Branding oneself is a modern marketing tool. People use branding to stand out in the crowd. When potential employers or clients can identify your brand as one that aligns with their own personal philosophies or with their business, your chances of success increases.
A brand is anything – a symbol, name, sound, design, emotion, tone, or reputation for example that differentiates one thing from another.
Cindy Crawford’s mole on her face is part of her brand. Kim Kardashian’s butt is hers. A singers voice, a authors writing style, Miley Cyrus’s reputation for outrageous stage antics is her current brand. These are things that separates them from their contemporaries and because celebrities understand the power of media for getting their careers out there in the spot light, they use whatever works. Good or bad press is still press.
For the most part the average persons brand is their reputation. How you act or react to life tell people a lot about you. People may forget what you were wearing or even what you said but they will remember how you made them feel.
So in this world that celebrates youth and beauty, I read a passage recently, from of all places a romance novel, that gave me a high five moment.
Old women, wise women are the most powerful brand females come in.
From, A.K.A. Goddess by Evelyn Vaughan
Well now that makes me feel hopeful. If you were to equate the three stage of womanhood, that being maiden, mother, and crone with good, better and best, that means the best is yet to come.
And why not? Older, wiser women have had years to perfect their brand. They have had plenty of opportunity to try out different looks, they have developed their own truly personal style and they have built an exclusive reputation base on copious triumphs and failures. Their ability to stand in their own strength is powerful indeed.
So if you have ever given thought to what your own personal brand is, know that what ever you chose to focus on as you strive to distinguish yourself from the pack will only become more powerful as you age. Choose wisely.