Branding in Perspective: Self-Branding for Professional Success (original) (raw)
Concepts and Constructs for Personal Branding: An Exploratory Literature Review Approach
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2012
Personal branding is a new marketing concept related to the marketing strategies that a person adopts in order to promote his or her major personal characteristics. Personal branding is heavily used by celebrities politicians, and people who look for social integration, support or uniqueness. The personal branding phenomenon is a relatively new phenomenon for western societies, lately studied by sociologists as well as marketers. As a new social phenomenon and marketing construct, the academic marketing literature examining it is still underdeveloped. The present paper aims to present a literature review of the popular press and academic marketing perspective and attempts to define the construct and set a research agenda to identify the variables of the personal branding construct.
Branding: Models, Theory, Practice, and Marketing Implications
International journal of academic research in business & social sciences, 2024
The article's purpose has been to conduct a thorough and analytical review of the empirical literature on branding and consumer behavior to uncover emerging issues and trends. It starts with a presentation of the objective of the article. This is followed by the research methodology employed. Next, the article assessed the relevant theoretical framework that underpins branding strategies and models. Then, the paper presents a rigorous analysis and synthesis of the current scientific literature on branding. This is followed by an assessment of emerging trends and issues in the field of branding derived from the literature review. Lastly, the article draws relevant implications for marketing and brand managers and outline relevant recommendations for action.
Branding: The Past, Present, and Future: A Study of the Evolution and Future of Branding
2011
Branding: The Past, Present, and Future: A Study of the Evolution and Future of Branding 2011 Branding: The Past, Present, and Future: A Study of the Evolution and Future of Branding Key words: Branding, evolution of branding, future, brand identity hexagon, the academic life cycle © Hanken School of Economics and
You are your brand: Self-branding and the marketization of self
Sociology Compass, 2019
Personal branding was popularized in the late twentieth century through a spate of self-help literature which enjoined workers to take responsibility for themselves by taking an entrepreneurial approach to the self, seeing themselves as products to be marketed as a means of managing the risks of an unstable labor market. Self-branding discourse frames the "authentic self" as a source of material value which workers can leverage to build a reputation, which they can later capitalize upon in their attempts to remain competitive as workers. This article examines the literature on self-branding to trace its origins as a framework for conceptualizing the self. The discourse of self-branding proposes a singular, profitable self which is at once authentic and consistent. In this review of self-branding literature, I explore what thinking of the self as a brand does to the way individuals relate to themselves. I examine the social construction of authentic self-brands, how branding the self on social media impacts the process of self-presentation, and how workers experience the imperative to self-brand.
Branding Abstracts: 7th Annual International Colloquium
2019
This book includes the abstracts of all the papers presented at the 15th Annual International Colloquium on Branding (29-31 July & 1 August 2019), organized by the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER).
Understanding Personal Branding Perceptions Through Intentions
IMSR Journal , 2018
ABSTRACT: Personal branding is a planned process that helps individuals make conscious efforts towards branding themselves in the market with underpinned intensions of gainful employment, entrepreneurial image or celebrity like visibility. A Personal brand is said to be the perception about oneself in the minds of others. Thus, the personal branding process is helpful for students to compete in the crowded employment market with focused objectives of employability that matches their personal and professional expectations. The paper discusses changing paradigms in the employment contracts that have led to emergence of non-liner careers. Increased onus on employees to manage their careers rather than it being the employer’s prerogative. Making it imperative for individuals to continuously explore themselves and upgrade their skills to be of value in the market. Personal branding is taken as the fix for the flexibility and flux in the market. Various models of personal branding and some shortcomings or negative lashes about the phenomenon discussed will give readers a chance for reflection and thereafter use of Personal Branding to enhance employability. KEYWORDS: Personal branding, employability, Career Grid Typology.
Nowadays, it is hard to find a place with no brands. Even the less developed countries, abound in brands. People are surrounded and exposed to hundreds of commercial messages per day, and constantly deluged by ads that may be not noticed since are spread everywhere, whether on Radio, Print Media, Television, Internet and Billboards; items such as the education, literature, tourism, TV channels, news, sports, movies, songs, countries and cities, etc., find an opportunity to get noticed by the consumers as part of contemporary life, giving chance to huge amounts of marks and brands to appear everywhere, from the basic needs of life, (shelter, food, drink, clothing, etc.), to the luxury needs, (tourism, events, etc.). In this environment filled with brands, in which even culture and civilization is branded, it is not strange to admit that even humans are branded. Celebrities are often considered as products, and managed as well. Cleopatra, Socrates, Beethoven, Napoleon Bonaparte, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Edith Piaf, Madonna, Julio Iglesias, Omar Sharif, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mohamed Ali, Maradona, Michael Jordan, Pablo Coelho, Shakira, Oprah, etc. are some of the celebrities that have had, or still have a well-managed personal brand; hearing this names create in the minds of the listeners a peculiar impression that is associated with previous experiences and memories, weather are good or bad, similar to the impression consumers have when they hear about the well-known brands, such as Coca-Cola, Hollywood, Microsoft, Apple, Ferrari, Nike, etc. So, what make some people achieve a status of fame and recognition, while others are not known even having big talents or doing useful contributions to the world? What makes some movie protagonists to be a more known names than the actors themselves? What converts an excellent employee into a star? The answer to this questions is not just the individual talents, skills or actions, but the way in which this talents, skills and actions are managed to appeal more to others, by a process called personal branding, that is responsible -when is well done- of converting a normal individual or a normal name into a recognized brand. “When Ralph Lifshitz wanted to become a famous fashion designer, he didn’t start by working 24 hours a day designing clothes. The first thing he did was to change his name to Ralph Lauren. Branding seeks to create a better perception. Not a better product” (Montoya & Vandenhey, 2003, p.1). Ralph Lauren is not the only