Welcome to the world where we constantly discuss branding. And while the name of this site certainly refers to personal branding, in particular, the parallels between this and corporate branding should not be ignored. To illustrate this, let me introduce a concept that you may or may not have heard of–one that you can use for yourself AND your business: BRANDarchy.
BRANDarchy is a concept that was introduced in a Twitter chat that you should all attend and supporting a concept like this suggests that we are taking a stand of some sort. Needless to say, this idea contains a certain point of view and the understanding behind it should give you further insight into why it exists. To begin, let’s look at one of the definitions of anarchy:
a doctrine urging the abolition of governmental restraint as the indispensable condition for full social and political liberty and a lack of obedience to an authority.
It is a fact that BRANDarchists are not only against the status quo, we are against the philosophy of executing in a manner that is “good enough,” a philosophy that is way too prevalent in the industry today. BRANDarchists strive for the best: the best creative, the best content, the best executions, the best ways to connect. We try to be the best because those with whom we are serving, in the case of personal branding ourselves, deserve and appreciate someone who does all that they can in order to be of service.
Now we understand that, in all facets of life, time and budget constraints can, at times, lead only to the best work possible in a situation. Please note: we don’t have a problem with the work that is based upon sometimes herculean effort because the effort serves as the best. What we do have an issue with is the system.
There’s a chance that any of you reading this will be able to relate to this, at least I hope so…
The system (or government) we speak of is one where organizations do not have full understanding or buy-in regarding what it takes to optimize and maximize the provision of service world in which we live. This trickles up, yes up, to branding (whether personal or corporate) and this disconnect can have a major impact on people and what they want to achieve. This is not by any means a blanket statement – things are better than they used to be – however, we have yet to reach a utopia although some blue-sky thinkers will say we’re in a good place.
Furthermore, a slow understanding as to what your brand is and its importance is often demonstrated by numerous content delivery and social media “fails” that we see and sometimes (or often) laugh at. In order to reach your goals, you must understand your brand, what it stands for and operate in a manner that displays those tenets or beliefs. This consistency leads to better understanding, affinity, and support.
Interestingly enough, BRANDarchists are not the only ones who feel this way.
Take this example from well-known corporation, Proctor & Gamble. A couple of years ago, they reorganized their directorial marketing positions replacing the word “marketing” with the stronger word “brand.” Brand management is now the single-point responsibility for all strategies, plans, and results for the P&G business.
Brand Management at P&G now encompasses four functions – including, of course, brand management (formerly known as marketing), consumer and marketing knowledge (a.k.a. market research), communications (known as public relations at some companies and up until a couple of years ago as external relations at P&G), and design (known as design pretty much everywhere, except where it’s called visual brand identity and such).
-Ad Age, It’s the End of ‘Marketing’ As We Know It at Procter & Gamble, June 30, 2014
This method of thinking is how to look at your business and yourself. Feel free to apply it to your life and your business. I will guarantee that, if you fully commit to this theory of BRANDarchy, you will find your success. I know I did and I know many that have.
So, until we meet again, welcome to a BRAND new world.
