Why You’re Still Invisible (VidCon Personal Branding Talk)

Key Concepts

• Originality as rediscovering one's origin and story.
• The shift from the age of character to the age of personality.
• Attention as the new economy, and social media as the new resume.
• Contrarian branding: Don't chase new, don't chase better.
• The Dip: The period of difficulty and discouragement when pursuing a goal.
• Branding as remembering, not creating.
• Products focus on features, brands focus on meaning.
• Brand as a force multiplier.
• Different is better than better.
• Inversion thinking: Solving problems by considering the opposite approach.
• Authenticity gap: The difference between one's true self and their public persona.
• The power of vulnerability.
• Meaningful differentiation.
• Playing against type.

Standing Out in the World

The speaker emphasizes the importance of standing out by embracing one's originality. He argues that in today's world, it's crucial to be different to capture attention and build a successful personal brand.

• Originality: The root of "original" is "origin," representing one's unique story and beginning.
• Character vs. Personality: Society has shifted from valuing character to prioritizing personality and feelings.
• Attention Economy: Attention is the new economy, and social media serves as a resume.
  • Example: Event organizers prioritize speakers with a strong social media presence.
• Riches in the Reaches: Building a following and reach leads to brand sponsorships and better publishing deals.
  • Example: Hailey Bieber's company, Rhode, sold for a billion dollars due to her reach.
• Manufacturing Fame: Anyone can manufacture their own fame in the current era.

Contrarian Branding Ideas

The speaker presents two contrarian ideas to challenge conventional branding wisdom:

1. Don't Chase New

• Hollywood Examples:
  • The Fountain: A visually stunning but confusing film that flopped (52% Rotten Tomatoes, $16M gross on $35M budget).
  • Cloud Atlas: An ambitious but unwieldy film that relied on international markets (66% Rotten Tomatoes, $130M worldwide gross, $27M domestic).
  • Tom Cruise/Maverick: Tom Cruise's success lies in repeatedly delivering similar action-hero roles.
• The Dip (Seth Godin):
  • The "dip" is the period of difficulty and discouragement encountered when pursuing a new endeavor.
  • People often quit during the dip, leading to a cycle of starting new things without achieving mastery.
  • The dip is a natural barrier to competition; perseverance leads to breakthrough success.
• Shiny Object Syndrome: Avoid chasing the next new thing and instead focus on mastering a skill or idea.
• Originality as Self-Discovery: Originality is an internal quest to discover and embrace one's true self.
• Branding as Remembering: Branding is not about creating something new but about remembering and rediscovering one's unique identity.

2. Don't Chase Better

• Brand vs. Product:
  • Products focus on features, while brands focus on meaning and identity.
  • Examples: McDonald's, IKEA, Nike, Starbucks, Liquid Death, Perrier.
• Biology: The choices we make reflect our values, beliefs, and preferences.
• Brand as a Force Multiplier: A strong personal brand attracts clients and scales up efforts exponentially.
• The Brand with the Strongest Tribe Wins: Consumers cast votes with their attention and purchases, aligning with brands that reflect their values.
• Reese Witherspoon Case Study:
  • Leveraged her audience of 29 million and a book club of 2.5 million to create a production company (Hello Sunshine).
  • She acquired movie and TV rights from authors whose books were featured in her book club.
  • She used audience data to determine which TV shows to produce.
  • Sold her company for almost a billion dollars.
• Different is Better than Better (Sally Hogshead): Focus on being different rather than simply being better.
• 1% Difference (James Clear): Small improvements compounded over time can lead to significant results.
  • Improving by 1% daily results in a 37.8x increase over a year.
  • Declining by 1% daily results in a near-zero value over a year.

Standing Out: Practical Strategies

The speaker provides practical strategies for standing out and embracing one's unique identity:

• Inversion Thinking:
  • Instead of focusing on how to stand out, consider how to blend in.
  • The FBI and CIA use techniques to hide in plain sight.
  • Blending in involves wearing the uniform of the group, copying others, and avoiding strong opinions.
  • By understanding how to blend in, one can identify ways to differentiate themselves.
• Safe is Risky, Risky is Safe (Paul Arden): Challenge conventional norms and take calculated risks.
• Water Bottle Analogy:
  • The packaging of water (labels, stories) reflects the brand's identity.
  • A water bottle with no label is perceived as cheap and questionable.
  • Brands like Evian, Fiji, and Liquid Death use labels and stories to create a premium perception.
  • Individuals should consider themselves as the packaging for their "water" (their personal brand).
• Provenance: Emphasize the source of your story and your unique background.
• Storytelling:
  • A product or service without a story is a commodity.
  • Tell repeatable stories that are short, memorable, and encourage others to share them.
  • Use silly stories and mnemonic devices to enhance memorability.
• Meaningful Differentiation: Be different in a way that is intentional and beneficial.
• Audi Example:
  • Audi positioned itself as a brand for those who "never follow."
  • They emphasized attitude and driving experience over technical features.
• Be Atypical: Embrace being weird, strange, and goofy.
• Playing Against Type:
  • Identify the prototypical person in your space and do the opposite.
  • Create a "ban list" of things that everyone else is doing and avoid them.
  • Avoid becoming a "red shirt" (a generic, disposable character).
• Authenticity Gap:
  • Many people present a curated persona that differs from their true selves.
  • Carl Jung's concept of the ego regulating between the shadow self and the persona.
  • Embrace vulnerability and show your true self to build trust.
• Yin and Yang: Recognize that there is good in the bad and bad in the good.
  • Create a "too much" list of your perceived flaws and reframe them as advantages.
• Montana Tourism Example: Embraced the perception that there was "nothing here" as their marketing campaign.
• Southwest Airlines Example: Leaned into their cheap fares as their primary selling point.
• Mini Cooper Example: Turned their small size into a strength, emphasizing agility and fuel efficiency.

Conclusion

The speaker encourages listeners to embrace their individuality, challenge conventional norms, and focus on meaningful differentiation to build an authentic and successful personal brand. He emphasizes that life is short and that it's essential to pursue work that aligns with one's values and passions. The key takeaway is to be the "youest you" you can be, as this is the foundation for an authentic and impactful brand.