example, as many famous people have changed their names, some examples are: Woody Allen, Marilyn Monroe, Omar Sharif, Demi Moore, Meg Ryan, Larry King, George Michael, Hulk Hogan, etc. All those names are artistic names. Today, branding has become a household word as individual job seekers try to survive in a difficult world economy, and huge competition that comes with the increased globalization, technology advances, rise in the importance of internet and social media as methods of recruitment, changes in the social mentality and level of education and expertise. Wherefore individuals are willing to differentiate themselves from others in the work world, where often the unique individuals are achieving a noticed progress and success. Thus, personal branding has become recently a very trending topic that has growth in popularity as a method of marketing, differentiation and career management, due to its benefits that help individuals to reach their goals, especially among the recent graduates that are seeking to incorporate themselves in the world of employment, and many individuals that learn or listen about personal branding for the first time. It can be noticed while searching on internet pages such as: Right Relevance, that personal branding topics are one of the most top shared articles among the bloggers. The problem starts when the misunderstandings and the misconceptions about personal branding abound. The wrong interpretations of this concept can lead to a wrong personal development, and to the destruction of the whole brand that the individual is seeking to create and develop. This misunderstandings and misconceptions may be related to the kind of information that the individuals acquire, and to the cultural environment in which they live or belong. Thus, this study is an attempt to explore the cultural differences in the interpretation of personal branding of a number of chosen peoples from different countries of the Mediterranean area, in order to know if there is any difference among them, specifically considering the graduates, and if is it true that the cultural differences can lead to a different perceptions of the term. Thereby, this study gives a real opportunity for answering to this two questions: -Is there any gap between what is realized when it comes to personal branding and its meaning? -Is there any cultural differences in the interpretation and perception of personal branding among the different countries of the Mediterranean area’s graduates? To answer this questions it is a must to review the available information that attracts at first the recent graduates, especially that information that is easily reached on the internet, in order to evaluate this kind of information and compare it with the academic literature about personal branding that is already available and trusted, also to see, in the other hand, if there is any misunderstanding among the graduates while regarding this sources of information to finally compare between the perceptions of different graduates from different countries in the Mediterranean area. Consequently the objectives of this research are to: 1- Explore the concept of personal branding as the pioneers understood and defined it academically. 2- Review the available information (easy information or popular untrusted information) about personal branding that appeals to the graduates, and compare it to the academic contributions. 3- Explore the popular misconceptions and misunderstandings about personal branding. 4- Determine the cultural differences of the different countries of the Mediterranean area that may lead to an interpretation of personal branding or other. 5- Identify if there is any gap between the academic definition of personal branding and its perception among graduates. 6- Compare between the different interpretations of personal branding among the different countries of the Mediterranean area’s graduates, and between this interpretations and the academic meaning. In other words, and because the objectives may seem to be very similar and they are not, this study is divided into two parts: - The first part of this research consists of exploring the concept and meaning of personal branding, in order to know such information, three types of information will be explored, which are: the history of the concept and the academic information, the easy popular information that is reached in the self-help and how-to books and internet pages, and the available information of misconceptions and misunderstandings about personal branding. - The second part of this research is the comparative part, consisting of three comparisons: The first comparison is among the academic meaning of personal branding and what is understood about personal branding in the information available on the websites, self-help books, etc. The second comparison is among the cultural differences and perceptions of the graduates of the different countries of the Mediterranean area. The third and last comparison is between the cultural differences and perceptions of these peoples and the academic meaning, i.e. compare the second comparison to the first. Mentioning few points related to the importance of this study, it has a scientific or academic importance because there are relatively few published studies about personal branding, most of the topics of the previous studies are related to the development and management of personal brand, or to personal branding in internet, social network sites and social media, thus this study is going to make a contribution to the existing literature about personal branding that is already minimal, adding a new study that is never done before. Also this study has a practical importance summarized in the support that is going to give to the individuals, especially the graduates that are seeking to build their personal brand, without falling in the common misunderstandings and misconceptions. Analyzing the perceptions of graduates which are the young professionals towards the concept of personal branding is going to help to get deep inside the personal branding phenomenon, to learn more about this topic and field, not only to know how to develop and maintain a personal brand in order to further career development and success, but also to understand better the people that are branding themselves, avoiding falling in the common errors, which this is the main target.
Concept of Corporate Branding: Challenges and Comparison with Product Branding
International journal of scientific research and management, 2022
Branding is the act of making a strong impression on customers regarding the quality and niche of their product or company. There are many types of branding, but the three most common types of branding are: Corporate branding, Product branding and Personal branding (Jones, 2013). Corporate branding is the act of branding of a corporate body. It allows us to recognize the corporate and their quality product in the market. It helps us to target the most suitable segment of the product for their promotions and marketing. It is also called Umbrella branding (Abratt, 2012). Product branding is a strategic approach to market a specific product and recognize the facts and figures of the product to their customers. In this study, we have highlighted the importance of branding, corporate branding, and product branding. We have discussed the difference and similarities between these two branding types. We have also discussed the challenges in corporate branding and suggested beneficial points in the end to overcome these challenges and to progress in the field of business and marketing by following systematic approach of branding.