"Personal Branding" - Just Say No!

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The next person to mention “Personal Branding” to me stands an even chance of watching me batter my head against a wall till I pass out.
Seriously.
Do you know of any brands that are "Sincere"?
Better yet, think of the word "branding" - whats the first thing that comes to mind?  Odds are it had something to do with Snake Oil, Shills, and/or Insincerity.
In fact, the whole point of most branding exercises tends to be about getting you to do something that you don't really want/need/must do - think "paying for bottled water", or "eating at MickeyD's", or something equally horrific.
So why, why should your exercise in "Personal Branding" result in anything other than mockery, sarcasm, or my battering my head against the nearest wall till I pass out?

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