Why personal branding is the world's oldest form of branding, long before any company had a logo. Lesson 3 of Personal Branding 101: An Unrivaled Series, from subchapter 1.3 of Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, narrated by Isaac Mashman. Free, with no sign-up.
Why personal branding is the world's oldest form of branding, long before any company had a logo.
Before there were logos, there were names. Before there were companies, there were people the whole town trusted. Welcome to Personal Branding 101. I'm Isaac Mashman, founder of Mashman Consulting Group and author of Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence.
This is lesson 3, The Oldest Form of Branding. Personal branding, by my estimation, is the world's oldest form of branding. Let me show you why. What is the first story in the Christian Theology? Adam and Eve.
Most religious texts are composed of recounts about people, and if all people have personal brands, that means we have been studying personal branding all along. Their sons, Cain and Abel. Then the lineage that brought about the tribes of Israel.
And this is not limited to one faith, it holds for many if not all of the world's religions. It's improbable that these people were all consciously thinking to themselves, what way can I grow my name? Regardless, their deeds and their place in the historical accounts have left them with legacies lasting thousands and thousands of years.
Some figures were driven by the idea of respect, but was Mahatma Gandhi sacrificing himself for vanity or for the greater good? Now bring it down to the street. In lesson 1, I mentioned that many last names came from professions. If you were a blacksmith, you became Smith.
If you baked bread, you became Baker. The public would know you for it. As the townsfolk talked, you can imagine what they said. “You need to talk to so-and-so baker.” “They have the best bread in town.”
It is not as if a bakery in the 1500s was referred to as a separate business, the professional's reputation is what drove sales, and in this case, it is what kept them from starving on the street. Personal branding came first, if it weren't for industrialization, the market would have never allowed for the creation of massive enterprises.
The company came later, the person was always there, and the person usually outlasts any one venture. So put it to work, give yourself a presence that is clearly yours, a page, a byline, a voice, your personal brand and your company should grow together without you being hidden behind it.
So here is your question, do you agree that personal branding is the oldest form of branding, and why? Every lesson in this series comes from my book, Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence. Next is lesson 4, New World Examples.
I'll see you there.
Each lesson takes one subchapter of Education, the Manifesto’s opening chapter, and animates it in a few minutes: the foundation the rest of the book, and the firm’s work, is built on.
In one word: you. What a personal brand is, how it differs from a company brand, where the term came from, and why it already exists before anyone sets out to build it.
Watch Lesson 1, 3:50Pharaohs, kings, and conquerors: people have carried personal brands for as long as there has been history, and the names that lasted are still studied today.
Watch Lesson 2, 2:59Why personal branding is the world's oldest form of branding, long before any company had a logo.
Watch Lesson 3, 3:08Leaders of the last 150 years, why personality can outweigh promises, a tattoo artist who put her village on the map, and a personal brand started on one phone.
Watch Lesson 4, 3:06Fame is the result of accumulated attention: what it is, how relative it is, and why on its own it is useless.
Watch Lesson 5, 3:06Influence is trust, and the ability to get someone to act or change the way they think: the heat in the fire that is a personal brand.
Watch Lesson 6, 3:13The four questions the firm asks its clients for clarity before the work begins, starting with why.
Watch Lesson 7, 3:33A six-level pyramid for the reach a personal brand can aspire to, and how to see where yours stands.
Watch Lesson 8, 5:13Before there were logos, there were names. Before there were companies, there were people the whole town trusted. Welcome to Personal Branding 101. I'm Isaac Mashman, founder of Mashman Consulting Group and author of Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence.
This is lesson 3, The Oldest Form of Branding. Personal branding, by my estimation, is the world's oldest form of branding. Let me show you why. What is the first story in the Christian Theology? Adam and Eve.
Most religious texts are composed of recounts about people, and if all people have personal brands, that means we have been studying personal branding all along. Their sons, Cain and Abel. Then the lineage that brought about the tribes of Israel.
And this is not limited to one faith, it holds for many if not all of the world's religions. It's improbable that these people were all consciously thinking to themselves, what way can I grow my name? Regardless, their deeds and their place in the historical accounts have left them with legacies lasting thousands and thousands of years.
Some figures were driven by the idea of respect, but was Mahatma Gandhi sacrificing himself for vanity or for the greater good? Now bring it down to the street. In lesson 1, I mentioned that many last names came from professions. If you were a blacksmith, you became Smith.
If you baked bread, you became Baker. The public would know you for it. As the townsfolk talked, you can imagine what they said. “You need to talk to so-and-so baker.” “They have the best bread in town.”
It is not as if a bakery in the 1500s was referred to as a separate business, the professional's reputation is what drove sales, and in this case, it is what kept them from starving on the street. Personal branding came first, if it weren't for industrialization, the market would have never allowed for the creation of massive enterprises.
The company came later, the person was always there, and the person usually outlasts any one venture. So put it to work, give yourself a presence that is clearly yours, a page, a byline, a voice, your personal brand and your company should grow together without you being hidden behind it.
So here is your question, do you agree that personal branding is the oldest form of branding, and why? Every lesson in this series comes from my book, Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence. Next is lesson 4, New World Examples.
I'll see you there.
Read further: What Is Personal Branding?, and Chapter 1 of the Manifesto (opens in a new tab).
The chapter the series is drawn from, word for word from the Second Edition.
Read Chapter 1 (opens in a new tab)The firm’s full answer, with the laws, the pillars, and the Hierarchy in one place.
Read the GuideSee where your own personal brand stands across the five pillars of Identity Positioning™.
Take the Brand AuditEngagements are accepted by application and seats are limited each quarter. Tell us who you are, what you are building, and the position you intend to hold.
Consultations are virtual or in person. See what each includes, and what is asked of you: Virtual or In Person.
