Personal Values, Social Norms

As professionals such as Kinman demonstrate, the term marketing should no longer be considered taboo, regardless of your industry, even in the world of medicine. Physicians who take time to help their patients, show them care and concern, and connect with them are the ones people want to visit-they are the ones with thriving practices and the ones that receive the most referrals. And while taking a lot of time with patients isn’t always feasible, it speaks volumes about the brand of the person and the healthcare organization.

Ultimately, the most important brand developed by any person is the brand called You. Whether you have to promote yourself to win clients or get a job, customers will make choices about you based on your personal brand. What makes some rock and roll stars more successful than others often stems from what they are like as people and how that translates into their brands. The musicians featured in this article offer lessons on how to handle controversy, how your personal brand connects to the brand of your professional practice, how personal values can affect people’s perceptions of your brand, and how you will most likely be your own best marketer. In addition, the CEOs described in this article such as David Neeleman (JetBlue), Leslie Wexner (Limited Brands), and Betsy Holden (Kraft) provide lessons on how personal brands intertwine with their professional or corporate brands.

The Influence of Brands on Society Music not only reflects societal values; it can significantly influence the values of individuals. Unlike animals, whose behavior is more instinctive, humans are not born with norms of behavior. Instead, they learn through imitation or by observing the process of reward and punishment in a society whose members adhere to or deviate from the group’s norms. When highly rewarded rock stars-or sports heroes and politicians, for that matter-adhere to or deviate from social norms in dress, food and beverage preferences, and social behavior, millions of fans learn what is rewarded and follow suit. The key to creating a cool brand is often to associate it with the people and behavior admired by the market segment to which the brand is targeted.