Build My Own Brand Like Shah Rukh Khan
Raza Naqvi
Professional Branding Consultant | Ex-journalist | Ex-Book Editor | I can help you become a visible and valuable professional brand | Get Professional Branding checklist for beginners?? | #bylineraza @bylineraza
Saying ‘build my own brand’ like Shah Rukh Khan is like saying ‘give me a million dollars please’. Is it possible, and can you get a million dollars? Not today, not tomorrow, but one day, backed by the power of your red-hot desire, 100% commitment and unwavering persistence those million dollars and more can be yours.
By Raza Hasnain Naqvi?
One of the biggest brands in Bollywood today is actor Shah Rukh Khan aka SRK whose personal brand has a strong sway on his supporters and critics alike. There are millions worldwide who love him for his attitude, behaviour, sense of expression, style and lifestyle. Equally, if not millions, there would be many who hate him and criticize him for the very same reasons.?
I felt this is the right time to choose Shah Rukh Khan as the subject for this article on personal branding as his latest film ‘Pathaan’ has now created a unique record in Indian cinema history.?
'Pathaan' has emerged as the highest grossing Hindi film in the history of cinema (original language) earning INR 1020 Cr till date.?
The person who is the public face of this kind of stupendous success is Shah Rukh Khan. Let’s try and decode his personal branding and see what tips and strategies we can learn and absorb on personal branding from SRK.?
‘Build My Own Brand Like SRK’ Sounds So Shallow na??
Here we are talking on a subject like personal branding that needs to have some depth to do justice to it. But, in the same vein, we are also talking about Shah Rukh Khan and wondering if we can build a personal brand like SRK.?
How is it even possible to bring a superstar like SRK to the mental level of ordinary, everyday folks like you and me on the topic of personal branding??
One is at the zenith of success flying at a great altitude, while the other party comprising you and me are still on ground zero on a boat in the ocean. We are happy getting our 15-minute flying fix tied to a cord on the boat during our parasailing trips in Goa.
Now, what do we do?
Can we learn any personal branding tips from SRK and then imagine that one day we can say, “I built my own brand like SRK”?
Let’s decode brand SRK and see where it leads us.?
What Does Brand SRK Mean?
Here, we are talking about public perception. Since I am part of the public, so allow me to convey to you what Brand SRK has managed to convey to me consciously and unconsciously.
1/ Self-made
Shah Rukh Khan came from Delhi to Mumbai with big dreams in his eyes. He had a burning desire to succeed in Bollywood and kept taking one step after the other. His decisions, mistakes, failures and success drove him to the level of success that he has today. Nobody was there to give him a helping hand. He fought on his own and grabbed his share of success. This is my perception of his personal brand SRK.?
2/ Not Just A Big Film Star
SRK is a powerful film star who is larger than life. He is big not just in films, but in marketing also, in terms of the number of brands he endorses. He has a big fan following not just in India, but worldwide.?
Whether it is films, television or cricket – he is there in all those sectors. He promotes himself, the brands he endorses, the team he buys and the films he makes aggressively. He gets six-pack abs even after crossing the age of forty. Furthermore, he is fit and healthy. Brand SRK looks like a strong brand. This is my perception of his personal brand SRK.?
3/ Hardworking
SRK is hardworking in all that he does. I came across his quote recently from his interview: “????? ???? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?????
I found it interesting and even put this quote as my WhatsApp status for a few days. It made me think that he works harder when he has the opportunity in the bag. He doesn’t become complacent. This is my perception of his personal brand SRK.?
4/ Communicator
SRK is a very good communicator. He sounds intelligent and has a very sharp wit. I have seen him in comic artiste Kapil Sharma’s TV shows and some of his interviews and his performances in award shows. He shares his thoughts often on his social media channels and gives his millions of followers a curated peak into his mind. This is my perception of his personal brand SRK.?
5/ Outer Calm?
