You are asking me whether I want to be a global brand and I am seriously confused. Do I want to be a brand at all, doesn’t matter national or global? Do I want to stop being a person and become a product, company or service? To become a symbol or idea, but not a human anymore? Parents always ask their children: «What you want to be when you’ll grow up?». At different stages of my life, I answered: «an astronaut, a firefighter, a singer, an actor, a journalist». I wanted to be a good one, no matter in what profession. And I still do. But the answer to that question now will rather be the same Forrest Gump gave once.
I still don’t understand your question clearly. From a point of view of a guy with a degree in economics and experience in advertising building a brand means acting according to the market laws. Design an image, invest, promote, lie, sell, increase revenue, grow. Repeat in a circle. It is not enough just doing your work perfectly or making a good product to becoming successful in this economic model. It’s not enough being yourself and an excellent professional to become a brand-person. A brand and a person will always be separated. President of the United States and Barack Obama are different personalities. Rihanna and Robyn Rihanna Fenty are different too. And I still remember good that piercingly sad documentary «Amy». I wanted to be an actor, but not an actor performing another version of itself all life long. So, if looking from this perspective, my answer is going to be «No, I don’t want to become a brand». At least, forcibly. If it will happen naturally – so, c’est la vie». Pretty sure, I’m already a brand for different people around me. A collection of brands, if it’s possible to consider the word «brand» as a synonym of «perception». And what about a supergoal, big idea, world changes and a bright future? The question is not about it, right?
However, you are probably asking me not as much about a brand, as about myself in a global space. Ok, this is closer. I want to be myself, I want to be a brilliant professional and I want to be imprisoned by any type of borders. Thank god of technologies, economic development and especially thanks to Mark Zuckerberg, it is very easy to be a global citizen nowadays. It requires not more than a curiosity now. Even poverty and political regimes can’t resist a personal globalization anymore. Iranians, closed by borders of dictatorship and censorship, live, behave and think globally. Pakistanis and Indians, living in the poorest areas of their countries live poor, but globally. Tap the screen of your smartphone – and you are Marco Polo. Log in your Facebook account – you are an ambassador. Add some knowledge of English – you are almost an astronaut. Now, how global you are, depends only on what websites you have in your bookmarks.
Therefore, my answer to your question will be «No» again. I don’t want to be global. I already am. And i think, there is no necessity of being global for each of us. There is just a need of something global being in us.
Be local. Think global.
Leanid Pashkouski
Dear Leo, I agree with your main point that being yourself is key being as a global too. I think if you are honest with your audience you will more achieve than marketing yourself. My opinion you are on right side of the way to being global!