Excerpt: Build Your Own Life Brand
April 23, 2001 -- The following is an excerpt from the book Build Your Own Life Brand by Stedman Graham.
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Chapter One: Build a Brand Name for Yourself
When I was playing high school basketball many years ago, there was one name that stood out in every game: Chuck Taylor. Chuck wasn't a big scorer or a great rebounder. In fact, he was constantly underfoot on the court. More accurately, he was on our feet. Before there were Nikes or Reeboks, Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars was the brand. It was the most popular basketball shoe of my high school generation.
Back then, when you made the varsity team, you just had to get a pair of Chuck Taylor high-tops. All the players that I admired in high school, college, and the pros were wearing them, so I associated Chuck Taylor with success on the basketball court. I grew up like everyone else, with hundreds of other brand-name products around me -- top brands such as Wheaties, Pepsi, and Ford Thunderbird -- but my desire to have a pair of Chuck Taylors marked the real beginning of my brand awareness as a consumer.
A brand product is one with a unique identity intended to set it apart from similar products. The cereal brand Wheaties is "the breakfast of champions." The Pepsi soft drink brand is "the joy of cola." Compaq brand computers offer "better answers," according to an ad in a magazine on my desk. We are so bombarded by product brands that we are hardly conscious of them much of the time, but most of us have at least some level of brand awareness. We can sing the jingles of our favorite brands. It's the real thing! We can repeat their ad slogans. Just do it! Most important for the companies that make brand-name products, we look for them when we shop.
Increasing a product's brand awareness is one of the jobs performed by my management and marketing consulting company, S. Graham & Associates. Marketing and working with brands are the primary roles of my firm, which provides strategic planning, marketing, consulting, and program execution to companies seeking to target general and multicultural markets. Our clients come to us for help in creating, expanding, and revitalizing their brand names. Our speciality is to build upon what they have already accomplished with their brands by helping them sell their products to multicultural consumers whom they may not be reaching effectively. We also help new companies develop and establish their brands by determining what their primary target markets are and how they can best explain the value of their product to consumers.
"Everything is a brand. Most people don't recognize that. Where you live, the house you live in, the street you live on...they are all brands. And people are brands," Frank Delano, president of the New York-based Delano & Young, a brand-image firm, told the Chicago Tribune recently.
"We're all brands, in the sense that we have a certain identity, have to maintain a certain quality and have to bring something to [radio station] affiliates they can't bring to themselves," said broadcaster Charles Osgood at a 1999 advertising industry conference entitled "Brand Building for the 21st Century."
The business world has long recognized the value of creating a recognizable and clearly defined brand. In recent years, the principles of branding increasingly have been applied to individuals too. Just as Coca-Cola, Apple, and Tommy Hilfiger have brands with assets that they develop and pitch to consumers, you too have assets that you must build upon, market, and expand. It may sound strange to you at first, but think about these situations:
When you apply for a job, aren't you trying to "sell" the interviewer on you and your particular brand assets, which include your talents, knowledge, training, and personal characteristics such as your energy, your determination, or your leadership attributes?
When you meet someone whom you find interesting or attractive, don't you try to make a favorable impression so that you will stand out in that person's mind? When you move into a new neighborhood, join an organization, or participate in a fund-raising drive, don't you try to communicate to the people involved that you have something of value to offer?
While the concept of branding yourself may seem strange at first, I've noticed that many successful people instinctively think of themselves as "brands" or "products" in the marketplace. When I told Oprah that I had decided to write a book on personal branding, she said: "People are always talking about how I built my brand but I wasn't thinking about that at all. I was winging it, just trying to do my best and to get where I wanted to be." Today, Oprah is very aware of her brand as a businesswoman and entertainer, as are most other successful men and women. They may have built their brands instinctively, but they realize the importance of managing them thoughtfully.
Each of us has a unique blend of talents, knowledge, and other personal assets. We want to make the most of those gifts by developing them and sharing them with the world. I believe that's what makes us truly happy. It isn't about having the nicest clothes, the fanciest cars, or the biggest house. Happiness comes when you are fully engaged in life, so that when you come to the end of your time on this earth, you've used up every ounce of energy, every bit of brainpower, and every gift you've been given. The happiest, most fulfilled people I know aren't necessarily those with the most material things. They are the people who know that their lives have value in the world around them.
When you build a Life Brand, and then manage it, expand upon it, and protect it, you create a method for sharing your gifts and putting them to their highest use — for your benefit and for the benefit of everyone within your reach. Did you notice I called your brand a "Life Brand"? That's because my goal is to help you attain your highest potential and value, not only in your work or career but also in your relationships, and in every other aspect of your life.
You have talents, knowledge, and other gifts to share — not just at work, but with your loved ones and with everyone who shares some portion of your life. In the chapters that follow, we will assess your Life Brand "assets," and then look at ways to increase and enhance your value in everything you become involved in. The ultimate goal is to create a fulfilling life by enriching the lives of everyone you touch. It's built upon the philosophy that when you focus on offering your talents and energy to serve others, the rewards will flow your way too.