'When is a person who is NOT a celebrity,
a brand?' You asked, at the end of Part 1
of this post, 'When is a person a brand?"
That’s another great question!
Celebrity status certainly puts a personal brand in the spotlight, as I said before.
But many of my clients have branded themselves successfully, yet they are ‘Stars’ only in their personal and professional circles.
What makes it possible for a non-celebrity to be a ‘Star' in their own right?
The answer to that question is simple,
but it might not be what you'd guess.
There are 7 key requirements for
a successful personal, business
or product brand.
A successful brand has...
1. A specific, unique appeal to its' target market
2. A keen awareness of, and ability to meet, the established needs of its' target market
3. The ability to adeptly match its' marketing messages with its' target markets' enduring
and changing needs
4. Products, services and customer experiences that meet, or exceed, its' target markets' expectations, by delivering consistent quality and value
5. Its' target markets' trust and a good reputation, built over time by delivering exactly
what it promises
6. Credibility that's derived from its' relevant skills, expertise or experience
7. Authenticity and passion
I’m going to use my own personal brand to demonstrate how these key requirements come together to form a successful personal brand. My story explains what qualifies me to answer the question, 'When is a person a brand?' (which addresses point 6). It also explains what inspired me to leave my comfortable corporate career, and in 1998, jump into developing the embryonic personal branding process, (which covers point 7).
I’m Rosemary Davies Janes, the Founder & CEO of MIBOSO® Authentic Personal Branding.
After spending 20 years in progressive roles in ad agencies, leading corporate marketing and communications teams, and working with some of the best known brands in the world, in 1998
I founded my own brand agency, MIBOSO.
In my corporate and agency days, I met a lot of people who weren't happy with their lives.
They complained about their jobs, their bosses, their commutes, and their lack of time to do what they really loved. For example...
The natural comedian who spent his days crunching data, yearning to cast off his corporate shackles and take to the comedy club stage. And every so often, when it was least expected, running a comedy routine for his co-workers that had them laughing so hard their ribs hurt!
And...
The passionate chef who had boxed up her talents and locked them away, devoting her life instead to serving the needs of her ad agency’s corporate clients. But sometimes late at night, she would parole her passion and treat her clients to an extraordinary meal at a superb restaurant known only to ‘foodies;’ professional chefs and caterers.
These encounters, and many more like them, spurred my interest in applying branding processes to people. I believed that branding held the key to connecting people’s passions, strengths and skills with both the jobs that would fulfill them and the target markets that wanted the value and benefits they offered. It turned out I was right!
You see, when you brand a product, like Coke, or a business, like Starbucks, what happens is
that a brand personality is invented. Specific values, preferences and strengths that have proven appeal to an intended target market, are woven together to form a personality which is then assigned to the brand.
Since branding had been proven effective for everything from soft drinks to coffee shops, it could also work for people, I theorized. After all, we come 'pre-loaded' with personalities, values, preferences, strengths and so much more. Personal brands had the potential to be truly authentic, unlike product and business brands, which must always be based, to some degree, on the fantasies of positive projections and corporate vision statements.
I believed that if I could connect individuals’ authentic brand personalities with the people and organizations that wanted what they offered, personal branding could create the emotional appeal, rave reviews and financial success for executives and entrepreneurs that the
world’s top product and business brands enjoy.
And that’s exactly what I did!
To find out what it takes to actually transform a person into a successful personal brand, come back and read Part 3 of this post. Or save yourself some time by subscribing to my feed. (The link is at the top of this page, just above the photo, right under the headline.) That way, you'll get all of my new posts sent directly to your inbox!
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