{"id":3976,"date":"2013-05-28T08:05:45","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T12:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/?p=3976"},"modified":"2025-09-16T05:21:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T09:21:39","slug":"you-are-not-a-brand-you-have-a-personal-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/you-are-not-a-brand-you-have-a-personal-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"You Are Not a Brand. You HAVE a Personal Brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"personal

Some people take it too far.<\/p>\n

They take the “personal” out of personal branding<\/a>, and refer to themselves as a “brand”.<\/p>\n

They think of themselves \u2013 and ruthlessly market themselves \u2013 as a product.<\/p>\n

And they speak and write about “Brand Them” incessantly.<\/p>\n

Along with referring to themselves in the third person, being a brand somehow gives them license to shamelessly self-promote their product . . .\u00a0that is, themselves.<\/p>\n

They feel that having a brand automatically makes them an expert<\/a> at something.<\/p>\n

This tiresome self-promotion shows that they don\u2019t really understand what personal branding is all about<\/a>. I think they help give authentic branding a bad name.<\/p>\n

The Onion hilariously spoofed this phenomenon in the news report, ‘I Am A Brand,’ Pathetic Man Says<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Sad, pathetic local web developer and blogger Phillip Cathin, 34, told reporters today that he sees himself as “a brand.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“I am my own product,” the little worm said while staring at a laptop and depressingly shuffling between his Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and Tumblr accounts, which he claimed are “essential tools for growing [his] personal brand” on a daily basis. “I think of myself as the creator, developer, and marketer of Brand Phillip Cathin. And the ideas I come up with are products produced by that brand.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Although not a real person, Phillip Cathin is an all-too-real player across social media. He represents so many people who grate on our nerves with constant self-promotion and brand-spiel.<\/p>\n

Personal branding is merely a tool we can use to help us differentiate our unique value in the marketplace. Branding helps us best communicate and position ourselves as a good-fit for target employers (in job search<\/a>) and target clients (in business).<\/p>\n

A plea to overzealous branding fans \u2013 please give us a break. Cut the monotonous brand-talk.<\/p>\n

Take a closer look at what personal branding really is. Move forward with an understanding of what makes you a good-fit candidate and build your brand communications strategy around it.<\/p>\n

Tell us about yourself, not about your brand. Show us who you are by “doing”. We\u2019ll catch on.<\/p>\n

Related posts:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

10 Keys To a Memorable Personal Brand<\/a><\/p>\n

10 Reasons To Love Your Personal Brand<\/a><\/p>\n

7 Reasons Not To Be a Personal Brand Copycat<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn what personal branding really is. Move forward with an understanding of your value and what makes you a good-fit candidate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[112,181],"class_list":{"0":"post-3976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-executive-job-search","7":"category-executive-personal-and-career-branding","8":"tag-executive-job-search","9":"tag-personal-branding","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nYou Are Not a Brand. 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