Author Maureen Johnson has an entertaining and interesting rant about “personal brands.”  Go check it out here: http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/2010/06/08/manifesto/

Often I meet people who hate using the word “brand” or “personal brand.”  They think the term is a load of bollox and is either meaningless or too confining.

I think the word does have merit.  Sure, it gets thrown around by every wanna-be marketing professional out there, but it does serve a purpose.

Cutting through all the hype and BS, the word “brand,” really boils down to one thing: the expectation your fans/friends/consumers have about you. It’s that simple!  You don’t need to be a marketing professional to understand it.

Think of any service or product and you will have an expectation.  If I say the word Pepsi or Disney or Southwest Airlines, a thought enters your head and you have a perception of what those companies are or should be.  These expectations can be as flexible or as inflexible as you’d like.  They can vary by the thousands, and no one is more right or wrong than any other.

Big corporate brands spend millions to help shape and form your expectation.  They create packaging, logos and commercials because it benefits them if everyone has the SAME thought on their product or service.  Over in the creative world, those expectations are built around the content that is produced.  Mainstream artists may spend more money and attention shaping their brands, but it’s not necessary.  Peter Gabriel fans “expect” him to take many years to create new music, but know that it will be inventive, creative, and different than what came before.  Stephen King has been labeled by some as a horror author, while others know him for his dramatic (Shawshank Redemption) and escapist (Dark Tower) works.  Both have content that form their respective “brands.”

As individuals, we can also create and manage the expectations of others.  Are you funny?  Kind of a dick?  Punctual?  Professional?  Casual?  Do you proceed with caution or jump face first into new projects or ideas?  The answers to these questions form an expectation about you, and thus your personal brand.  It can be whatever you want it to be, and you can make it as important or as unimportant as you choose.

So the next time you hear the word “brand,” don’t think of all the marketing hype that goes along with it.  Simply remind yourself that its an expectation, and not a dirty word.