Three Reason You Should Stop Calling Yourself a Brand

We live in an age obsessed with the idea of your “personal brand.” But here’s the thing, you are not a brand. Let me say that again: YOU ARE NOT A BRAND.

As this article so eloquently states: “Simply put, brands are perceptions….[they] are business tools that drive commercial value.” You are neither a perception nor a business tool. You are a human being—a complex lifeform capable of imagination, compassion, love, and other extraordinary things. The idea that you could ever be reduced to a commercial purpose is, quite frankly, offensive. That is not to say that certain aspects of who you are or what you create cannot be manifested in some commercial form—that is, after all, what many great brands are—but you, the individual human being, can never yourself be a brand. Here’s three key reasons why:

1.     Strong Brands Have a Clear, Focused Message. A brand needs to stand for something and present a clear value and purpose to its customers. Unlike brands, humans tend to have multiple layers and be somewhat all over the place. You may very well be into fitness and renewable energies, but how many solar panel companies are also selling exercise equipment? The bottom line is that a brand can rarely, if ever, be as nuanced as a human being.

2.     People Change; Brands Usually Do Not. As humans, we are constantly evolving, learning new things, developing new passions, etc. We need the freedom and flexibility to pursue our full potential, to become our best selves. Brands, on the other hand, need to stay in their lane. While the secret formula for Coca Cola may be tweaked and improved over time, and while they may pursue more healthy alternatives to stay current with market trends and consumer preferences, it would be very difficult for Coca Cola to ever pivot entirely from the beverage business. That is not to say that it is completely impossible, but that sort of change would take an extraordinary amount of time. As humans, we can change our minds on the drop of a dime. One day you may be Captain Cookout—a neighborhood celebrity heralded for his juicy barbecue beef smorgasbords—and the next day you can be completely vegan, having learned of the environmental issues caused by the beef industry, the rampant abuse of animals on factory farms, and becoming more health conscious with age. Again, this sort of radical overnight change is completely acceptable and common with human beings, but it could prove fatal for any commercial brand.

3.     You Cannot Be Bought, Sold or Invested In. This is perhaps the most important point, so pay attention. Brands are commercial enterprises—they can be bought, sold and invested in. You, on the other hand, cannot. Nobody can “own” you. That being said, many celebrities create brands using their personal likeness and image, and those celebrity brands are often owned or bought by investors. Although you are not “selling” yourself, when you create a brand using your personal likeness, image or name you may very well end up restricting your ability to personally conduct the same business (or compete) with that brand, and you may end up restricting your ability to use your own likeness and image commercially. This is why it is very important for celebrities to be careful how they use their likeness, image and name when creating a brand, so that they retain the freedom to continue doing what they love personally should they lose control of the company.

Great brands are built on authentic stories and messages, and there is nothing more authentic than your own personal story and truth. You absolutely need to share that story, and you absolutely need to speak your truth. That is your gift to the world, and it will also be the key to your greatest success. However, your story and message is not one brand—it is potentially limitless brands, each communicating who you are and what you have to say in new and creative ways to reach the broadest possible audience. You are not a brand. Do not put yourself in a box by calling yourself a brand. Be yourself. Be boundless.