Remember the Aryan episode of October 2021? Aryan is Shah Rukh Khan's son who was arrested on October 3, 2021 in connection with the Mumbai cruise drugs case. 23-year-old Aryan spent 25 days in jail. The Bombay High Court granted him bail on October 28. I don’t remember SRK expressing any public emotions.?
But I do understand how much tension he and his family would have been experiencing at that challenging time. Yet, SRK stood calm on the outside. The brand did not waver from its messaging of strength and vigour. This is my perception of his personal brand SRK.
6/ Cares For Fans
SRK cares for his fans. Outside his residence ‘Mannat’ in Mumbai, he regularly comes out of his house and meets his fans standing outside on the road. He stands on top of his bungalow’s boundary wall and accepts the adulation of his fans by waving to them. This is my perception of his personal brand SRK.?
What Does Brand SRK Do Consciously
So, what does brand SRK do purposefully and mindfully?
Let me take you back to two quotes I have shared with you in an earlier article.
“What you say and do, defines you. What others think and say about you, defines your personal brand.” – Me
“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos, Amazon
Now, here are some things that Brand SRK does with persistence to create a certain kind of impression in the mind of people.?
To Build Your Own Brand Like SRK, You Have To…
1/ Know what is your strength?
Brand SRK knows his strength and his weakness, hopefully. He understands what he has to offer to his fans and followers.?
What you can do:?
You ask how do I build my own brand like SRK? Know your strength and weakness. Observe carefully what you are best suited to offer to your friends and online followers.
2/ Know your audience
Brand SRK understands his audience, their sentiments and what makes them tick. He gives them the kind of entertainment in his films that they want.?
What you can do:?
You ask how do I build my own brand like SRK? Understand your friends and followers. Engage with them and see how you can be useful to them. Check the likes, comments and shares of your friends and followers online and take notes of their thought pattern. This will let you know what value you can give to them and many others like them online.
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3/ Give the audience what it wants
Brand SRK keeps giving to the audience what he knows will get them out of their seats in cinema halls, cheering for him. If they are happy, SRK is happy.?
What you can do:?
You ask how do I build my own brand like SRK? I allow you to ask another question here. What do I deliver to my online audience? I have so many ideas or no ideas. What to do?
Brand SRK also started by giving to his audience what he thought will work.
Over time, he found what will get ‘Likes’ by his followers and what will get ignored. This is what you also need to do. Start sharing whatever you understand would be right. The public signals and engagement will start giving indications to you what is wanted and needed from your side.
4/ Stay in the Public eye?
Brand SRK stays in the public eye, either through films, social media or all the TV commercials he is seen in. He keeps himself visible in multiple platforms and keeps his followers engaged.?
What you can do:?
You ask how do I build my own brand like SRK? Share your skills and knowledge sets on multiple platforms where you are comfortable. Be seen on all those platforms regularly. Engage with your community that you will build there.
In the end, there are many people who will hesitate to put him in the category of a ‘great actor’. But no one can deny that brand SRK is powerful and influential today.?
Who Would Like To Build Their Own Personal Brand Like SRK
I suggest no one should build their own personal brand like SRK. No one can build a brand like SRK.?
“Excuse me? What are you saying?” You can say here.
What I am suggesting is that you build your own personal brand like YOU. No one can build your brand like YOU.
Learn what you can from Brand SRK, but finally the responsibility rests on you to build your own unique brand.??
Take small steps daily and soon your brand will learn how to fly.?
Checklist on Personal Branding?
I have created a ‘Personal Branding’’ checklist for you. It contains 21 short action steps in the form of points. Download this checklist.?
Use this checklist as a quick reference to start your journey towards building an influential personal brand that everyone would love to discover.?
While downloading this checklist, you will see the button 'I want this'. Above this button is a box 'Name a fair price'. Just type '0' there and tap on 'I want this' button. Then enter your email. You can then either download the PDF or read the checklist.
May health and happiness follow you everywhere. Amen.?
My next article will be on Personal Development. See you there.?
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