Have you ever heard of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)?

As a kid, I was a huuuuuge fan. And being the youngest brother of two, we would wrestle during commercials. Sadly, I would be the one catching my brother's finishers.

While I have forgotten many details from those nights, I haven't forgotten the wrestlers.

Hulk Hogan

Undertaker

Vince McMahon

John Cena

Randy Orton

The list goes on and on. But one thing I don't remember a lot of is who the WWE is. What I mean by that is I don't remember their slogan, values, or even if it was the WWE or WWF when I watched.

The weird thing is: most companies focus on those things I forgot. 

We freak out about getting the slogan right, making the logo big enough, and ensuring everyone know what we care about. Yet, we fail to realize that most of these activities will not build a lasting company.

Instead, you need personalities. You need a person (or people/avatars) that your audience can feel a connection with. For example, no one grew affinity toward WWE. Instead, they developed an affinity toward one or more of their wrestlers.

And in the end, their underlying affinity toward WWE increased. But if WWE had no personalities, they would struggle to achieve that same level of affinity.

It's a paradox: You increase your company's clout (popularity) by building separate identities apart from the company. To increase your brand's connection with your audience, focus on building a personal connection with them through the company's personality (a founder/CEO is the typical example).

If it worked for a bunch of sweaty dudes in tights grabbing each other, I think it will work for you.

Are you spending enough time building out personalities within your company? 

Or are you putting all of your energy and time into building a faceless company page?

🧠 // JO