Never underestimate the power of your Brand

I was watching a piece on Sky Sports last week, waiting patiently for some report on Wales' famous victory the night before that got them through to only their 3rd major tournament in their history. What I got, however, was an hour long episode of the Jose Mourinho Story...

I settled in with my morning tea & toast looking forward to recapping what had been a great night in Welsh football history but, understandably at 11am, the main headline was that Jose Mourinho had been appointed as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager. I stuck with it, enduring a commercial break at 11.15am, and returned to the station and to the Jose Mourinho love-in. Another three commercial breaks later and Sky were still rambling on about their favourite son. In fact, for the first time that I can ever recall on this channel, an entire hour was dedicated to one man, Jose Mourinho. Precious little mention of Spurs or Pochettino and most definitely not Wales!

The answer is simply, his Brand.

Whether deliberate or not, Jose has developed a brand or should I say, into a brand that everyone taps into. We all know his story, we all have an opinion about him, it's like we've grown up with the man. Every part of his life has been scrutinised and laid bare for us all to see. The key thing to remember here is that it doesn't matter if you love him or loathe him, every time he opens his mouth it reaffirms your belief one way or the other. Either way, he will always be big news and precisely why Sky continue to pander to his every whim. His Brand is just colossal. Just think how much we know about the Brand that is Jose. He's been in our lives for over twenty years, it's like we have a personal relationship with him....and that is kind of the point I'm making here.

In business, it's generally accepted that people buy from people. We build relationships with individuals, establish trust, and then business is done. People want to understand and get to know who is the face behind the business. The product will sell itself but if you have competitors in your field you need to find a way to let the world know who you are and why they should buy from you. Establishing a personal brand is key to that. There's no substitute for face to face communication but that's not always feasible so the next best thing is telling your story though your personal brand. It doesn't matter if you are the owner of a small start-up or the manager of a premier league soccer team, the principles are the same, everything you say and do and how you make your 'customers' feel represents your brand. So never ever underestimate the power of your personal brand and don't be afraid to let the world know who you are.

A

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