Over the years, I have relentlessly laid out the business case for personal branding. It is the only sustainable competitive advantage any of us have in the long term.
Today I am going to take this argument a step further. I can make an effective business case for personal branding in one picture. And it is going to scare the crap out of you.
Here is the picture:
Yes, this is a scary-looking fish. But that’s not the scariest part.
This fish was created through an AI image creation program called DALL-E. My friend Jon Briggs of Food Fight Studios simply typed in the words on the right, and this was the image DALL-E created in less than 10 seconds. It can now be owned by Jon, license-free, and used as he pleases.
Jon is using DALL-E to create backgrounds for his animation projects that look like this, simply by typing in words that describe his needs:
The implication is that he is creating stunning art in mere moments without the use of an experienced graphic designer. With this development in artificial intelligence, the career path of many graphic designers is imperiled and probably dead.
And if you are content creator, THAT is the scary part.
Another photograph
Here is another picture with an entirely different story.
This is a watercolor painting that I created:
It’s likely that DALL-E could easily create something this good or better in moments. It took me many hours of work.
However, I know people would actually BUY this piece of content from me because my brand has meaning to them. Many people who read my blog and books, listen to my podcast, or belong to my RISE community would enjoy owning a painting like this because they have an emotional attachment to me. I mean something. DALL-E doesn’t.
My point is, the business case for personal branding is that this is the ONLY thing that can save us and keep us relevant in a content world about to be dominated by Artificial Intelligence.
The time is now.
I used this graphic example because it was an easy way, a visual way, to see the problem.
This AI encroachment is happening in every category — writing, video, even podcasting. The AI technology has been there for a while. I’ve been writing about it for at least five years. But I think people are finally OK with the idea that jobs will be lost and careers will be over, and it’s time to unleash the tech. The dam has broken open. We can’t ignore what is happening.
The personal brand is now everything, our only hope of transcending the AI trend and remaining relevant.
I have been passionate about this idea for a long time. If you have a sense of urgency to get moving on this now, here are free and low-cost resources that can help:
I have written extensively about personal branding priorities and strategies for a decade. The portfolio of my blog posts on this subject is here.
I’ve written the all-time bestselling book on personal branding. After two years of research and writing, I identified the common pattern and path to becoming known in your field. A link to my book KNOWN and the accompanying workbook. The reviews look like this >
Finally, I teach a Personal Branding Master Class. This consists of six 90-minute workshop sessions plus two 1:1 sessions with me. The class size is limited to just 10 participants. By the end of this three-week experience, you will have a comprehensive personal branding plan in place. Learn more here.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, creator, or even a person happily employed at a company, working on your personal brand is an investment in your career and future relevance.
By the way, the illustration at the top of this post was my first-ever AI-generated image, using a software program called Midjourney. I asked it to imagine what an AI monster might look like. It generated these options in about 10 seconds, and I picked one for the “cover” image today. An AI assist — a first for this blog!
Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of some of the world’s bestselling digital marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant. The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak to your company event or conference soon.
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