensuring that the cattle were healthy and well looked after. It could be embarrassing to have the neighbours see scrawny cattle with your brand on them.
These days, while the word still applies to cattle markings, most people associate “brand” with companies and products. A company’s brand is made up of its name, its colours, design and image. Branding is now a major business in itself, and brands are regarded as having their own commercial value apart from the company or the product. For example, I heard that if you wanted to take over the Coca-Cola brand and use it on your products, if the brand was for sale at all, it would cost you more than 700 billion dollars (and I’m not talking Zimbabwean dollars here!)
Branding is associated with impressions and feelings. Think of any major brand. What do you think of? What are the feelings associated with that brand? Brands evoke any number of associations – fun, luxury, reliability, good value – all carefully cultivated by the brand owner by consistently putting out the same message wherever their brand is displayed. In some adverts on television you can pick up which product is being advertised, long before the name appears, simply through the colours being used and the “feel” of the advert.
So, what is your brand? Each of us has a personal brand. It is made up of the feelings, impressions and images we leave with people. When someone’s name comes up in conversation, it brings to mind the impression we have of that person – not only their physical characteristics but also how we feel about them. An entire “package” is conjured up.
Now, while I don’t believe we should spend our time worrying what other people think of us, it makes sense, particularly if you are in business, to ensure that when your name is mentioned it brings up a package of positive associations. It’s simply a case of having a good name.
You can build your personal brand by deciding what it is that you want people to remember you for. If you want to be known as friendly, then make sure you constantly give out a friendly message. If you want to be associated with reliability – then hammer away at the reliability message, every time. Branding is built by consistently putting out the same message over an extended period. If you are consistently negative or complaining or critical, that is the brand you are building. On the other hand, if you are positive, friendly, helpful – those are the associations people will make when they hear your name. Success is based on good branding. How does your brand work for you?

Related Articles
  The Power of a Brand Name and how to make your own brand powerful
  Let Me Tell You About A Truly Great Brand
  Strategic Branding Questions
  Do Bean Counters Understand Brand Value?
  How Branding Can Lead to a Business's Success...or Failure

Article Tags: advert, adverts, billion dollars, cattle, coca cola, coca cola brand, feelings, images, impressions, neighbours, personal brand, physical characteristics, reliability, television



Related Forum Posts


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Stress: What Causes It and How To Deal With It

Providing Feedback

Track Your Time for Increased Productivity

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.