And forgive me for my opinion in contrast to yours on this question! I think personal brands are absolutely relevant. I think you have one (smart, sassy, deeply caring, marketing focused), and the ironic thing is that Geoff has one that he cultivates every day!

Why else post pictures of yourself on your blog bestride a Ducati? Modeling tattoos? Whether he admits it or not, he’s flogging his personal brand!

I think that “personal branding” is an inevitable by-product of the social media phenomenon and the disintermediation of the marketing business. I believe, like any attempt to manage a reputation, either corporate or personal, there are going to be examples of businesses and people that are more hype than substance. That does not mean that the effort is futile, or irrelevant. It just means that we have to take care to ensure that, for both corporate and personal brands, the walk matches the talk.

As long as “brands” are a significant factor in the purchase decision, companies and people will attempt to influence perceptions of what that brand means. This is what marketing is!

To me, personal branding does not come to a stop where reputation begins to take hold. It encompasses reputation. The brands for which little is known of reputation would be the weak brands, and the brands for which much is known and respected would be the strong brands. But they are brands nevertheless.

And I care about the personal brands because I think the way people *want* to be viewed is relevant to what they *really* are. And I also think it’s relevant (and bad) if there are inconsistencies between they way they present themselves and the reality that I see.

Thanks for the opportunity to present my points! I know that YOU know what high regard I have for you, and that I think your personal brand is one of the best!

Frank Martins last blog post..What is Marketing?

And forgive me for my opinion in contrast to yours on this question! I think personal brands are absolutely relevant. I think you have one (smart, sassy, deeply caring, marketing focused), and the ironic thing is that Geoff has one that he cultivates every day!

Why else post pictures of yourself on your blog bestride a Ducati? Modeling tattoos? Whether he admits it or not, he’s flogging his personal brand!

I think that “personal branding” is an inevitable by-product of the social media phenomenon and the disintermediation of the marketing business. I believe, like any attempt to manage a reputation, either corporate or personal, there are going to be examples of businesses and people that are more hype than substance. That does not mean that the effort is futile, or irrelevant. It just means that we have to take care to ensure that, for both corporate and personal brands, the walk matches the talk.

As long as “brands” are a significant factor in the purchase decision, companies and people will attempt to influence perceptions of what that brand means. This is what marketing is!

To me, personal branding does not come to a stop where reputation begins to take hold. It encompasses reputation. The brands for which little is known of reputation would be the weak brands, and the brands for which much is known and respected would be the strong brands. But they are brands nevertheless.

And I care about the personal brands because I think the way people *want* to be viewed is relevant to what they *really* are. And I also think it’s relevant (and bad) if there are inconsistencies between they way they present themselves and the reality that I see.

Thanks for the opportunity to present my points! I know that YOU know what high regard I have for you, and that I think your personal brand is one of the best!

Frank Martins last blog post..What is Marketing?

Like Dan said, “Those who take advantage of their brand will soar far above everyone else,” but I feel that this only applies to people whose careers actually depends on the brand image they project. On the other hand though, students especially should brand themselves now to stand out amongst the vast amount of competition out there in our slowing economy. Employers CAN and WILL search for potential employees online to help them in their decision process, so be careful!