A few months ago, I thought about buying some Pitt gear considering that my daughter’s boyfriend was a Pitt grad and working with the Pitt football team. Nope, couldn’t do it I said back then. I wouldn’t be staying true to my Penn State brand. Well, I reversed course, for a good reason.
I had my Pitt hoodie and bourbon glass when I visited my daughter recently for Thanksgiving. I did it to send a message of support and acceptance to someone who’s meaningful to my daughter. It doesn’t mean that I now like Pitt (I don’t…LOL) but it does mean that my brand needs to be adaptable.
A corporate brand and a personal brand can’t be inflexible, rigid, unmalleable. Brand positions for both need to stay true to a core but also be able to flex over the course of time to adapt to shifting customer demand and preferences.