A Brand is SO much more than just pictures and catchphrases

There have been so many times over the years that I have talked about how influential and important my time in college was to my overall person. When I think about the person I am today, I think about the lessons I have learned and the experiences I had during those 3-1/2 years that have essentially molded me. More specifically, I think about the one time where, within the scope of a marketing project, I realized that the lesson I was learning about good marketing became the overarching theme of my self-discovery.

Let me explain.

In my final year of college, in a very impactful marketing class, I was tasked with giving a presentation on how a "personal brand" should help shape the entire marketing effort for an organization. Essentially, every sales, marketing, and advertising decision, regardless of the actual content, should be able to be traced back to one single ideal that describes the whole company. For example, regardless of what commercial Papa John's decides to run with, as consumers, we should still be able to relate the message back to their real brand identity: Using better , fresher ingredients which lends to a better tasting pizza. Regardless of whether they change their slogan, logo, or commercial, we should still know what their message is all about.

As I worked and worked on that better presentation (which I got to present to the entire Laurel Highlands Conference), I started to realize that this message, and the entire idea of a personal brand, extends far further than just an organization's marketing image; this message applies to all of life. Our personal brand, and who we are as a person, should be at the core of everything we do.

Think about the way you carry yourself as well as what people seem to think about you. Do those images correlate to who you really are as a person? Do your actions represent the core message of you? Are you even aware of your brand? For instance, when I look at myself, I am comfortable and confident that I know what I do reflects who I am. My core brand boils down to this: Knowledgeable and confident with a coolness in confrontation. I have a constant thirst to know everything, and I don't hesitate to share what I know with others. Additionally, I feel confident in the things I can do and the person I am; I do not believe that anyone would challenge me on who I believe I am.

Am I perfect, and do I feel like I have achieved completion of myself? Of course not. There is always room to improve; that concept applies to work, life, relationships, et cetera. Our brand identity building is a constant state of improving and tweaking, but at the same time, it should not be a constant state of change. Your brand defines who you are as a person; who you are should not shift like the sand in the wind.

Whether in business or in life, we should all know our brand; when someone asks, "Who are you?" or "Define your company", you should never have to think about the answer. There was a time when I had no idea what brand really meant. I thought that a brand was nothing more than a catchy slogan or a ridiculous mascot; it was simply what came to mind when you first hear a name or title. However, a real brand means so much more than that. It is the driving force or driving message that defines a person or place all the way to the core. It is who you are, what you stand for, and why you do the things that you do.

Branding is so much more than just what you want people to remember about you; it is THE definition they SHOULD envision when they simply hear your name.