A Decade of Me, Inc.

10 years after Tom Peters’ article “The Brand Called You” introduced it, personal branding is reaching its heights on the Web 2.0.


It seems that the last decade somewhat contradicted George Orwell’s vision of hell. It’s not so much the loss of individuality but, rather, the overabundance of it that is now showing in its full glory. We’ve seen it all: the good, the bad and the ugly. Reality TV, MySpace, YouTube, blogging, a “personal touch” put to everything from underwear to bank accounts… Even the Times magazine declared that the person of the year for 2006 was: You.

So, how’s You doing now? Is the brand holding up? Branching out or downsizing? Has You lost touch with its customer base? Are they still buying You? Tough questions, especially if you - You? Oh, the hell with it! - if you still remember the days when you were just you. Oddly, at the same time we started assuming corporate identities, the corporations began more and more to portray themselves as individuals. That is, as one of our trusted friends on MySpace.

Not all is lost. Before personal branding there was self-empowerment, before that self-improvement, before that self-help, going all the way back to maxims and proverbs. A desire to better or at least distinguish ourselves is our innate human trait and, it’s here to stay. If we today use computers to express, expose, spill our guts, network and schmooze and if we call gathering places social media instead of piazza, so be it.

As for personal branding, it’s simple, your company, your rules. The best part of it, they can be amended anytime. Just ask Martha Stewart.