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The Personal Branding Myth

The Personal Branding Myth

You often hear celebrities talk about 'Their Brand' as if they were a
laundry detergent, a notion that reveals a lack of understanding of the
differences between brand and personality. It's the equivalent of people
talking about themselves in the third person; something that is oft-putting,
and often a sign of a narcissistic personality disorder, not surprising,
considering the arrogance that can develop from being catered to by media
and fans.

Personal Branding is nothing more than another way of saying
'self-promotion.' Unfortunately, it often crosses the line that separates
marketing your business and that icky feeling you get when you hear
over-hyped media stars talking about themselves as if they were products.
Unfortunately, this trend has crept into the realm of entrepreneurial
marketing, a trend that does not serve the entrepreneur well when brand is
confused with an individual's personality.

Number 6: "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed,
debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own... I am not a number, I am a
person!" - The Prisoner

The Web provides a wealth of opportunities for entrepreneurs, but common
sense has been buried by a tsunami of fad marketing hype. Social media has
turned meaningful communication into nonsensical blather, privacy into an
unlocked diary, and real relationships into fanciful imposters. There was a
time when people fought desperately for their individual humanity as
artfully portrayed by Patrick McGoohan in the classic 1960s "The Prisoner."
Sure we have moved on, this is a different age, a different time, and
technology has opened the door to all kinds of new opportunities; but no
matter how much technology has changed, people are still people, and the
fundamentals still count no matter how much the purveyors of the next
marketing gimmick scream at us to jump on board before you miss the boat.
Let the shysters, charlatans, and carpetbaggers sell their snake oil to
someone else. You are not a number or a product, you're an individual, and
that carries more weight in the marketplace than a pet rock.

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