In the last season of The Apprentice Stuart Baggs "the brand" had a fairly unpleasant experience in the interview process. He was challenged about a statement he made on his CV where he wrote "I am Stuart Baggs the brand!" This was very quickly dismissed and he was told he wasn't a brand (or a fish for that matter). This seems to have raised some debates about whether a person can take on the role of a brand.
Traditionally a brand is an identity that helps to identify a company, product or service. So the question I raise is why can somebody not represent themselves as a brand in their professional career?
Perhaps Stuart was slated for good effect on TV. He certainly wasn't given the chance to defend his statement fully in the clip that we saw. He was however fairly defiant in his statement and he continued to claim that he is a brand. I partly agree with his statement...
I think a person can take elements of branding and use them for their own personal career. When you think about it this is what most people are doing with their personal blogs. They are creating an arena to promote their opinions, their thoughts, and therefore branding themselves within the words they write. They may not use eye catching logo's or slogans but they are creating a personal brand non the less. They are creating content on which people will associate to them just like a company does with a logo (think golden arches and McDonald's).
Stuart Baggs could also have pointed to many celebrities who have created a brand by using their name. A hugely popular and household name that you can easily associate to this is David Beckham. He is a footballer, if you were to analyse this in the same way as they did on the apprentice then you would say he can not be a brand, LA Galaxy is the brand that he works for.
I know David Beckham has gone on to make his brand into a massive company selling all sorts of merchandise but the principle is still the same.
For marketers (especially those who specialise in the digital world) I feel it is vital to have an online presence or "a brand". This can be something that promotes your skills, or shows your interests or passions. The great thing is this can be done easily by using tools such as a LinkedIn account, a blog or even twitter! The best way you can start to promote your brand is by using your name as this is what people will search for when they are looking for you. Most people will not even realise it but they will already be creating a brand of their own, they just wont call it by that name.
This is why I created my blog under my name - www.markhumphrys.co.uk - I have already started building my personal brand. If you are still not convinced then I will give you a very good reason why you should have an online presence (or a brand).
When I was recently conducting interviews for a role in the company I work for the first thing I did after reading a CV was to Google their name. From the results I started to get a much more rounded understanding of the candidates. In some cases this even determined whether they got called for interview. Now you realise that having a personal brand can also help to aid you in your career, and for the lucky ones, your personal brand may well become your career.
Just for a bit of fun I had to post the video of "Stuart Baggs the brand" from the apprentice. Whether you agree with my opinion or not about a personal brands, hopefully you will find this entertaining!
Stuart Baggs The Brand
0 comments:
Post a Comment