What the Smith’s Teach Us about being a Powerful Personal Brand

The Fresh Prince Enters the YouTube Realm

Picture this: New Year’s Day, 2018. I’m all fuelled up on New Year’s resolutions and find myself scrolling through YouTube. And there it is—a brand-new channel from none other than Will Smith.

My gut reaction? “Wait, why’s the Fresh Prince waltzing into my digital neighbourhood? Is he going to nab all my potential followers?” Okay, before you judge my brief moment of inflated self-importance, let’s be real—none of us are flawless.

The Viral Phenomenon: Why Brand Matters

Logging onto YouTube was among the first actions of my day, and Will’s channel had already clocked, let’s say, 100K+ subscribers? That’s probably even a conservative guess.

Now, I’ve got mad love for Will Smith, but when I saw he’d dropped a video that echoed a topic I’d been scheming on, the green-eyed monster peeked out just a tad.

Predictably, Will’s video exploded across social media like wildfire. My version? It garnered about as much attention as a whisper in a hurricane. But listen, I’m not stewing in bitterness; it’s more of an enlightenment moment. The takeaway?A powerful personal brand is like a magnet; it can attract immense support almost instantly.

Now let’s throw Jada Pinkett Smith into the mix. Oh, Jada, my secret girl-crush since the ‘A Different World’ days, was also jumping on the Facebook Watch bandwagon. This time, though, I was all cheers and no jeers.

Learning from the Love-Hate Spectrum

Why? Because the Smiths’ content, like their lives, is a brilliant tapestry of complexities that many of us can relate to. It’s authentic, impactful, and magnifies their brand. Sure, the Smith family has had their share of public messiness, and opinions about them oscillate between love and disdain.

But guess what?

That’s what makes them incredibly captivating. Their content mirrors their real lives, messy bits and all, sparking conversations that cross the love-hate spectrum. It’s a captivating pull that keeps people coming back for more.

The Golden Nugget: Authenticity in Your Personal Brand

So here’s the golden nugget for every brand: share your story, and don’t shy away from video. Audiences crave authenticity, both the polished and the imperfect. Before they try your product or hire your services, they want to KNOW you.

So, create compelling, authentic content that speaks to the complexities of human experience. If you can strike that chord, you won’t just exist in this dizzying digital space—you’ll own it.

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