“Brand You” - Beans or Tomatoes, Canned or Real?
Tom Peters quite literally changed my life with his “Brand You” article a decade ago. I was stuck in a toxic corporate environment, dealing with insanity. Sure, the “You” mantra is all rah-rah and exclamatory - but that’s Mr. P’s style. What I took away from it was that I could control my own reaction and activities, even when surrounded by a swamp of toxic mediocrity. Got me started on the path to my current high quality of life micro business model.
Recently, Mr. P posted a link to Lucy Kellaway, whose column, “Business Life,” is as he notes, “…the first thing I turn to in the Monday Financial Times, allows as how she thought my somewhat well known Fast Company article, “The Brand Called You,” was “one of the ghastliest, most irritating articles on management ever written.” Well, that does certify impact on a discerning reader. Now, a decade later, she still considers it “ghastly.” But acknowledges, in a very amusing riff yesterday, that it may be a ghastly necessity. I guess that’s progress.”
Ms. Kellaway will make you both laugh and think. (She manages to fit in references to beans and tomatoes in her ruminations on her own brand.) Here’s a key money quote for you:
To make it clear: my aversion has nothing to do with being nice or modest. It doesn’t mean that I’m not vain or grasping. My ego is quite large and ugly. All this means is that I can’t do certain things without bending myself out of shape.
No, you can’t have a brand if you’re performing unnatural acts to create it. In order to be real, it can’t be canned (duh-oh). And, that’s where so many people miss the branding point (and where they get taken to the cleaners by fast-talkin,’ high-chargin’ brand consultants. A logo is no substitute for - say - great customer service.)
Related Posts: All My Branding Blah-Blah Posts
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March 28th, 2007 at 9:05 am
The things (logos, ads, brochures, etc.) that people associate with the word branding are NOT branding. These things are just signals of value. The real brand comes from the actual value that the company actually delivers. Real branding comes from within.