Branding: What’s So Wrong With Being Personal, Anyway?
His excuse was, “It wasn’t personal.”
Which made her react by demanding, “What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It’s “PERSONAL” to a lot of people. And what’s so wrong with being personal, anyway?”
“Uh…nothing,” he timidly backs down.
In triumph and in spite, she concludes, “Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal!”
The dialogue may be from the 1998 hit movie, “You’ve Got Mail,” but it applies most anywhere where business and personal issues struggle to co-exist. Of course, with the dawning of the digital age and the onslaught of virtual technologies that virtually and literally keep millions of addicted users in their bathrobes while blending both their personal lives with their business pursuits every day, there is hardly a difference anymore.
Just what is personal and not business? And what is business-only and not at all personal?
A few months ago, ESPN faced this issue after Ric Bucher, an ESPN NBA analyst, tweeted about how his company was treating Twitter (and all other social media interactions for all ESPN employees). The company’s policy was overwhelmingly restrictive, he claimed, especially since he had difficult separating his personal brand from that of the company. And who can blame him for that? Was he a sports expert before they hired him to be a sports expert or did the company make him into the sports expert he claimed to be? At the end of the day, who really cares? The company may have hired a sports expert, but what they got was a person. A whole person.
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Aside from the act of giving birth or gently succumbing to a natural death, I can think of nothing that doesn’t at least hint at one while appearing altogether entirely the other. And vice versa.
Which is both a dream and a nightmare for folks concerned with branding. Personal or otherwise, nothing is more engaging that an attractive brand. In the world of public relations, it’s easy to find examples of this. Unfortunately, in the rest of the world, it’s disturbingly easy to find good examples of bad branding just by reading the headline news.
And in these times of overlapping personal brand with business ideals, it’s important to start looking at the bundle. Because if you are a potential partner or a potential customer, you will likely want a sneak peek at the entire package before committing to anything worth keeping.
The good news is that there is a simple solution to overcome the obstacle of getting too personal. In business, in uneasy social settings, in life; the key is to remain authentic.
William Shakespeare said it best when he penned, “This above all: to thine own self be true.”
That said, here are a few rules for branding yourself in a world that doesn’t have a backspace.
1. Don’t lie.
2. Don’t be mean. Or stupid.
3. Don’t wear or say anything uncomfortable because you’ll regret it halfway through the evening and the discomfort will outweigh the benefit of putting on such a front.
4. Realize that you are human. Act human. Act humane. Make business personal.
5. When – not if – you screw up, admit it and move on. With a smile. Because even a half-assed smile is better than no smile at all.
Just ask Tiger Woods.
Jennifer Tofanelli writes jeniontherun.blogspot.com; a lifestyle blog on trendy topics, headline news and communication strategies. She offers advice and consultation to businesses, organizations and individuals on how to use social media to build relationships and deliver value. You can contact her direct to discuss freelance opportunities.
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Rule #4 isn’t as easy as it looks, unless your business and personal brands are identical.
Our company, Zavee, is a social shopping start-up and needs to develop a coherent, yet authentic, brand for multiple audiences. I have developed a fairly consistent voice both on Twitter and on our blog, and I write about a fairly consistent set of topics, all related to Zavee’s business in one way or another.
One day I tweeted that I missed my kids (I travel a lot). You wouldn’t believe the shock waves. I was gently but firmly reminded, by those who know about such things, that I had managed to cross the line between authentically human and overly personal. I took their word for it, but I’m not sure I take their point.
On the other hand, this is new for everyone and it may take some time before the rules get settled. In the meantime, “act like a mensch” is as good a guiding principle as any – and I think that’s your point, too.
Oh, and screw it – I miss my kids.
Ron Stack´s last blog ..The Facebook Privacy Debate, Zavee and You
Thanks for the candor Ron. I just read your latest blog posting on privacy issues for Facebook. Zavee and me. You argue a compelling side to a multi-faceted story, but you do so with professionalism, compassion and realism. Probably the same reason you felt the need and also felt comfortable telling the world you miss you kids. Kudos to you. If I were you, I would consider the gentle pause you received from your employer as a reminder that they are paying attention and fully vested in the success of the company. From a parents point of view, I would liken it to how we act when our own kids do something dangerously charming and clever and then look to us for either support or condemnation. We may flash a warning smile, but deep down we are proud parents who ache when we see independence and growth in the face of uncertainty and limitless possibilities. It’s all new territory, but at the end of the day, it’s okay to be human. And it’s even better to be missed!
JennTof´s last blog ..A Bailout-sized Bonus and a Beer, Please
“1. Don’t lie.
2. Don’t be mean. Or stupid.
3. Don’t wear or say anything uncomfortable because you’ll regret it halfway through the evening and the discomfort will outweigh the benefit of putting on such a front.
4. Realize that you are human. Act human. Act humane. Make business personal.
5. When – not if – you screw up, admit it and move on. With a smile. Because even a half-assed smile is better than no smile at all.”
I noted these lines. These has to be very important. It reminds me a lot of things from my childhood up to the present.