Your Personal Brand

A brand is more than as name and crazy hair

A ‘brand’ is a set of promises that a Company or product makes about itself in the minds of a potential buyer.  It’s a promise about the results that buying that product or service will deliver for the person that hands over their cash.  Brands are built over time and defined by the ‘truthfulness’ of the promises made in the experience of the users.  Commercial organisations can’t just buy a great brand for themselves; they have to earn it, by delivering on those promises consistently. Here are a few brands and their promises-

• Aldi- Good food at the lowest possible price.
• Ugg- Look good, be comfortable, feel great.
• Rolex- A ‘bling’ watch that will live longer than you.

The long-term success of any ‘brand’ depends upon the buyer’s experience of the things they’ve bought over time.  If the food is poor, if the boots wear out too soon, if the watch breaks down after 6 months, then the brand is damaged, because the buyer feels let down, and will think twice before buying again.  The rule of thumb for marketers is that a bad experience will be shared with 10 other people, by way of a ‘you’ll never guess what happened to me’ story; and a good experience will be shared with 3. Over promise and under deliver, and brands will lose their shine.  It works in just the same way for people…