No PB jars were harmed during the writing of this essay. I did have to try a spoonful for educational purposes though. ::confounded_face_emoji::
Peanut Butter
The thickness, weird smell, saltiness in mouth, sticky to the palate, the long aftertaste, tiny peanut pieces sneaking in everywhere in my mouth, the flavor overtaking my mouth, making my bread more chewy... such an uncomfortable, icky feeling.😖
I get that same feeling when I hear the other PB&J: Personal Branding & Jargon.
Personal Branding
I too fell into that fad. The more I dove into brands and branding, the less it made sense to call a "personal brand". WTF. You're a product now?
I take that the ones on this field mean well —or at least the majority 🤞. However, the objectification of one-self brings me that same uncomfortable, icky feeling. You can't be a brand. You can own a brand (that may or may not have your name).
"A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or organization" [Marty Neumeier]
So, unless you're one of these three, all you can build is reputation, expertise or authority... I'll give you that you can even build a brand around a person BUT not a "personal brand".
A brand can be personified or given a personality. A person? You can't be brandified. You already have all those things (and please, don't be "authentic").
How can you build reputation, expertise or authority? Here's people that can help you out on that journey. They're so insightful.
David C. Baker |The Business Of Expertise
Jargon
We'll leave that one for the next time. :)