Paolo, you often say personal branding is dead, or that the market has killed it despite its importance. What do you mean by that?

Ah, yes—when I say personal branding is dead, or more accurately, that the market has killed it, I’m pushing back against what the concept of personal branding has become in today’s world. Let me explain.

Personal branding, at its core, should be about authenticity.  It’s about knowing who you are, what you stand for, and how you want to show up in the world. It’s the projection of your unique identity and values in a way that resonates with people, especially potential clients or collaborators. That kind of personal branding? That’s gold. It’s real, it’s powerful, and it sets you apart because it’s rooted in who you truly are.

But here’s the problem: the market has twisted personal branding into something fake, something formulaic. Today, personal branding has become this cookie-cutter exercise where everyone is told to follow the same strategies—polish your LinkedIn, craft the perfect elevator pitch, post inspirational quotes on social media, curate a persona that looks appealing to everyone. And what’s happened? It’s become superficial. It’s become about packaging yourself like a product rather than expressing your real, messy, human self.

The market has killed personal branding because it’s turned it into a game of optics. Everyone’s trying to look perfect, to be "on brand," and it’s creating a world of bland, inauthentic identities that don’t actually connect with people. Instead of standing out, you end up blending into this sea of polished personas that all feel the same. It’s lost its impact because it’s more about perception management than true self-expression.

When I say it’s dead, what I mean is the way people are using it today is dead. People are treating personal branding like it’s a checklist—logo, tagline, bio, social media presence—and they forget that branding is supposed to be alive. It’s supposed to evolve with you. But when you reduce it to this formula that everyone is following, you’re not creating a brand anymore—you’re just playing a role, and the market can see through that.

Think about how freelancers, especially Gen Y and Z, are pressured to build this "perfect" brand. They’re told to craft an image rather than focus on the work they do, the value they bring, and who they really are. They end up spending more time curating a public persona than they do on actually honing their skills, growing their expertise, or finding their unique voice in the market. The market has created this machine where personal branding is more about performing than it is about being authentic, and that’s why it’s lost its meaning.

Now, personal branding itself is not the problem. The idea that you should be intentional about how you present yourself is still important. But the way the market has twisted it into this hyper-polished, self-promotional exercise? That’s what’s dead. People are craving realness, not perfection. They don’t want to see another "personal brand" that’s all about surface-level success stories and motivational quotes. They want to see real people, with flaws, with unique perspectives, with stories that feel true. That’s where the power of personal branding lies—not in the polish, but in the authenticity.

So, when I say the market killed it, I’m calling out this corporate, mechanical approach to personal branding that strips away the very thing that makes it powerful: your humanity. It’s time to move away from this idea that your personal brand is something you craft like a marketing campaign. Instead, it should be about how you show up, what you stand for, and what you bring to the table in a way that’s uniquely you, not just what the market expects.

If you want personal branding to matter again, it’s time to break the rules. Stop following the same tired strategies and start being real. Let your personal brand be an extension of your true self, not some manufactured version designed to please everyone. Because in a world full of polished, curated personas, realness is the only thing that’s going to stand out.