“I don’t care what you say about me, as long as you say something about me, and as long as you spell my name right.”
The famous quote has been attributed to George M. Cohan, Harry Truman, Will Rogers, and P.T. Barnum, among others. It’s entirely likely that the first iteration of the statement was uttered by someone unknown to us now, but the reverse psychology of the idea was certainly so brilliant that it’s still in common use today.
Obviously, we care what others say about us. Their words are a reflection of their perception of us, and their perception is driven by our image, which is established by how we brand ourselves. And while branding and advertising may seem to be synonymous, there are some important differences.
What comes to mind when you hear McDonalds, Taco Bell or Captain D’s? It probably isn’t the last time you saw a commercial or billboard for any of them (advertising). It’s much more about your perception of them. You can see the golden arches now and you know how you feel about Mickey D’s, don’t you? But before you actually do a Google image search, can you also see the logo for Taco Bell or Captain D’s? If you can, you did better than I. I had to look up Taco Bell. Logos are a part of branding, but there is much more to planting the brain worm in potential customers and bringing back established customers, no matter what your business.
There is a concept in advertising that it has to speak to the whole person: mind, body, and soul, which includes the way we feel about it as much as the way we think rationally about it. Advertising drives the brand. The brand drives the image. The image makes us feel and think about the product or service the way we do, good or bad. The shell, the white and the yolk. They’re all part of one egg. Advertising, branding and image are likewise all part of one entity.
Big companies spend millions trying to establish their image, right down to the funny names pharmaceutical companies give the drugs they tell you to ask your doctor about. That’s part of the brand. The ads play on your emotions. Imagine how much better you’ll feel taking our drug! Look how you’ll be able to travel around the world or do cartwheels on your sidewalk after taking our drug. Just don’t listen too closely to the side effects.
Your internal monologue at this point is probably something like, I think I’ve got a pretty good image going on with people. Hopefully, you have a great image. But the issue really isn’t what you think of your image, it’s what your target audience thinks of it. Do you call yourself a singer/songwriter? A stockbroker? A salesperson? A writer? Understand that these names are what people do, not their brands. Your brand, which is your public identity, is made up of everything the public sees about you, including your logo, your picture(s), how your website looks, your tweets, your facebook posts, your blogs, your flyers, your emails, and more important than any of those, the body of your work, no matter what it is. People do not base their perception of you on any one of those by itself, but I can guarantee that if any of them are not up to professional standards for your product or service, your overall image will suffer.
If you know who you are and what you can do and you want the rest of the world to know it too, establish a body of work that’s undeniable. Get help if you need it, but don’t ever put out anything substandard. Do the very best that’s inside of you, not just what’s good enough. If you’re employed by a company, work yourself to your own high standards, not just put in the hours at the job. If you’re self-employed, it’s even more important to keep motivated and focus on what you need to accomplish every day.
It’s in our DNA to try to excel. It’s why we want new technology, a nicer home, a better education for our kids, healthy pets, good food, better bodies. Our natural internal mechanism drives us toward perfection. It’s why we admire those whom we perceive to be the best in their fields and why we reward them with fame and fortune. You are one of those people. I am one of those people. The only thing holding us back is the limitation we put on ourselves through negative self-talk, insecurity and lack of motivation.
It’s been said that people don’t go to their graves thinking they should have worked harder, but rather that they should have spent more time walking barefoot in the sand and spending time with loved ones. I believe that. I also believe most of us want to go to our graves knowing we gave life everything we had to give. That’s the real barefoot walk in the sand.
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