“Brands are trying to become human and humans are trying to become brands.”
I was listening to a podcast with Debbie Millman (global branding legend and OG podcaster) where she argued there is an inherent issue with the idea of personal branding. She argues that people, with all their ‘humanness’, can’t be defined as a brand.
At first I dismissed it as just semantics. Personal branding is just another word for reputation. Isn’t it?
If branding is the process of giving meaning to a business by shaping a perception in consumers’ minds, by always delivering in alignment with what the brand promises…
Then when we then think about us commodifying ourselves down to a ‘brand’ and by proxy, a defined set of labels “girlboss vs snailgirl”, guidelines and expectations – people begin to *think* they know what to expect. But what happens if you step out of that, as you will, because, well, you’re a human not a product or service?
Humans. Are. Complicated. Multi faceted, good and bad, virtuous and selfish. We are all shades of grey and all the colours of the rainbow and throughout our lives we will shift and change. What we value will change, our opinions will change, how we look physically will change. In most cases dramatically. Sometimes we slowly evolve and sometimes we have a reckoning and everything changes in a heartbeat.
On the flip side, modern brands should be built to evolve and adapt to market forces, technology and culture. So, my friends, is there there room and expectation for personal branding to do the same?
Should Debbie Millman and I just calm down?
