:: Online the brand is *You*

by Carole Guevin

Brand:

(a) A class of goods identified by NAME as the product of a single firm or manufacturer

(b) A characteristic or DISTINCTIVE kind

(c) A mark made to designate OWNERSHIP

(d) An INDELIBLE impression

(e) A label to describe or CATEGORIZE somebody (or something)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The activities surrounding building a brand have been galvanized, mediatized, glamorized by marketing heads as the new-new theory on the block.

Branding is a buzzword and as in any buzzwords it tends to be emptied of meaning in proportion with audience acceptance and awareness.

So this essay is backtracking to the initial intent of brand building and aims to extract new meaning as well as exploring a so far little understood concept of branding through new medias (online).

Here you are, fresh, filled and fired up with the indefatigable conviction that you are, with talents and expertise, ready to storm the electronic market with your offerings.

• Taken that you are a driven professional
• Taken that you have proof your services are indeed meeting needs
• Taken that you are seriously going to achieve the success you are targeting
• Taken that you have a good measure of intelligence, integrity and honesty
• Taken that you are NOT blasé.

As in definition (a) the NAME is the brand

In a world where horizontal models of management are fast becoming the way to go, YOU, your Name is a brand! THE brand. This encompasses your talents + experience but overall, how and what you do, what you say, how you deliver and which areas require fine tuning. This is the packaging of the brand – your brand.

You have only ONE reputation to build; online, establishing your credibility, hence your reputation, demands an acute awareness of the consequences linked to what, how and why you do or say things. This is a long haul activity and time investment. Keep in mind – if you mess up – second chances in an electronically connected world are hard to expect. Since the brand is you, building a brand is a huge responsibility.

Being authentic generates a distinctive brand

Don’t lie – don’t exaggerate – don’t even think of making a strong impression without the depth required to sustain (worldwide) constant scrutiny.

• If you build computers in your garage – say it!
• If you are an intermediate programmer – state it!
• If you are an artist with a lifelong career – prove it!
• If you are a web designer fresh from jumping on the web – show it!
• If you are a manager with small projects under your belt – emphasize it!

Set the brand, yourself, in its exact context. Most careers evolve and we all have commonly started at the same place: the newbie spot. Most of us have ambitious ambitions which fuel in the end – how we’re going to excel at what we do.

Using the authentic context boundaries ensures the right choice of content to convey the distinctive values of our brand. Deceit entangles the brand in a web of lies and since 65% of surfers are looking for information to make a business decision – you won’t fool anybody… for long… before your brand is discredited.

A potential customer has a fair knowledge of his needs and is looking for the catalytic confirmation that your brand is the perfect match to his. Keep that in mind. Like-mindness is a human meshing principle while shopping for suppliers. Be truthful.

Competition in the perspective of a world market is a ridiculous concept – nobody can be all to all. Hey, even Mr. Gates can’t, so??? So, even if there were gazillions other people with similar talents, skills and experience, YOU, you are unique.

A brand remembered is a powerful tool for distinctiveness. Think of the seashell for Shell Oil Corporation™ or the swoosh for Nike™ or the overlapping circles for Master Card™. These are brands who have established their uniqueness to a point, that any other credit card company for example who would try even so slightly using two overlapping circles to define a new brand would… not only prove to be a brainless uncreative copycat – but extinguish before launch – the MC™ legal team would wipe their bank account clean! Nobody can achieve uniqueness by near or far while using somebody else identity.

So a brand is an identity that extols the uniqueness factor that makes you stand out in any crowd. It’s a great challenge but also a great protection to the brand. The more you invest in pinpointing what makes you different, will create an enviable place in the world: Yours!

Designing your brand online

A web site is your online brand and must convey YOUR unique identity. Before translating efficiently you need to do a lot of

• Thinking
• Research
• Benchwork

Until you can aggregate successfully the characteristics that make you different – unique – you aren’t ready for the game. Know yourself and ownership of your brand won’t be contested.

If you are that good – you might influence others and even set a new trend. Some site owners like Mike and Toke from k10k.net set the *pixel* style as their trademark, which in turn, set the motion to a new design trend. Anyone using *pixel* design must find a unique way to appropriate the trend and turn it, into yet another unique brand.

Your objective is to create an indelible brand

Your peers may like or dislike the uniqueness of your brand but at the very least, it will command respect. Your brand should show the immense intellectual efforts poured in to corner it.

A great brand is not accidental, based on guts feelings, a subjective or group assessment nor a life changing experience after a day of too much caffeine and lack of sleep. A brand is a process through which you establish a common standpoint between WHO you want to serve and who YOU are. The role of the brand is to establish connections between the parties you are interested in doing business; a proven brand causes potential customers to recognize themselves. Aim well.

Be ready to be categorized

The next step is to choose your content well. Though the net is a fabulous free expression platform – keep in mind that what you DO, SAY, THINK today may change in the future and one, is allocated but one life – there’s no refund. Your future holds what you make your present of. So accept your limitations beforehand and build your brand on your strengths.

So what is in a brand? YOU!

:: Conclusion

Knowing your business is what got you where you are today. But today and onward - knowing your audience is what will keep your website/business/career going.

Originally published in Creative Behavior Magazine - ? 2002

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