Daneen Green

Professor Moreno

English 101

23 October 2008

You, Your Own Company

Branding is not a new concept. Companies have always used it to convey "the organization's representation of what it stands for often based on cumulative impressions and positive reinforcement" (Duermeyer). However, in the past decade, this method of raising awareness and viability of a product has not only been used by big corporations, but has also become a popular way to market oneself as the product. This new trend has given rise to what has become known as personal branding which "...stems from the theory that there is something different about our unique blend of talent, personality and principles," (Westbury) that others want to possess, and has spawned a whole industry centered around how best to make the individual the most desired product on the market.

Everyone has a personal brand. It can be seen in the day-to-day happenings in an individual’s life. How an individual carries himself, dresses, the company he keeps and the opinions he has are all indicative of the personae he is exuding to the world whether it be good or bad, realized or not. Even the ever-growing, seemingly "unbranded" (Quart 193) masses are unknowingly branding themselves by choosing to go against the grain to try to remain free from influence, and although they see branding as an unnecessary evil, they still understand that being able to convey a positive image of themselves even in lieu of logos can play an important and beneficial role in their goals of being heard. An individual can create a successful personal brand by taking a vested interest in himself to promote awareness of his distinctive abilities, specialties or opinions in order to sell himself as a commodity. People are no longer referring to themselves simply as employees, but more independent contractors of sorts, selling their personal attributes and know-how on the market to the highest bidder, and most times to many buyers at once (Brady).

Although self-promotion in and of itself is not new, the ways in which people are able to build upon their self image and the available tools that can be used to foster a desirable self-brand today are much different and easier to use than ever before. There are new mediums through which a person can advertise his abilities -- personal websites, blogs, social networking sites -- that reach a virtually global market and put no limit on how well-known his brand can become. People are also utilizing branding coaches, books and websites devoted to helping them capitalize on every aspect of their person despite knowing nothing of marketing or business acumen. These aides assist the individual in "select[ing] and market[ing] the right personal brand…, discover[ing] what it takes to create personal brand irresistibility, master[ing] the ability to tell [his] story to the marketplace better than the competition…, [and] implement[ing] a proven strategy for maintaining dynamic contact with the key centers of influence"(O’Brien). They learn that to stay ahead of the next guy educationally and technologically, by always reinventing themselves and by remaining fresh and new to potential customers. As stated by Alissa Quart in Branded, even children are getting into the action early in life by writing books about their life experiences and starting websites focusing on the trials and tribulations they encounter every day. She explains that what makes these children successful as "…self brander[s] is not [their] likable palaver…" but the "…automatic and precocious grasp of the marketing of [their] work" (Quart 167). They are able to predict what people will be drawn to about what they have to sell, and they capitalize on that for as long as they remain popular. They know that "getting and using power -- intelligently [and] responsibly -- are essential skills for growing their brand" (Peters).

As more and more people become familiar with this growing trend, the pressure to be the best and avoid transitioning from today's top topic to tomorrow's trash is a life-long work in progress, and unfortunately for some, merely a lofty goal. Branding begins as early as high school for most, as teens edge closer to their college years. Students prepare themselves for the competition by taking more challenging classes, studying more rigorously for aptitude tests and expanding on their real-world experience in order to gain the upper hand in the selection process. Ms. Quart expands on this by saying, "wealthier teenagers now feel the need to self-brand, to develop college essays and interview stories replete with talking points that sell their attributes to the name college of their choice" (156). Once these children complete their degree, they are then seen as a member of that college and that degree's society, therefore latching onto their image another part of their self-brand. On the other side of the coin, there are a growing number of children choosing other paths after high school, whether due to extenuating ineptitude or financial circumstances, or simply because they seek a more interesting road. These teens are drawn to the life of the celebrity which, because of reality shows and video blogging sites like YouTube, is made increasingly effortless to become minimally, if not enormously famous (Goodstein 65). Regardless of the avenue they walk down, most of these children will eventually end up doing and becoming more than their first career choice. It is said that they "...will hold many times more jobs in their lifetime, than in any other time in history," (Cortes) and this is directly influenced by how well they market themselves and their reputation in their industry.

Because of this new way of thinking, there is absolutely no gain in being stagnate in todays or tomorrow's increasingly cut throat, self-cognizant world. To be heard, one must have a voice and cultivate that voice so that it is louder than all the other voices out there. This new trend of self-branding could have very distinctly different outcomes in the years to come. If the trend continues, people may no longer need to work for large companies under someone else's set of standards and policies. They will be more apt to form their own opinions and make their own rules. Those that thrive in this new environment could be better able to succeed in their own business or change business practices to their whim. This could, in the future bring about a new world of people working together to bring all the good ideas they possess into view of others, making it possible to create a more cohesive and collaborative world. On the other hand, this sense of empowerment could be quite destructive to business altogether because everyone will be looking out for themselves with an ever increasing sense of entitlement. Either way, this trend seems it is here to stay, so the only way to respond is to self-promote or get left behind.