It don't mean a thing...
…if you ain’t got the swing. The swing, in the case of personal branding, is not "spin" – as the current Business Week Creating Brand You article suggests – but authenticity. As Valeria Maltoni notes in her Baron Hilton vs. Paris Hilton post, building brand value is not about selling the sizzle, it’s about delivering on the brand promise.
Perhaps the Gen X writer was more interested in cultivating her "skeptical, doubting" brand than providing insight. My pick of her "Make 'Em Take Notice" recommendations: mimic a popular brand. Good advice if you aspire to be a #2.
Runner up for bad advice/attitude (though credit for being on-brand): Trump's comment that most people don't have 'it' [what it takes to be a brand]. The reality is that we all have the potential to be unique and compelling brands.
My counter: forget the superficiality and manipulation and show some emotion. For perspective on jazz, business and life, check out Brand Autopsy’s (John Moore) Jazzy Business Quotes | 4 and Presentation Zen's Jazz & the Art of Connecting (Garr Reynolds).
Image credit: Your Guide to Jazz Guitar
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