Brand new Brand YOU
"Personal branding reflected in the zeitgeist. Watching the pros in entertainment, politics, business. And now you. What makes YOU different?"

So how does one make a personal brand by fashion? With any fashion you have to take a risk. Not all fashion is accepted at first glance. In fact, most new fashions are automatically scoffed at it seems until it is worn by the right person or is worn so often it becomes a standard. Take bell Bottoms for instance. A wild fashion from the 70’s that has made a resurgence into the 21st century. Who knew that they would come back?

Just like a catch phrase the clothing you wear can be your statement of who you are or what you want people to think you are. A simple pastel shirt and blue jeans isn’t going to make you stand out. There has to be a risk taken. You are trying to tell people “This is me, remember me!!!” What do you want people to think of when they see you? How do you want to convey who you are to people who see you? Will they remember me? These are a few important questions you want to ask yourself when you decide what attire you are going to don. A fashion brand is a statement. Take Andre 3000 from Outkast. His clothing line, to me, is some very outlandish, away from my norm style. But if I see a pair of his green plaid high water pants, his image pops in my brain; which means his personal brand has worked.

You do not have to be as outlandish as Andre to create a fashion brand. It could be your clothing is always well pressed, or you only wear a certain color shirt or even an accessory like a small flower in your front pocket or a certain necklace. All of these can make people remember you after a few meetings. Fashion is up to the individual; whatever you think will make people have you in their mind. The beauty of it is if a certain look doesn’t work for you, you can always change it. In fact, a brand could be that you never ever wear the same clothes twice. There are so many ways to pull off a fashion brand. So experiment and see what works best for you.

What you wear in the public eye has as much power to create a personal brand as what you say. The way your target audience perceives you will decide if they remember you or not. The way you wear your hat, the style of your shoes or even the color of your clothing has as much to say about you as an individual as your DNA. If they remember what you were wearing, they will almost always remember you.

Fashion is a social study, so to speak. It is the stethoscope on the heartbeat of an era. What people wear gives you an idea of what time they are from. If I say pantaloons and powdered wigs for men, what time frame does that take you to? What about black clothing with pseudo-religious overtones and black makeup? What about bell-bottomed pants? You could have two time frames there, but you know what they are. Now let’s talk about famous individuals and their branding clothing.

The most prolific person to make fashion her personal brand would have to be Madonna.
In her long career she has set the pace for what young women wear. When her name is mentioned, your mind can shoot back to the numerous outfits and styles she has worn. Like when she first came out the almost tattered, multi layered look with wild hair or the conical bras or even her capris pants and halter look. You don’t even have to know what she sings to know Madonna.

There are others if I mention a name you can remember what they wear; Marilyn Manson, Andy Warhol, Boy George, P Diddy, 50 Cent, Eminem, Elton John, Stephen Tyler. These people you can see in your mind because they have made what they wear their brand, and some have even branded what they wear. If you notice as well, music and fashion walk the same road. Run-DMC made all black with white Adidas sneakers a hip hop phase in the 80’s. If you follow hip-hop music now, it is a looser fit of clothing, more relaxed and with lots of jewelery. Snoop Dogg, Nelly and Fabulous are all examples of this and have turned what they wear into their own personal brand and clothing line.

More on branding by fashion soon.

“I don’t get no respect.” When you hear that phrase, who do you think of? Of course the answer is Rodney Dangerfield. He made a career from that one sentence. Jimmy Walker had “Dy-No-MITE.” The Simpsons have several catch phrases; Eat My Shorts, D’oh and Why You Little!! People who watch these television shows and stars recognize instantly who they are. It is not even necessary to know the stars name. When describing him or her, a person will say, “You know he’s the one who says, ‘To the MOON, Alice!!’” Your friend would probably say, “Oh you mean Jackie Gleason from The Honeymooners.”

A catch phrase would work for you when you are trying to build a personal brand. It doesn’t have to be a profound statement or a clever quip. It could be just a simple phrase that you say. The way you greet people could be your catch phrase. “Hi, it’s a great day!!!” or “Hi-de-ho” are two examples. If you say these to everyone you meet then people will not need to know your name. You would be the guy who says “that” every morning. Soon your name will be associated with your behavior. And at that point your own personal catch phrase would have been created.

If you correctly use your catch phrase you can almost guarantee maximum personal exposure. Your face will pop into the minds of the people you want to just be hearing your phrase. You can over use your catch phrase to a certain degree. Make it seem natural, not forced. Act like its something you have always done. Practice it if you have to. A catch phrase is a lot like a famous line from a play. “To be or not to be”, everyone knows that is Hamlet. So treat your catch phrase like a performance. Practice and hone it to theatrical perfection. You are trying to sell yourself so make it a good product.

Well, after an extended late summer siesta, I’m back, invigorated, and scouring the web for tips, hints, and insight on how to brand yourself into a position of power. To reacquaint you with what we mean by personal branding, I’ll let Peter Montoya explain it, but know that you don’t have to be P-Diddy, er, Diddy, to brand yourself. Check back soon, as I’ll be updating more often now that the snow has hit the ground.