Since my last post I’ve received an enormous amount of support from my readers, both in comments, via email, and offline.
Not only did I not think I even had that many readers left, what you said was somewhat surprising.
Most, if not all, of you insisted that I “just be me” and “write about whatever I want.” I’m not really sure why people kept insisting that I just “be myself” because honestly, that’s all I’ve ever done.
Which brings me to the topic I’ve been avoiding like the plague on this blog, but I feel is in order now: Personal branding.
Many people think that “that damn redhead” is some kind of personal brand that I’ve worked so hard to develop.
That’s complete bulls**t.
I don’t believe in “personal branding.”
I think that’s complete bulls**t, too. (Well, not complete bulls**t. Read on.)
I’m just me, and I always have been. The nickname “that damn redhead” was something that a few certain people started calling me years ago, then it turned into a joke, then it turned into a screen name, etc. It just stuck, so I went with it.
I almost wrote this post in March.
About a month ago, I was super tired but just before I went to bed I clicked on over to one of my favorite bloggers, Melissa at Rock and Drool. She wrote this great post about life in general and being a grown-up called “Is it fun yet?” that was just so real that I couldn’t help myself but just let it rip in the comments and tell her how awesome I think she is, just for being herself. I said:
You know what? I don’t read many blogs that would be considered in your “genre,” per se, but I love yours, and I tell people about it in person a lot. You know why? Not because you’re local (although that does help), but because you’re REAL. You don’t bother with the facetiousness and the bulls**t of “personal branding” and all that crap, you’re just you, and you tell it like it is in your world and how you see the rest of it. And I respect that more than you can imagine. Seriously. I can’t say any more on this post than “keep up the good work” but I thought I’d tell you like it is, like I see it, because you’re one of the most authentic people online I’ve ever “met,” and I thought you should know. One of these days I hope we could have coffee or beers or something. You’re awesome and I love you for being real, for being you.
… and also for leaving the shoulder pads in the ’80s.
Little did I expect her to ping me the next day and tell me that was “the best comment she’d ever received” and that I “made her entire week,” not to mention inspire her to write her next post, entitled “Bloggy Branding Bullsh**t.”
I basically told Melissa, in quite a few more words, what my readers told me in reply to my last post. I think we may be on to something with this whole “be yourself” thing, I’m not sure.
It’s not that I don’t understand the concept of personal branding. I get it. At the risk of retyping myself, I’ll just include a couple pieces of my reply comment to Melissa here:
Truth be told, I actually admire the people that are banking on the “personal branding” thing, like Dan Schwabel. The core of it all, at least what I understand, is to be the best person you can be and to let that be known, let yourself and what you stand for stand out in someone’s mind and I can’t really argue with that. I do know that a lot of people have trouble grasping the concept of “be yourself,” even as adults, and if subscribing to the “personal branding” philosophy helps them, GREAT.
But at the same time, one shouldn’t HAVE to work at it.
It’s when people that strive to let their “personal brand” be something that they’re not that really gets me.
…
As I said in the comments of my own blog recently:
I am not a brand. This is who I am. I don’t try. I’m a real person, not a persona. Michael Jordan is a brand — he has shoes named after him. Vera Wang is a brand — she has dresses and mattresses named after her. I am a regular person who coincidentally (not luckily) was nicknamed after a malediction.
Former fellow Detroiter (and smart cookie) Shannon Paul had a great post back in January entitled “Having a Personal Brand is Fine, but Making an Impact is Better.” I encourage you to go read it, because she’s a lot more articulate than I am when it comes to this stuff, and she nailed it on the head. It’s more important to me that I do my thing and hope that I can make some kind of impact, whether it’s leaving a comment on someone’s blog that “makes their entire week,” write or say something that really resonates with someone and gets them to think more, or even just making somebody laugh with one of my many off-the-cuff wisecracks.
And that’s the truth. So if you feel you need to subscribe to the “personal branding” philosophy, party on with your branding self. But please don’t call me a brand. I don’t work at being “that damn redhead,” I just am, whether you like it or not, and nothing’s going to change that.
On a completely humorous note, I recognize that this post is totally echo-chambery. It’s a post in response to comments on my last post, that reminded me of Melissa’s post she wrote about a comment I wrote on one of her posts. Now Melissa just needs to comment here and the circle will be complete.
Image by Wesley Fryer.
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ha!! it is interesting though how someone says something that leads you to thinking and so on and so on…
i have issues, as you know, with the whole branding thing. also, the “reach” thing. and how “influential” certain people are. to me, it’s about being true to who you are.
i could keep talking about it. i won’t. i’m burnt out from having my kids home for over a week and my brain has turned to mush.
but excellent post!!
And so it is. The circle is complete.
Which leads to another question… if you have a personal brand and you are thought to act one way but really you are passionate about more than one thing. Is it tarnishing your brand? I write about a lot of stuff and I am branded as a Red Wings fan but I also have other passions. I am not sure what to think about the entire personal brand business. Isn’t that sort of like an actor who does not want to be type cast into one role?
You should be able to say whatever you want and be who you are and NOT stuck in a certain BOX. The worst thing anyone could ever want is to be type cast.
Jamie – I think the only way you’d be “tarnishing your brand” if you believe you have one, is if you are NOT true to yourself. True, you are known for being a die-hard hockey fan, but I don’t doubt that you have other passions. Hockey is just the one you’ve been most vocal about. You’re absolutely right – you SHOULD be able to say whatever you want and not be stuck in any kind of box. But really? It’s not others that keep you in that box, it’s you because you expect others to expect you to stay in the box. The truth is that THERE IS NO BOX, it’s only how you perceive others to perceive you.
I did some research on this concept in college that you’re inspiring me to write a post about. Stay tuned.
I wasn’t going to comment, but your last sentence or two prompted it. Over the course of the past year I’ve been struggling to come up with a “personal brand” for myself. All the while my wife would chime in from time to time with “you’re just Dave, be yourself”.
Your wife is a smart woman, Dave. You should listen to her more often.