It's a Brand-You World

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Other branding consultants use similar methods. "The majority of kids coming out of college are essentially generic," says D.A. Hayden, who did p.r. for clients like Volkswagen and the Washington Redskins before co-founding Hayden-Wilder last fall to help college grads land their first job. "They need key brand attributes and to be able to talk about them to employers." Rob Borden, 25, who graduated from Middlebury in 2005, paid $2,950 for Hayden-Wilder's "Illumination" package. During his initial fake job interview, which was taped, Borden sat stiffly and said "um" a lot. He rambled without direction. But as Hayden and her partner Michael Wilder got to know him, they learned that Borden had opened a landscaping business in college, captained an NCAA-championship lacrosse team and was deeply interested in land development and conservation. They drafted a marketing plan around five qualities: a passion for commercial real estate, strong business experience, leadership abilities, organizational skills and a sparkling wit when he isn't nervous. In interviews, Borden hammered away at those key points and, after meeting with about eight companies, landed a job that he loves in a commercial real estate firm.

It may be easier to overhaul the image of a twentysomething than that of someone older and more set in his or her ways, but baby boomers are also finding benefits in a brand makeover. Alan Cole, 48, has been an investment adviser in Atlanta, Texas, since 1989. Exhausted by the strain of keeping up with various investing strategies to serve his diverse client base, he hired Peter Montoya, whose firm, based in Tustin, Calif., specializes in marketing independent financial advisers. After identifying Cole's core values of family, church and hard work, plus his affinity for fishing, golf and travel, they came up with a focused brand for him: wealth planner for active retirees. Now Cole says he is "working with fewer clients, but they're more profitable." His revenue is up more than 30% over last year's.

There's a fine line, though, between putting your best self forward and creating a new self that could be found out in the end. "Trying to be more authentic based on a professionally crafted personality makeover is a contradiction in terms," says Roy Baumeister, a social psychologist at Florida State. That contradiction is a particular risk for online daters who pay consultants to transform their lives into compelling advertisements. Fran Hartman, a bubbly New Hampshire widow, had posted a Yahoo! Personals ad touting her fondness for seafood and back rubs, and herself as "a young looking 66 year old grandmother. I still work as a courier for a lab company. I love to feel wanted and needed." But when she didn't meet a suitable man, Hartman, now 67, paid New York City--based PersonalsTrainer $159.95 to polish her narrative. Her new entry begins "Whether listening to Merle Haggard while driving in my courier vehicle or settling in for some fried clams and a good conversation at Bob's Clam Hut, you will always find me with a smile on my face and a ready-hug for new friends and old." The new story generated more responses from prospective mates and "made me feel like I walked on water," Hartman says. "And it was very much me."