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Hi Jason, thanks for responding. I liked your post, and I appreciate that you didn't coin the term -- 'personal branding' has been around a long time. But the

Hi Jason, thanks for responding. I liked your post, and I appreciate that you didn't coin the term -- 'personal branding' has been around a long time. But the idea of 'Public Rhetoric' has been around far longer, and that's what we're really talking about -- the connection between what I present in public speech or other forum, to a truth about myself -- the 'ethos' of rhetoric. It's an ancient problem, and the concern I have with propagating the language of 'branding' is that it pulls it too close to the ethics of Mad Men for my taste. There are other ways to, ahem, spin this I think. The intent of our public rhetoric should be more than just commerce or marketability, as you demonstrate with the charity you started at Stanford. But I see a problem with the language of 'branding' so close to the idea of 'charity.' It raises a question of ethos -- why are you doing this? For self-promotion or for some other human good? Of course this has always been a problem, and language can always be used to obscure our true motives. But declaring something as 'branding' outright seems to me to subtly give too much license to our more selfish intents. I'd rather we still talk about Speech or Rhetoric or Reputation than Branding, if for no other reason than it at least creates some distance between commerce and altruism. And now I've taken this conversation into Aristotelian waters way outside my pay grade...

jasonshen 15y ago
Hey Dave, It's great to have a discussion about this. I think the concern that people have with businesses is that profit is a rather cold motive. We wonder if at the core of every corporation is an empty vessel, an icy void, a dispassionate pursuit of the bigger bottom line. As I mentioned in the post, I think the best brands (and businesses) have a mission that is higher than profit. Of course, some might dispute that claim as simply another cold-hearted way to make a buck, but from what we know about Steve Jobs, it seems that he really saw Apple as a vehicle for delivering insanely great products to the world. And that's why their advertising and marketing resonates so much with us. I think of it like this: brand -> reputation -> character -> legacy. You've got to work backward from what you want your legacy to be. The usefulness of calling "branding" is that we can use other words/tools/strategies from business and marketing in an analogous way. Business can be more than "just commerce" in my opinion. But yes, we have to watch our words because they suggest our intent. Would love to hear more about your thoughts on this. Jason
- davesims 15y ago
  I completely agree that business can be more than just commerce. I actually love my current gig for that very reason. I would love it if companies that value local commerce and community responsibility could co-opt our typical idea of business back into something bigger. But language tends to go the way of our cultural stories, and the question here is, which narrative about business is dominant -- the narrative of disconnected douchey 1-percenters or the more benevolent narrative put out there by companies like American Apparel? Unfortunately, it would seem that the former is what our society tends to associate with 'business' and 'branding', and companies like American Apparel (assuming you, er, buy into their whole story of championing local industry) haven't turned that tide. Maybe someday. For now, imo, Mad Men still rule the day.

jasonshen 15y ago

Hey Dave, It's great to have a discussion about this. I think the concern that people have with businesses is that profit is a rather cold motive. We wonder if at the core of every corporation is an empty vessel, an icy void, a dispassionate pursuit of the bigger bottom line. As I mentioned in the post, I think the best brands (and businesses) have a mission that is higher than profit. Of course, some might dispute that claim as simply another cold-hearted way to make a buck, but from what we know about Steve Jobs, it seems that he really saw Apple as a vehicle for delivering insanely great products to the world. And that's why their advertising and marketing resonates so much with us. I think of it like this: brand -> reputation -> character -> legacy. You've got to work backward from what you want your legacy to be. The usefulness of calling "branding" is that we can use other words/tools/strategies from business and marketing in an analogous way. Business can be more than "just commerce" in my opinion. But yes, we have to watch our words because they suggest our intent. Would love to hear more about your thoughts on this. Jason

davesims 15y ago
I completely agree that business can be more than just commerce. I actually love my current gig for that very reason. I would love it if companies that value local commerce and community responsibility could co-opt our typical idea of business back into something bigger. But language tends to go the way of our cultural stories, and the question here is, which narrative about business is dominant -- the narrative of disconnected douchey 1-percenters or the more benevolent narrative put out there by companies like American Apparel? Unfortunately, it would seem that the former is what our society tends to associate with 'business' and 'branding', and companies like American Apparel (assuming you, er, buy into their whole story of championing local industry) haven't turned that tide. Maybe someday. For now, imo, Mad Men still rule the day.