Career Advice Podcasts & Job Seeker Network
Do you feel uncomfortable trying to brand yourself? Some people feel unauthentic as if they are being something they're not. What are your thoughts?
Did you know that Listerine was once marketed as a floor cleaner and a cure for an unpopular disease? It wasn't until it was used in its current form that it gained popularity. The thing is, the formula didn't change, the message did.
As humans, we are in a constant process of maturation. With every experience we are not so much changing into someone fundamentally different than who we were before, as much as we are becoming more clear on what our purpose is. It's the difference between ideas and ideals. When we are less mature and we are in a discovery phase, we have a lot of ideas of who we are or who we're meant to be--what our purpose is. Through trial and error and some degree of consciousness we come to discover our purpose. We begin to live our ideal. Ideas not in line with that ideal are no longer afforded the energy we gave it in our less mature state. People can depend on us. But more importantly, we can depend on ourselves and we can declare to the world "I AM ME and you can count on that." Without trying you have become a brand of sorts--a symbol of dependability, endurance, and for some people safety.
When Listerine didn't know what it was, it tried to be something it was not meant to be. When it found its purpose and declared it to the world, it thrived and continues to do so. Being branded is not limiting or selling out when you are seen the way you want to be seen. If you know who you are and what you have to offer and others see it the same way, those are signs of maturity and harmony. Of course there will be those who will try to exploit every trend and buzzword for the illusion of temporary gain. To that I offer a Johnny Cochran style rhyme: If it can't sustain, it isn't gain!
Despite that tendency, a mature brand is nothing less than a declaration that says: It is what it is or I AM WHO I AM. If you can speak these words in confidence, you will be sought out by those looking for who you are. Marketing just makes it easier for them to find you. ONE.
As humans, we are in a constant process of maturation. With every experience we are not so much changing into someone fundamentally different than who we were before, as much as we are becoming more clear on what our purpose is. It's the difference between ideas and ideals. When we are less mature and we are in a discovery phase, we have a lot of ideas of who we are or who we're meant to be--what our purpose is. Through trial and error and some degree of consciousness we come to discover our purpose. We begin to live our ideal. Ideas not in line with that ideal are no longer afforded the energy we gave it in our less mature state. People can depend on us. But more importantly, we can depend on ourselves and we can declare to the world "I AM ME and you can count on that." Without trying you have become a brand of sorts--a symbol of dependability, endurance, and for some people safety.
When Listerine didn't know what it was, it tried to be something it was not meant to be. When it found its purpose and declared it to the world, it thrived and continues to do so. Being branded is not limiting or selling out when you are seen the way you want to be seen. If you know who you are and what you have to offer and others see it the same way, those are signs of maturity and harmony. Of course there will be those who will try to exploit every trend and buzzword for the illusion of temporary gain. To that I offer a Johnny Cochran style rhyme: If it can't sustain, it isn't gain!
Despite that tendency, a mature brand is nothing less than a declaration that says: It is what it is or I AM WHO I AM. If you can speak these words in confidence, you will be sought out by those looking for who you are. Marketing just makes it easier for them to find you. ONE.
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© 2012 Created by Chris Russell.
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