The Personal Brand I: Who has the power? - a series by Interbrand

Each week as part of the new and improved Australian Creative blog section, eight team members of Interbrand Sydney will post thoughts, dreams, observations and insights as they see them. From a range of backgrounds and departments, and these posts are purely personal perspectives. This is a platform for opinion, debate and dialogue. If you have something to say, we want to hear it.

The first topic is the  idea of the 'personal brand' and will run over the next few  weeks. This week we're looking at the brands we use  and what they say about us. Do the brands we choose on a daily basis create our own personal brand? We want to hear what you think!

PERSONAL BRANDING - who has the power?

"I want to be as famous as Persil Automatic"
Victoria Beckham

Thinking of myself as a brand makes me uncomfortable. Some people are happy to see themselves that way, some even go so far as to market themselves as a product, much the same way a brand would. But for others, it’s just plain offensive.

I’m not denying that there are parallels between the personalities of brands and people. There are shoes that make you feel sexy, restaurants that make you feel at home, and fruit juices that make you feel like you’re four years old.

But does the fact that I use Dove body wash make me more ‘real’ as a woman? Does my Mac make me more creative than my poor PC-using pals? And does my Tom Ford perfume really make men fall at my feet?

I wish.

Using these products doesn’t alter who I am, but they do influence the way other people see me. And isn’t that what brands are? Brands don’t alter the function or the taste of a product (although some studies suggest they do) but it influences the perception of that product.

And when you look at it like that, we all choose to present ourselves in certain ways to influence how various groups of people view us. Just like brands do.

But I don’t want to define who I am. I don’t want to live my life by a set of guidelines. And while brands can teach us a few tricks on how to market ourselves when necessary, it’s important to remember that we’re the ones that create them, not the other way round.

Lex Courts, Writer at Interbrand Sydney