Brand Character. Every corporate or personal brand has a personality or “character” that makes it different from any other brand. Think about the difference between Pepsi and Coke. The products contain almost the same ingredients, but each brand has a unique character that has been carefully created by marketers. And that character is what helps you choose one soda over the other. Your personal brand character does the same for “YOU.”
If you apply the above framework to both your company’s brand and your personal brand, do they connect well with one another? Is your company’s target market of interest to you, and are they the kind of people you enjoy pleasing? Are you passionate about working to fill the needs of that market?
Everyone who works for a company is a marketer for that company. You represent the firm whether or not you deal directly with customers or perform direct sales as a part of your job. The bottom line? To be successful on the job, you need to have a connection with the company’s brand, character, and mission. Your personal brand definition needs to “fit” like a glove with the corporate brand definition.
Side-By-Side Comparison - When you sit back and look at the six elements of both your company’s brand and your personal brand – side by side – what do you find? How strong is the connection? If it’s strong, you probably feel great about your job and enjoy your work. If the connection is less than strong, what elements are disjointed? What could you do to make a stronger bond between your own individual brand and the company’s brand?
The bottom line is: Your short and long-term career success as well as your overall job satisfaction depends on having a strong corporate brand/personal brand connection.