At a rather fabulous riverside party this weekend, I fell into conversation with a former luxury goods brand manager and ended up debating the issue of brand integrity. It’s fascinating to look at how brands in the luxury market tread the very fine line of mass marketing without debasing the brand – and even more fascinating to look at the ones that don’t manage to maintain that delicate balance. Luxury goods companies are in the business of creating allure and desirability, so once they spread themselves too thin, they begin to implode by destroying that very cachet that sells the products in the first place. It’s an integrity issue at heart – if you don’t adhere to your own core values, you’ll ultimately end up destroying yourself. That goes as much for people as for businesses.
We talked about one company in particular that had risen like a phoenix from the ashes of its stuffy, old-fashioned reputation to enjoy a shining moment of Cool Britannia before becoming its own antithesis as the knockoff brand of choice for Chav culture. As my fellow party-goer pointed out, that occurred not as one of the inevitable vagaries of the fashion world, but because the brand themselves had opened the door to their own undoing, by introducing low-rent products which were then easily copied. Had they kept to their core values, the misfortune of becoming a market-stall stable probably wouldn’t have befallen them.
In essence, personal confidence is just like good luxury brand management. You want to create a certain kind of allure that marks you out as unique and valuable. To do that, you need to have a clear set of values that you adhere to, so that you know when you’re stepping out of integrity with yourself. You want to build a discerning clientele who appreciate your worth and your exclusivity. You can go all out for mass market appeal, but it’s ultimately unachievable – given that you can’t please everybody – and is probably likely to cause you to spread yourself too thin. Great brands have a clearly defined identity and, when managed well, can expand without ever losing that core sense of self.
This approach, of viewing yourself as a brand, can help you to give you the sense of detachment you need to take a dispassionate view of your life. Sometimes we’re too caught up in the minutiae of day-to-day life to keep track of where we’re headed in the long term, so it’s helpful to take a little time out to pay attention to what’s really important.
A good brand knows what it stands for and can encapsulate that in a few words. If you had to name your deepest core values, could you do that easily? If not, take a few minutes to write down at least three for each major area of your life, for example career, friendships, family. Then take a look at how well your work or relationships fit with the values you hold most dear. Are you out of integrity with who you want to be? If you are, what changes do you need to make?
In terms of confidence, if you were a luxury brand, what kind of qualities would you consider that you embody? What innate talents or qualities draw people to you? When you’re clear on what you have to offer, it’s easier to define your strengths and play to them. It’s also easier to spot what’s a good fit for you – and more crucially, what’s not. Honouring your own worth and staying in integrity with your own values is what teaches people what esteem to hold you in and how to treat you. If you’re not clear about who you are and what is acceptable to you, you open the door to destructive outer forces.
This week, think of yourself as a luxury brand and only make choices that support your core values and honour your worth – that goes as much for the work you do as the people you invite into your life. Take a fresh look at how well you’re expressing the truth of who you are and what you want to create for yourself. Luxury brands are prized because those who sell them believe in their intrinsic value and are comfortable persuading others of that. Do a little marketing magic on yourself – embrace your inner allure and don’t be shy about being your fabulous self.
We talked about one company in particular that had risen like a phoenix from the ashes of its stuffy, old-fashioned reputation to enjoy a shining moment of Cool Britannia before becoming its own antithesis as the knockoff brand of choice for Chav culture. As my fellow party-goer pointed out, that occurred not as one of the inevitable vagaries of the fashion world, but because the brand themselves had opened the door to their own undoing, by introducing low-rent products which were then easily copied. Had they kept to their core values, the misfortune of becoming a market-stall stable probably wouldn’t have befallen them.
In essence, personal confidence is just like good luxury brand management. You want to create a certain kind of allure that marks you out as unique and valuable. To do that, you need to have a clear set of values that you adhere to, so that you know when you’re stepping out of integrity with yourself. You want to build a discerning clientele who appreciate your worth and your exclusivity. You can go all out for mass market appeal, but it’s ultimately unachievable – given that you can’t please everybody – and is probably likely to cause you to spread yourself too thin. Great brands have a clearly defined identity and, when managed well, can expand without ever losing that core sense of self.
This approach, of viewing yourself as a brand, can help you to give you the sense of detachment you need to take a dispassionate view of your life. Sometimes we’re too caught up in the minutiae of day-to-day life to keep track of where we’re headed in the long term, so it’s helpful to take a little time out to pay attention to what’s really important.
A good brand knows what it stands for and can encapsulate that in a few words. If you had to name your deepest core values, could you do that easily? If not, take a few minutes to write down at least three for each major area of your life, for example career, friendships, family. Then take a look at how well your work or relationships fit with the values you hold most dear. Are you out of integrity with who you want to be? If you are, what changes do you need to make?
In terms of confidence, if you were a luxury brand, what kind of qualities would you consider that you embody? What innate talents or qualities draw people to you? When you’re clear on what you have to offer, it’s easier to define your strengths and play to them. It’s also easier to spot what’s a good fit for you – and more crucially, what’s not. Honouring your own worth and staying in integrity with your own values is what teaches people what esteem to hold you in and how to treat you. If you’re not clear about who you are and what is acceptable to you, you open the door to destructive outer forces.
This week, think of yourself as a luxury brand and only make choices that support your core values and honour your worth – that goes as much for the work you do as the people you invite into your life. Take a fresh look at how well you’re expressing the truth of who you are and what you want to create for yourself. Luxury brands are prized because those who sell them believe in their intrinsic value and are comfortable persuading others of that. Do a little marketing magic on yourself – embrace your inner allure and don’t be shy about being your fabulous self.
For the Coach Fabulous archives, go to www.coachfabulous.blogspot.com and for the I Am Fabulous archives, go to www.fabcentral.blogspot.com. You can email me at coachfabulous@iamfabulous.co.uk. All material ©2008 Alison Porter. No article may be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author. (Originally posted 26 May 08)
