Lately I keep coming across what I might describe as «branded personalities». The first two were purely fictional: James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. As you might have heard, the shooting of the next Bond movie, SkyFall, began last week – 50 years to the day after Sean Connery first donned the famous secret agent's tuxedo.
Also last week, a new Sherlock Holmes novel called The House of Silk – written by Anthony Horowitz with the permission of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's relatives – appeared on bookshelves. Holmes and Bond are two of the most durable literary heroes of all time. I believe it's because they have very clear brand identities: Bond has his tux and his gun; Holmes his pipe and his hat. They move in familiar environments: glamorous world cities or foggy Victorian London. They are easy to like and adopt.
This strategy can be replicated in real life. Karl Lagerfeld was also in the news last week, launching his eponymous fashion brand. With his silver ponytail, his dark glasses, his high collars, his black suits and his ring-festooned gloves, Lagerfeld is as branded as Bond and Holmes. He has become an icon. Perhaps now we're all competing for attention on social networks, we'll adopt a similar policy. When people talk about finding themselves, maybe they really mean establishing their brand. Maybe it's time to go out and buy a pipe.
