Forget Personal Branding, Focus on Usefulness

Personal branding has become a buzzword with many creators striving to “build” their online brand today.

I have experience building brands for companies and have read countless books and articles on the topic. Yet, I’ve never fully resonated with the concept of personal branding.

Most people jump on the bandwagon without much thought — myself included. Gurus tell you that to be seen and to stand out, you must build a brand.

And it sounds irresistible — who wouldn’t want to stand out?

But I’ve started questioning where this obsession with personal branding comes from. To understand a phenomenon, you’ve to tackle it at its root.

The Branding Revolution: Creating Corporate Identities

Branding started as a way for companies to make their products stand out because of increased competition and consumer culture. For that reason, the focus shifted from the quality of a product to the construction of identity and narrative.

You could see it from companies like Nike with its “Just Do It”, or Apple’s “Think Different” — taglines that suggest they are more than just their products.

The essence of branding is to humanize a company, imbue it with personality, and tell stories to make it relatable.

Marty Neumeier, a renowned author on branding, describes a brand as a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization. A brand exists when enough people share the same gut feeling.

But his definition doesn’t extend to one’s gut feeling about another person, which begs the question of how “personal” branding fits in.

The Brand Called You

Tom Peters’ 1997 article “The Brand Called You” introduced the concept of personal branding.

He envisioned that individuals could brand themselves as companies do. But this concept has issues. Brands are manufactured constructs that people shape in their heads. And unlike humans, brands lack emotions, ethics, and the ability to change their minds.

As designer and writer Debbie Millman puts it: “When a person aspires to be a brand, they forfeit everything that is truly glorious about being human.”

Personal branding often turns into self-promotion with today’s social media. And thanks to influencers who have made it a self-centered approach. This focus on oneself overshadows what truly matters — the mission.

Were the writers, thinkers, entrepreneurs, or artists you admire most obsessed with branding themselves? Or were they driven to make a difference in the world with their unique skills and insights?

Societal and Cultural Pressure

You “feel” the need to build a personal brand because everybody is doing it.

Personal branding was part of my multimedia design and communication studies. I even had to take an exam on it. It didn’t make sense to me then. And it still doesn’t.

It pushes you to wear a mask to present yourself in a certain way to the public — you turn yourself into a product that needs to be marketed and sold. And it becomes hard to be true to who you are.

Shift Your Perspective

I advocate shifting focus towards building your character, pursuing your curiosities and passions, and sharing valuable insights with the world.

Lasting movements are shaped by those who remain true to their genuine curiosities and passions.

Therefore, the question shouldn’t be “How do I build a personal brand?” But rather, “How can I contribute and be useful to others?”

Remember, brands are just artificial constructs — you’re not.

Don’t be a brand, be human.