AD AGE OP-ED: Personal branding in the AI age—how to elevate your ad career

Written by Jack Westerkamp
Featured on Ad Age on 9.23.2024
Link to the Ad Age Article: Here

3 ways to communicate your superpowers and control how others see you 

I recently made a total career shift and rebrand, going from finance and consulting to co-founding a media company for the advertising and marketing industries.

This shift has allowed me to be my authentic self, which includes spending more time doing what I love doing: writing. So, the idea of personal branding and authenticity has never been more top of mind.

With AI on the rise, office hours declining and highly talented professionals competing for jobs, promotions and clients, it’s never been more vital to your personal and career development to establish your brand and commit to being yourself.

Let me say before going further: What you should not do is work tirelessly to brand yourself as something that you’re not. The old saying, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken,” could now be updated to “Be yourself; AI is already able to be everybody else.”

The AI productivity boom provides a beautiful opportunity for people to double down and commit to showcasing their unique selves in every step of their careers. Whether you are a college student looking for a job, a seasoned professional looking to get promoted or an industry legend trying to land new business, what is the differentiating factor between you and the competition?

As simple as it sounds, the answer is you.

Most successful people can communicate their authenticity, their work, their reputation and their brand. Some people mistake this for being self-absorbed and egotistical. Well, my world revolves around me. So, why not be the superhero of my own life? Once you make that mental shift, you are finally able to communicate your superpowers. Here are three principles that can help:

Let others know who you are

This is a big step and easier said than done. It is not easy to put yourself out in the world. For most people, it is not easy for them to talk about their own successes or document their life. But I promise you that you will see only benefits from talking to the world and communicating your personal brand. Plus, you don’t have to do it in a way that focuses on engagement, likes, views, etc. For your personal brand, it is not about the volume of reach, but the quality of that reach.

Leverage your communication channels

This does not have to mean you have to be one of the thousands of “thought leaders” on Linkedin. Honestly, I think the more you communicate things about you that are unrelated to your direct work, the better. It means talking about the things you like talking about and doing it in a thoughtful and creative way. It is that simple. And if you like talking about your work—then great! Talk about it. You’re being yourself. Never stop gut-checking yourself to ensure you are being authentic.

You just need to leverage the communication channels that are already at your disposal. In an extremely simple example, I love going to coffee shops. I talk about it all the time, I post on Linkedin about it, I blog about it and I truly love it. And now at least people recognize and associate me with something unique. I’d love to be associated with something maybe a little more glorifying—such as dunking a basketball or being rich—but that is not who I am.

It’s a simple process flow. I like coffee shops, I talk about coffee shops, I am a coffee shop person. You create an identity for yourself that is much easier to latch onto, rather than whatever your job title is, which by the way, thousands of other people also have.

Be authentic

If you are thinking, “But I’m an introvert and am not comfortable talking about myself,” then share that with others. I would rather work with someone who is authentic and can admit they are not comfortable in social situations than know absolutely nothing about them.

And you can communicate being introverted without making a desperate attempt to go viral online. Put it in your profile bios. Add it to your website. Talk about it with coworkers, talk about it with recruiters, talk about it with clients. Now you’re getting somewhere!

Perhaps this is all quite obvious. Of course it’s important to communicate your brand, but the reality is that someone might be a little bit more inspired to act after reading this.

And that is the true fuel that spurs the engine of personal branding. You need to feel the inspiration and motivation to continue to put yourself out there even when it feels uncomfortable. I would challenge anyone to really think about what is the worst that could happen from communicating who you are, what you like doing and what you are up to?

Because if you do it in an authentic way, you could never go wrong. And this is all coming from the coffee shop guy, so trust me here.