Personal branding is one small but necessary facet when it comes to constructing a solid and successful company brand. In other words, it’s like Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of a person.
However, the relevance of personal branding differs from company to company. Marie Forleo has based her entire career on her personal brand whereas a multinational like Procter & Gamble has their own company identity.
This Personal Branding series is going to be split into 2 parts; first part being examples of CEO who have branded themselves miraculously, and second part being the steps to undertake to build our own personal brand with a few examples.
Whilst a CEO is not the poster child for the company, they are a linchpin and direct representative of the product, thus their personal construction should be created strategically and carefully. Being a CEO is much more than having a lavish top floor corner office. CEO's are expected to construct brands that embody their business philosophies.
Let’s take the example of a few:
The philanthropist, people’s person and generous to the T is one type of personal brand many CEO’s adopt. Mr. Ratan Tata’s and Tata Group’s core values are alike; credibility, capability, empathy, service and trust. Bill Gates is also synonymous with being a philanthropist as he is the Co-owner of the world's largest private foundation with an endowment in excess of $39.6 billion USD.
Gates social media game is also very strong. The use of the doodles and handcrafted imagery is uniquely combined with very click-through content, a small personal anecdote and a colourful, custom graphic relating to the content.
Let’s talk about Mark Zuckerberg, a name that is said day-in and day-out in all households. Besides owning social media platforms that make your world go around during this pandemic, he is also a social media star. With over 80 million followers on Facebook, Zuckerberg talks about his recent travels, diseases he's trying to cure and his political opinions. His aesthetic Instagram feed which shows glimpses of both his personal and professional life is also incredibly simple and casual.
After having a colloquial banter with the designer of his visiting card, the phrase “I’m CEO, bitch” stuck around and got printed on his visiting card. Even his personal stationary is extremely sharp and modern, bringing home the personal brand of a cool CEO.
Another prominent trait of his is that, he always appears in a ‘uniform’ of a simple grey shirt, which has become a signature look of his. Another legendary CEO, Steve Jobs, has the same signature look of wearing a black turtle neck tee always. This ideology derives from the fact that they both don’t like to spend much time on mundane things in the morning like clothes.
Next up we have someone who has a very controversial but distinct personal brand. It is none other than POTUS, Donald Trump himself. He has a powerful, commanding, high-class and luxurious personal brand. That is, reflected both in the way Trump conducts himself in public as well as in the way he employs business design and social media tactics.
His designs are executed in ornate gold and strong serif fonts. At times he posts quote cards with the hashtag ‘#TrumpAdvices’. Other times, he makes controversial tweets that give him a lot of (negative) publicity.
When we talk about Elon Musk, his companies’ brand personality follows after his own personal brand. In most cases, it is the right opposite, as we’ve seen previously. Musk is the definition of a modern and risk-taking entrepreneur. He showcases accountability, when a Tesla car caught fire in 2013, instead of hiding away from the issue. He immediately tackled it with a blog post.
Moreover, he’s known for being extremely dedicated to his work. From sleeping in the factories to working for more than 80 hours a week, he proves that work ethic is a big trait of his personal brand.
However, that doesn’t lead him to have no free time for other personal commitments. He’s active all over social media and interacting with people on a regular basis. But, he doesn’t like Instagram and thinks that that platform has a negative impact on people’s mental health.
This is a CEO I’m sure every blogger knows (and some worship, including me). Arianna Huffington, the CEO of Huffpost and Thrive Global. Her personal brand revolves around being a compassionate but ambitious woman in the industry.
Designs opted on social media are minimalistic, cool and clean. Pastel colours like light pink and lavender showcasing sincerity and excitement along with some sophistication. To learn more about colour theory, check out my previous blog.
Her Facebook posts make her seem approachable, well-read and open-minded. Here, is a post of hers with her daughter combined with a touching anecdote, that helps us to humanize and empathize with her.
To sum it up, creating a personal brand can be extremely daunting. However, it is essential in this look-at-me cultural shift and evolving job market.
What are your thoughts on personal branding? Who do you look up to when creating your own personal brand? Let me know in the comments section down below!
Stay tuned for the second part of this personal branding theory!
Great article Navya. Thanks for unveiling these CEO’s branding traits especially the Bitch Zuckerberg!
In particular, the personal brand of a business CEO is built on stakeholder opinions. The CEO’s personal brand must fit stakeholder’s expectations, especially of the boards of directors.
Knowing how to portray yourself and how you can use your uniqueness to help you stand out can indeed help individuals leave a mark. Well written!
Killing it as always🤍
Amazinggg