We live times where the urgent beats the important. The fast, viral, editable and disposable content seems to be imposed on messages with meaning. The networks are full of people who know how to take pictures, but they don’t know what they are saying with them. And in this context, I wonder – and I invite you to wonder, “does our personal brand have a true purpose or simply look for likes?”
Having a personal brand is not just “like” or assemble a neat profile. It is to sustain its own, coherent narrative, aligned with our values, differential and with purpose. It is a deep job that is not built with filters, but with introspection, coherence and conscious decisions. Today more than ever, authenticity sells. But be careful: it is not about “being real” as a new marketing strategy, but about being real. The public seeks inspiration, humanity, consistency.
According to recent studies, Influencers marketing moves more than US $ 32,500 million globally, and this figure is expected to continue growing. But what is the price of entering that visibility career if we do not have an interesting content or a message with root? More than 60% of users trust influencers more than in celebrities. That talks about an opportunity, yes. But also of a huge responsibility: if you are a reference, what are you representing?
Cases like Kendall Jenner And a campaign that trivialized social movements, or influencers that used forest fires such as backdrop for “shocking” photos, show us what happens when the effect is prioritized over the meaning. Even an influencer was severely questioned to separate a puppy from his mother just to get more likes. How empty are we as a society when everything is worth it if it is “post -table”?
And speaking of a vacuum, it is worth stopping in its meaning. The word comes from Latin Vacuus, which means unoccupied, without content. From that root, terms such as vacancy, vacation or evacuating are born: all linked to the idea of leaving free space. The vacuum, then, is not only absence, it is also potential. A personal brand without purpose may seem full of content, but if that content has no root, what there is is a vacuum disguised. The bottomless shape. Visibility without message.
Various marketing theories and branding contribute valuable keys to think about all this. Philip Kotler, father of modern marketing, states that brands today must go from “Marketing 3.0”, focused on values, to “Marketing 5.0”, where technology is put at the service of human causes. The consumer looks for marks that defend causes, not only do they sell products. David Aaker, with his Brand Equity approach, highlights the importance of building a brand based on confidence, relevance and differentiation. A strong personal brand is not born from noise, but from the perceived value. Jean-Noël Kapferencewith his Brand identity prismproposes that every brand is built from six dimensions: physical, personality, culture, relationship, reflection and self -image. An authentic brand works on all those layers. AND Seth Godin, More disruptive, it reminds us that a brand is not what you say you are, but what others say about you when you are not present. It is a promise, a story, an emotion.
For the personal brand to make an update, it is not about changing the logo or making a new photo shoot. It’s about stopping, looking and redefining. Ask: What do I want to be of me when the screen closes? The purpose is not a trend: it is a compass. And when we know where we are going, the likes are not left over … but they are not so necessary either.
*Depresbítero Soledad is an expert public relations in Personal Branding
By loneliness depresbítero
