A few weeks ago my friend Liz Henry posed a question on twitter questioning the trend of "personal branding." I responded with my opinion and later a link to a blog post Geoff Livingston filed ages ago; Liz included both in her blog post on the topic.

I finally had a chance to read her post and reader's comments and they prodded me to share more of my thinking on the topic than 140 characters provides.

By and large, I don't believe in personal branding. And I think that professionals who believe in personal branding are a detriment to the companies and brands with which they partner or service.

Allow me to explain.

If a business person, free agent, or corporate employee is branding themselves, that means they're competing with your Brand. Think about how much time is required to market something. If that person is working for you, they could have spent that time working on your business. How many opportunities for your business did they miss as they shilled themselves?

Liz's post examined the question for mom bloggers. I'd argue that a blog isn't always a personal brand. A blog is a product and potentially a revenue stream, just like other media companies such as the NY Times or AOL. Marketing a blog isn't personal branding. The blog may be personal in nature and content, but it's not necessarily a personal brand. It's just a brand. And a product that you make. And yes, you should market it.

The person behind the blog, the writer or reporter, is not the product. And if you spend your time building up that person as the product, you're putting your Brand and business at risk. Remember what happened to Wendy's marketing when Dave died? KFC and the Colonel? Have you noticed that Johnson baby products fall under a different "brand name" than other J&J products like Tylenol or Neutrogena? A benefit to that strategy is that the revered Baby brand remains isolated and therefore (hopefully) untainted, should anything happen to the company's other products.

A blogger can be a personality. And yes, you can pair and market a personality with a brand - to support the brand, to help shape the brand voice. Think William Shatner for Priceline. Suzanne Sommers for Thighmaster. Martha Stewart for Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart cookbooks, or Martha Stewart bedding. Gary Vaynerchuk for Wine Library.

The exception to the rule, are the handful of household names (often entertainers) who rise above their product to become a personal brand. This elite group includes names such as: Madonna, Cher, Oprah, and Britney. However, even these people started selling a product, creating a personality and then transcended to become the product.

My advice? Make something. Sell that. But never sell yourself.