People are brands

Comment by Brad VanAucken; adapted from https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/branding-debate-are-people-brands/#.XmCi7cSNyUk

Brands are the source of promises to consumers. They promise relevant and differentiated benefits. They can make these promises because they are the personifications of products, services, organizations or other entities. Brands have personalities, they possess character and they can stand for something. I have always argued that not only can companies and their products and services be branded, but so also can colleges and universities and museums and other not-for-profit organizations and municipalities and countries and musical groups and yes, even individuals.

While most people do not need to be personified, some arguably do. Indeed, many celebrities are packaged as brands. The trick is to emphasize a person’s authentic brand, one that is true to him or her. The same is true with all other brands. The role of the brand marketer is to accentuate the positive attributes, especially those that will give the brand an advantage in the marketplace.

Using celebrities to endorse products or to be spokespeople for them can often be problematic. Remember Anita Bryant and Sunkist or O.J. Simpson and Hertz. While I think Tiger Woods is a perfect endorsement for Nike (the “authentic athletic performer” [Nike’s brand essence] just doing it [Nike’s tagline]), that relationship could still be problematic depending upon how Tiger Woods conducts himself in public and private.

Branding is the process of managing identity and perception. This can be done for virtually anything. At least, that is my belief.