I'm a web strategist and aspiring know-it-all with a passion for all things digital. I've worked in PR, advertising and not-for profit industries, and now I run a creative agency. These are the things I think about, and am sometimes compelled to write. More...

Who owns your brand?

Even if you don’t buy into the whole “you can’t control your brand” mantra and insist that it is you and you alone who creates what your brand means, you can’t argue with this quote from Chris Anderson at ad:tech last week:

“Your brand isn’t what you say it is. It’s what Google says it is.”

This doesn’t just go for businesses, either. Your personal brand is pretty transparent these days, with Facebook, Friendster, Myspace, blogs, and so on. Yet another reason to turn your marketing efforts (for business or self) to creating quality content. Well-written blog entries, white papers, manifestos, portfolios all add to the sum total of what Google is showing the world about you.

In the long term, banner ads are seen, remembered and clicked by almost no one. Great content is archived forever.

[via Adrants]

  • http://www.career-file.com Stephanie Evers

    Well said! Without quality and consistent content, your chances of survival on Google are slim to none.

  • http://www.ryananderson.ca Ryan

    That, and if your product doesn’t match up to what you say about it, the truth will come out above your message every time.