Is Your Professional Brand as Strong as Starbucks

Is Your Professional Brand as Strong as Starbucks Starbucks just unveiled their new logo featuring their well-known green siren but with one dramatic change the words Starbucks Coffee have been dropped from the logo.At first I thought, What the heck? Why would a company drop their name from their logo? How is that a sound marketing strategy?But then I thought about it. Maybe its an act of shear brilliance. Maybe its Starbucks way of saying, Hey, we are Starbucks and everyone knows it. Maybe its their way of keeping pace with our fast paced world where less is sometimes more.Strong brands dont need their name attached to their logos. Everyone recognizes the Nike swoosh, the McDonalds arches, and Apples apple. Maybe the worlds strongest brands dont need a name next to their logo because its redundant. And who has time for redundant?I think the same can be said for people with strong brands. Oprah certainly doesnt need a name badge and Lady Gaga probably doesnt either.In both the cases of well-branded products and people, the name has almost become irrelevant because the brand emotions and attributes have become more powerful.Can you imagine a professional life where you are so well-branded, so unique in what you do that you are immediately recognizable for what you represent and your name is just a mere appendage? Maybe its not a pipe dream.Take some time this year to think about your professional brand and unique value proposition. Strip away the irrelevant, redundant, and outdated information. Be bold and take risks conveying who you are and what your market differentiator is. You may just find that your newly pruned image is a much stronger brand than you thought.