We argue that Shan Atci has managed

We argue that Shan Atci has managed very well with this step and the way he looks, dress, talks, and the things that he talks about and so on all send the same message: Suburb! He acts and behaves in the same way every time that he enters stage, which contributes to create a strong relationship to his target audience. Another thing that shows his consistency in the messages that he sends is that he only works for/with companies and organizations that stands for the same values that he does. We believe that this shows that he is aware of his personal brand and what messages that he communicates.

We think that Dan Lexö sees himself a lot through his job as a chef. On all pictures that we have found of him, he looks like a very happy and professional chef and that he has orderliness around him. Also on Team Lexö’s webpage and in different medias that we have looked at, we get the same impression. All messages that he sends communicates the same things; happiness, professionalism and orderliness.

David Lega has recently gone through a change in his personal brand. A few years ago, he was known as David-the disabled swimmer (or just the swimmer). Now, he wants to be known as David-the lecturer both nationally and also internationally in the future. He has worked hard in order to make this happen. When he gives lectures, he tries to not present himself as a former swimmer and he has removed most of those pictures from his website. Despite this change, he has managed to keep his most well-known hallmarks – his positive attitude and happy spirit. We argue that all his actions shows that he is very aware of what messages that he sends and how they can affect the picture that other people have of him.

We believe that Gustav Fridolin is consistent in the messages he communicates. He stands for his values and beliefs and the way he looks and dresses supports the picture of him as a young and tough politician.

We argue that four out of five interview participants fulfil the requirements to have a strong personal brand since they are all well-known, have relevant personal brands and are consistent to what they do and what messages that this communicates. To be able to sustain those strong brands, Maria Wetterstrand and Shan Atci needs to find more channels to communicate through since how strong their brands are depends upon other people and organisations. The Green Party might not be in the parliament next selection, and Stockholm Live will be shut down by the Swedish Television in 2006. Dan Lexö and David Lega communicate their messages through their own organisations and thus have the opportunity to decide what to do with their strong brands. No one but them decides how their organisations and their personal brands will develop. We believe that David Lega and Dan Lexö have stronger personal brands than Maria Wetterstrand and Shan Atci since they right now have more possibilities to sustain them and to change them in the future. Gustav Fridolin on the other hand cannot be said to have a strong personal brand – yet. We believe that he is consistent in those messages that he communicates. However, his personal brand is only relevant to some people and he is not very well-known to general public. He does not have any goals with his personal brand or a clear strategy for how he wants his personal brand to develop in the future. If he improves those parts, he has the ability to develop a strong personal brand.


4.4 Reflections of the Use of Personal Brands

All books and articles that we have found about personal branding are very positive to this new concept of personal branding. We argue that depending on what job you have and what you want to achieve in your life, a strong personal brand can be very helpful. It can help you to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd and you can actually make money on your name. O’Brien (2005) talks about the advantages focus, goodwill and superstar status. We think that the name ‘superstar status’ feels a bit to ‘big’ for what he actually means by it (his definition). According to his definition of superstar status we believe that David Lega can be said to have this since he has a great ability to inspire people. We think that he has the ability to change someone else’s life by just being himself. His superstar status has a great opportunity to develop further since he is going international now.

We further believe that all our interview participants can use the two other concepts that O’Brien talks about; focus and goodwill. Our interview participants are aware of that everything that they do influence other people (focus) and if needed they can use the goodwill that they have received from their strong personal brands.

Werner Runebjörk (cited in Sternudd, retrieved 2006-01-08) argues that all people can use their personal brands when they apply for a job or negotiate about their salary. However, we believe that not everyone needs personal branding in the same extent. We think that all people can use some parts of the research model; for example think about who they are and what they stand for, but that everyone cannot use this to get a better job or to become well-known. How you use your personal brand depends on what goals that you have in life and what you want to accomplish.