I was watching a programme on television the other night about product designers, and part of the episode focused on brand recognition. According to the experts being interviewed, there are three key elements to having a high level of brand recognition. The three elements are Promise, Experience, and Memory. The ‘promise’ of what buying into the brand will do for you; the ‘experience’ you will have when you buy into the brand; and the ‘memory’ you will have after your brand experience. These three elements apply to not only commercial brands, but also to your own brand of who you are.
Promise. The promise of what your style is as seen by those you know and interact with. The issue of ‘promise’ relates to the expectations of those you interact with, and if their expectations are high, then what you deliver must match or exceed those expectations. If they don’t match, then your ability to be recognised in a good way will be diminished because their mental model about you and how you interact with them. Making sure your brand promises what you can and will actually deliver is crucial to build a positive personal brand.
Experience. If the experience of those you interact with, whether in your work or in non-working times, is at odds with their mental models of what it should be based on how they know you, you will have a problem. Ensuring that the experience you provide to those who work for you matches with your desired brand is the only way to demonstrate that you do deliver what you say you will.
Memory. Ensuring that the memory of your brand in the minds of those you interact with is positive is essential. We all know how this works: we, as humans, have a tendency to tell a few people when we have a good experience, but to tell a lot of people when our experience is not good. \Our memory of good or bad experiences establishes or reinforces existing mental models about them. The same holds true for your interactions with others. Regardless of them being good or bad, the experiences your people have with you will remain in their minds. If the experiences are negative, it will do severe damage to your brand and can be brutally difficult to overcome. The memories of your experiences as a friend or work peer can be long lasting, and will impact your ability to establish or reinforce your personal brand.
Establishing or attempting to reinforce your desired brand can be challenging. But having said that, the reality means you simply need to follow a few common sense rules.
- Think about what you would like your personal brand to be. Reflect on what characteristics you would like to demonstrate and how you would like those who work with you to see them. The key to remember here is that no matter how well you think you are doing demonstrating your personal brand, if others do not see them being demonstrated, then you aren’t really doing them.
- Check to make sure that your desired brand is congruent with what others are seeing. If your desired brand does not match up with what others see, then your brand will not be what you would like it to be.
- If you want to be ‘branded’ as a good, helpful friend, then act like one. Don’t wait for someone to ask for help if you can see that they need it; ask them if there is something you can do to help. If you want to be recognised as an effective leader, make sure that in your day-to-day interactions with others, you actually demonstrate leadership.
It really doesn’t make any difference if you think a personal brand is important or not. The reality is that right now, your friends and work peers see how you interact with them and that is, whether you like it or not, your brand. If what they are seeing doesn’t match up with what you would like them to recognise you as, then you are the only one who can do something about it.
Dr. James B Rieley
+34 620 22 43 41
