Individual Branding

So I'm browsing the web, just minding my own business, when I come across a Kanye West interview for Details magazine.

http://hiphop.popcrunch.com/kanye-west-details-magazine-march-2009/

In viewing this interview I expect to hear a handful of egotistical assertions that Mr. West has become known for, but what I didn't expect to hear was true business insight. The quote went something like this:

"I have the right to talk in third person, because I'm me as a person, but I'm also a walking brand. So when I talk about myself, you may call me narcissistic or self-absorbed, but if I was the president of Nike, and all I did was talk about Nike, that would make sense."

Hyperbolic, Yes. Insightful, Yes.

There aren't enough stars in the sky to count the number of times I've had a teacher or elder tell me, "You have to be able to market yourself." It always made sense, but I never actually understood it fully...until now.

If one looks at themselves as merely a person, they often struggle to deliver an effective sales pitch without flirting with the line between confidence and arrogance. It's a fine line to dance upon one that is often the make-or-break with first impressions.

But thanks to Kanye West, that's all changed.

I am not longer just Mike Vosters. I am a brand, a tangible entity with the purpose of building value for potential consumers. College is my research and development, helping build the perfect product line, which consists of all my inherent abilities and skill sets that I have gained thus far. Once released, a promotional mix will need to be developed. Interviews will be personal selling; Level 19, LOUD, and HubbaU will be advertisements; and this blog will be my Public Relations team. With each opportunity, I must tout my competitive advantages to achieve positive differentiation in the marketplace, in hopes of making it big one day.

This newfound perspective has already begun to aid me in wooing employers (I've had two interviews in the past two days, which in my opinion went very well), but it has changed my entire life perspective. In classifying myself as a brand, I enter the product life cycle, of which I'm only now beginning the introduction phase. Despite my constant wishing for instant success, I must follow the cycle in its entirety. Diffusion takes time, but with hard work and persistance, I can steer my brand into growth and prosperity, stealing market share from my competitors along the way.

Thank you, Kanye West, for catalyzing these insights. Once again, you've been an inspiration.


"I told 'em I finished school, and started my own business. / They say oh you graduated! Naw, I decided I was finished."