I recently received an e-mail from an Instagram "influencer", asking for a watch. Rather than actually pay for said watch, this individual offered to gladly "feature it on Instagram with honest photos, a genuine review and full credit to my brand". This made me wonder, about lots of things. What are "honest" photos? Are my photos somehow dishonest? Since I am not a professional photographer, I would think that my photos are about as honest as can be. A "genuine" review? Is this person a watchmaker? And finally, "full credit to my brand", to which I offer the following:
I
have no "brand". There is no "brand". There is only ME, an actual
person. I order the material, I do the work (all of it), I sweep
the floors, I answer the mail, I maintain and repair the machinery and
tools, etc. I am the one responsible for the final product and I am the
one to whom the customer directly speaks. There is no "team" here to
spread blame amongst or "share a mission statement" with.
To me,
it seems that a "personal brand" is analogous to what we used to call
one's reputation. The difference though, is that a reputation is earned, whereas
a brand can, using lots of jargon and BS, simply be created. I've
never suffered well any type of marketing/corporate jargon, so I have no
need of a contrived "brand" to speak for me, as the quality of my work
will hopefully serve that function. I would much rather deal with a
clientele that is able to discern quality and craftsmanship than one
that is only capable of recognizing a "brand identity" (an identity that
may, or may not, be created from whole cloth). Additionally, any jargon about a
brand's "values aligning with those of their customers'" is no more than
feel-good lingo, designed to attract and retain customers.
Beyond my belief that the client should be happy with the work and hopefully, the price, my personal "values" and "beliefs" are exactly that: personal, not something in which any existing or potential client is likely interested. I prefer customers who want quality work, are willing to pay fairly for it and who, understanding the time limitations of a one-man operation, are willing to wait for said work. Having clients who appreciate the unusual would also be nice and, thankfully, I do have a few of those.
That last point reveals yet
another downside to branding: that of a particular style, feature or
design becoming synonymous with a particular brand. This can be a
negative because, when the "brand" does something that is outside of
their norm, it is sometimes not well-received among the brand's
devotees. My work is of a largely creative nature and I loathe the idea
of ever duplicating anything (everything I make being a one-off), so
having a "brand style" would place restrictions upon my work that I'm
not willing to accept.
Maybe one day I will come around and hire a
firm to create my brand, complete with a market-analyzed, focus
group-approved, manufactured history, along with shared values and core
beliefs, and a cool logo to go with it. I'll even have them throw in a
big helping of authenticity for good measure because a brand can't have
too much of that, plus, creating authenticity in a brand seems to be
about as easily done as creating self-esteem in school students, so why
not? I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that though.
Now, on to that "genuine"review:
The only reviews that concern me are those of the the individual client who commissioned the watch and the constructive criticism of those who know, and can do, more than I do (of which there are many). I have zero interest in the opinions of "influencers" whose knowledge of the subject matter (that they supposedly have "influence" over) is questionable at best.
Here is all anyone need know about my watches:
Each watch is a unique, totally handmade creation created with input from the client. I allow the client as much, or as little, input into the design as they wish because it is, after all is said and done, their watch. I make each watch to the highest level of quality of which I am capable, because I believe that the client deserves to get the work for which they are paying. I will never duplicate any watch because that would dilute the "uniqueness" of the client's watch. Lastly, I stand behind my work, period.
At the risk of sounding like a "fossil", I remember life before the internet and "personal branding". I also remember something something called shame, which the internet seems to have almost eradicated. To ask an individual to simply hand over a year's worth of their work, for the asking, is nothing short of shameful.
That is all.
