The Brand Called "YOU."

With a new year fast approaching, many of us reevalute our lives and jobs and make resolutions to change. So I thought it might be helpful to think about how you can best improve and build your own brand for 2005. The brand called "YOU" is the most important project you will ever work on.

First of all. What is a brand?  A brand is a name that stands for something in the mind of the customer.  Volvo stands for “safety”.  BMW stands for “driving”.  Red Bull stands for “energy.” FedEx stands for “overnight.” You’re a brand. But what do you stand for? Not an easy question for most people to answer.

It’s important to note that just because a name is well-known, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a powerful brand.  What’s a Chevrolet?  A Chevrolet is a large/small, cheap/expensive car. Consequently, Chevrolet is a weak brand.  It’s no surprise that Chevrolet has lost its brand leadership to Ford.

The most successful business people consider themselves a brand and market themselves according. And like product brands, it’s not enough to just be well-known. You also have to stand for something in the minds of other people. John Kerry was well-known but he never made his brand stand for anything. He was the alternative to Bush, but that isn’t enough to win an election. Kerry needed to define his brand in a focused, positive way. George Bush defined himself as a compassionate conservative in 2000. In 2004, his brand message was focused on protecting America.

Other interesting brands are Hollywood stars. The best film brands are stars that stand for something in the mind of the movie-going public.

· Julia Roberts  =  Pretty woman

· Bruce Willis  =  Wise guy

· John Wayne  =  Man’s man

· Arnold Schwarzenegger = Tough guy (A brand image that also worked well for his gubernatorial campaign.)

· Adam Sandler = Immature goofball

When a Hollywood star steps out of character, the results can be disastrous. For example, what was Arnold thinking when he made a movie with Danny DeVito called Junior in which Arnold gets pregnant? And when Adam Sandler has tried to be serious it hasn’t played well either. Just look at this weekend's ticket sales from Spanglish.

So, how do you turn yourself from an ordinary person into a powerful brand?  Here are some basic branding principles to consider:

1. Do you have the right brand name?

Remember your parents gave you a name, but it doesn’t mean they were expert marketers. So if you don’t have a good brand name, change it. When Ralph Lifshitz wanted to become a famous designer, he didn’t start by working 24 hours a day designing clothes. The first thing he did was to change his name to Ralph Lauren.

2. Narrow the focus, don’t try to be great at everything.

When you ask most people what they are good at, they generally say that they are good with people, good with planning, good with strategic thinking. In other words, they are good at everything! Traditional brands know that when they narrow their focus they are able to get into the minds of their customers and prospects.  Being a specialist and narrowing your focus allows you to get into the minds of your manager, headhunter, boss, colleague, spouse, et. al.  If you try to stand for everything, you will stand for nothing.

3. Use PR to build your brand.

The best and most credible way to establish a brand is with PR. You cannot go around boasting about yourself and your brand. You need other people to do it for you. PR is a third-party endorsement of your brand, someone else saying how terrific you are. So look for ways to be mentioned in newsletters, websites, and the local media touting your success. Make speeches about your “narrow focus” and try to get publicity in trade papers and other outlets. Then reproduce that material and start a file of our accomplishments. It takes one brick at a time to build the brand called you.

Comments

[adnan]

every company has its super brands then why the merger happens.

[Laura]

Great question Joseph. And one that has already been answered. Because I got married almost 8 years ago and I knew that there was no way I could change my name. My brand, my future and my success depended on keeping the Ries name. Why not give your brand every advantage you can by using the best name you can? My husband was not thrilled with the idea, but he understood the power of branding after I made him read some Ries books!

[Joseph Dean]

What about your brand, Laura? Are you married? If not, what will you do with the Ries name after you do marry? After all, "Ries" has positioned itself as the name that goes with positioning, and you would lose a lot of credibility in the marketing world if you dropped it. On the other hand, it would be an opportunity to rebrand yourself.

[Designer 25]

I'm reading and loving (might I say) the 22 Immutable Laws of Branding & 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding (try saying that 12 times fast). Again -- I love it. I'm hoping that in the future you can create a workbook to go along with the book. I'm not sure if that would be extending your brand but it would be a great help for right brained design-preneurs such as my self :)

Thanks a million!
Jeaneen Benson

[Scott]

Thank-you for this great insight.

I have been struggling with this since I saw your book and got your tape. Both great stuff.

As a realtor, with a well branded National Company; If I am a brand what and how do I promote and market it. It seems like I could go after that high end market for I can go after the lower end in the future. As you say it is easier to go to a lesser brand than to go up.

I am starting to look for succesfull examples.

[Laura]

Steven you are absolutely right. Branding on the ranch is very similar to branding in the marketplace. You want to burn your brand into the mind on the consumer.

But while the experience with the product is important. In many cateogies, brand differences are slight. And perception plays a huge role. Coke always fails blind taste tests, but when people see the brand name they always chose Coke as their favorite. People eat, drink, drive, bank, the label. In other words the brand name itself is a very important part of the experience.

[Steven Streight aka Vaspers the Grate]

I think of "brand" also in the old cowboy, cattle rancher meaning:

what is "burned" into the mind of the customer as they use the product!

No matter what "branding" strategy you use, no matter what you say about your product, no matter what other users say, what gets "branded, burned" into the memory of the customer is:

their experience with the product, good or bad.

[Neville Hobson]

Great commentary, Laura.

Re Chevrolet, what you say is interesting. GM is launching Chevrolet as a major brand in Europe, replacing Daewoo. So in major markets here where Daewoo has been successafully positioned as the "low cost and high quality" car brand, that's evolving with Chevrolet succeeding the Daewoo name and being promoted as a brand signifying similar cost/quality attributes as well as "strong and American."

Didn't GM try something similar with Isuzu? Not sure how that worked as Isuzu isn't a strong or recognizable brand, at least not in Europe.

[Yvonne DiVita]

Laura, this is a great thought-provoking post. I struggle with the 'brand yourself' issue daily...since the world now knows me as Yvonne DiVita (the Dickless Marketing lady) but, when I get married in the spring, I will be Yvonne Collins. So, do I keep the ex's name for its recognition all over the net, use the one folks equate with me, or...challenge them to learn a new name...attached to the same brand????

[Laura Ries]

Diet Jeff, I like that. Very funny. You could go all out and have Diet Jeff, Jeff2 and just regular Jeff. Jeff2 (or you could go with Jeff Edge) being the half calorie version.

But you are right, I would advise against line extension since it would dilute your core brand. And lead to all sorts of confusion.

Of course, I am in the middle of a line extension of my own. My brand is currently bursting with the expected arrival of a baby in March.

Thanks for the comments!!

[jeff]

How would I brand myself in the new year?...
Perhaps DietJeff might be the winner.

Of course, I wouldnt want to dilute or compete with the brand of Jeff...maybe I will just rename and start all over...

[Michael]

Laura, timely piece about branding... because if you fail to brand yourself, others will do it for you! Remember how the Bush people successfully branded John Kerry as a flip flopper? Before I forget, your writing sounds more and more like Al on his best days... and that's meant as a compliment! It's sooo refreshing... happy holidays!

[Laura Ries]

Thanks for catching my error Kam, I have corrected the mistake. Of course, Twins was another disaster of a movie with Danny, but you are right Arnold wasn't pregnant in that one.

Happy Holidays!

[Kam Hubbard]

Thanks for your sage advice on building my own brand!

FYI: "Junior" was the movie that Arnold Schwarzegger played a pregnant scientist.