Does Your Brand Have a Personality?

On this snowy afternoon, it's nice to know I have nowhere to go. All of my meetings, events, etc., have been canceled or postponed. Maybe I'll actually finish up some things that need to be done or even watch the Olympics. Meanwhile, let me tell you about a wonderful marketing book.

I've been reading *Personality not included  *Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity--And How Great Brands Get It Back by Rohit Bhargava, social media guru and SVP of Digital Strategy and a founding member of the 360 Digital Influence group at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Rohit explains, "Personality is the unique, authentic, and talkable soul of your brand that people can get passionate about." The best part of the book is that Rohit practices what he preaches -- his personality shines through the book making it fun to read.

The book is divided into two parts: part one describes how to develop a personality (with lots of real world examples), while part two is a resource guide  with techniques, guides, and tools to help you make it happen. Each chapter in part one ends with "The Sellevator Pitch" -- a one sentence summary of the chapter. And then, at the beginning of Part Two, he recaps Part One in fewer than 60 words. Why? Because he gives you the option of reading the book anyway you want -- you don't have to start with Part One, Chapter One. Let me share Rohit's "lightning-fast recap" of Personality Not Included (PNI):

Chapter 1 -- Faceless used to work because big meant credible. This is no longer true.
Chapter 2 -- Accidental spokespeople are speaking for your brand. Embrace them.
Chapter 3 -- Uniqueness plus Authenticity plus Talkability equals personality. Use the UAT Filter.
Chapter 4 -- Backstories establish a foundation of credibility. You need one.
Chapter 5 -- Fear of change leads to barriers. Finding your authority overcomes them.
Chapter 6 -- Personality moments are everywhere and unexpected, but you must spot them.

 To learn more about PNI and Rohit, visit www.personalitynotincluded.com. And once you get the book, be sure to look near the bottom of the copyright page for information on finding the secret, alternate introduction. I know about it because I had the privilege of meeting and hearing Rohit in person, which is why I bought the book. So I have a little chicken sticker pointing it out -- and an autographed book.