Hello My Name Is…Anonymous?

Hello My Name Is…Anonymous?

Not anymore—Remember when you could meander through a city and be completely anonymous? This is no longer the case…Technology continues to connect people blurring the lines between the physical and virtual worlds. In fact, The Astonishing Tribe software company is building an Augmented ID, which leverages facial recognition technology to allow you to identify others and share your personal brand. On Tuesday, October 19th on CNBC, Maria Bartiromo’s show, Innovation of Business, eluded a few trends that we have been converging and brewing over the last few years.  As people leverage more and more communication tools through the web and mobile devices, they are developing their virtual personalities, or their personal brands, that straddle their private and professional lives.

Personal branding is not a new concept… our behaviors and appearance physically also convey this idea of a personal brand or identity. Individuals used able to easily compartmentalize their work community and their private lives. The main change is those lines are no longer well defined… Thus, identity cultivation is only important to you as an individual but also to your company. People used to identify themselves with their company and the company brand was the voice and identity of an individual. However, the influence marketing power has shifted.

The democratization of branding through the web and mobile has enabled the employees and individuals to tweet, blog, and voice their opinions whether creating competitive advantage (or at least trying to) on behalf of companies or as individuals. However, because the transparency and visibility of these mediums, there is a gray line as to how you want each community to perceive you, your personal brand, and professional brand. Companies are no longer the overarching voice but rather its people have humanized the idea of a “brand”.

Because companies have less control with its people out there on their virtual soapboxes, it is even more important to have companies committed to its content marketing strategy, which should be tied closely with its mission, vision, and values. Otherwise, that blurry line can misrepresent both the individual and the company. Now that individuals are being a shared advertising billboard between their own personal and professional identities, it is important to think through what poster child you are going to be…Enough said on this for today…