In the past weeks you could not turn on the television, computer or radio without hearing about the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Some people were glued to every detail while others were turned-off by the whole deluge of information.  Whichever side you came down on, you have to admit it was an incredibly successful event.  It produced all the grandeur and spectical one would expect from a royal wedding, yet somehow it also felt real and personal.  That my friends is a great example of successful branding!

Ok, so it can be kind of crude to liken a wedding, one of the most significant days in a person's life, to personal branding.  You'll have to excuse me for the comparison (I guess it's the performer in me), but after all, when you get down to it, a wedding is a performance and performances are all about expression.  Of course, the main expression is the love and devotion the bride and groom have for each other, but many other things are expressed as well.  The dress the bride chooses, the flowers, the music, even the entree choices are all a reflection of the tastes and preferences of the happy couple and their families. 

Wedding guests take notice of these details and make comments about how beautiful the bride was or how tasty the food was.  However, when a couple manages to really personalize their ceremony with unique and thoughtful details, guests leave with a more memorable experience.  They get a deeper sense of who the couple is, what they care about and also how the couple feels about them.  Isn't that what we want our brands to do for us, to differentiate us in the mind of our audience?  We want them to leave our presence feeling a deeper connection to us, feeling like we've paid attention to the details and that we are authentic in the expression of the things that matter most in our lives.

So here's lifting a glass to Will & Kate. And here's to you creating your own spectacular, personal performance.