3 Personal "Branding" Tips

Personal "branding" is all the Web 2.0 rage these days by people trying to establish a presence that stands out. There are any number of books, websites, and blogs devoted to the subject.

Laura Ries, co-author with Jack Trout of several excellent books such as The 11 Immutable Laws of Marketing, recently posted her top three "branding" tips.

1. Be yourself

2. Focus

3. Own a word

This seems like a lightweight definition of a personal "brand." More like branding a product---including a slogan (word).

I thought back on the personalities from history who could be said to have "branded" themselves during their lifetime (whether that's what they realized they were doing or not). Several come to mind.

President John F. Kennedy had a definable "brand" image. Young, vigorous, patrician, smart, stylish. He was careful to build his image while he was alive. Even after revelations about his private life were unearthed after his death, his image was strong enough to remain largely intact.

Kennedy's focus on building his image was highly controlled. He hired a photographer who trailed after him taking thousands of photos of his private and public life. These were carefully culled so that only the photos that presented the most flattering image were ever seen by the public.

He "wrote" a book, Profiles of Courage. The book was mostly ghost-written and the Pulitzer Prize he won was a masterful work of influence by his father and friends. Writing a book is often a springboard to a larger audience and also allows the writer to control and define his image. I'm sure it's why Barack Obama and John McCain both wrote books.

Kennedy's private dalliances with women other than his wife were also carefully managed and hidden---as were his significant health problems. Of course, today we'd have any number of tabloid journalists and bloggers examining every detail of Kennedy's private life. But things were different then.

Instead, the public saw images of Kennedy playing with his children, sailing with his wife and friends, and playing touch football (Kennedy rarely actually particpated in sports). A "bad" photo of Kennedy has never been seen (except those of his death).

Even after his death, the Kennedy image remained focused. John John saluting his dead father during the funeral. Kennedy's appearance on a coin. The naming of Kennedy Center.

How much of his image was based in truth is another matter. But you could make a case that this was the real Kennedy---a master imagemaker and manipulator.

The word that Kennedy owned was Camelot, not that he really owned it while he was alive. Kennedy owned many words, often the re-phrasing of other great men's words. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" is perhaps his most famous word(s).

Whether Kennedy would fit the Web 2.0 definition of "branding" or not, he was a brand.

Famous personalities---especially actors and politicians---have always realized the importancxe of protecting and grooming their "brand." Think of Humphrey Bogart, Marlena Dietrich, FDR, William F. Buckley, and Ernest Heminway. Especially Hemingway.

A personal "brand" is more than being yourself, focusing, and owning a word. Maybe that's adequate for some semblence of online presence but it doesn't quite go far enough. A "brand" is a style. It's having or developing personal charisma. It's a signature look or personality trait. It's a way of living that's different and unique.

Dorothy Parker had style, wit, and a flamboyant personality. Donald Trump has a unique style. Barack Obama has it too.

Frankly, 99.9% of people can't pull it off. That's why a 1, 2, 3 list of what it takes to develop a personal brand seems so inadequate. To be a great brand you must be much more than just being yourself, focusing and owning a word. You must have definable authenticity, recognizeable uniqueness, and an enviable personal style---all your life. And you must create something that is uniquely yours, a legacy of work that also defines you.

It's what makes Picasso, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra the iconic figures they are and always will be.