When I was a kid, my favorite breakfast cereal was Wheaties. The reason wasn’t so much the taste nor the nutritional value, but rather what I believed the cereal would do for me. I believed that if I ate my bowl of Wheaties in the morning then I would become the best, just like those champions featured on its boxes. That connection between Wheaties and champions still sticks with me to this day.
Analogies like this not only apply to product branding but personal branding as well.
Personal Branding 101 teaches us that by aligning our internal thoughts and goals with what we are communicating and what our clients value most, our brand will be on the right path to gaining customer mindshare. But sometimes alignment and messaging isn’t enough. To truly stand out in a crowded marketplace, brands sometimes need an analogy to follow.
Which brings me to the matador: the analogy of the Kenneth Kam brand.
A matador or a torero is the bullfighter who must kill the bull. On the surface, a matador and Kenneth Kam have nothing in common. One involves sitting quietly in front of computer screens, while the other involves putting his life at risk in front of a raging bull. But dig a little deeper, and a matador and Kenneth Kam do bear similarities. Let me explain.
A matador is a person who knows and understands the bull very well. In the Forex world, the figurative descriptions of bulls and bears are animal analogies which describe uptrends (bull runs) and downtrends (bear runs) respectively in a market. After many years of experience, I have come to know and understand these figurative animals very well.
Being fearful of bulls is a trait that no matador should possess. Parallel to this, being fearful is a trait that could be detrimental for a Forex trader. I’ve learned to master my mindset and put aside my emotions when trading. A common misconception is that Forex trading is a ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme. Unfortunately, this is rare, as success requires patience, discipline and doing your homework on a consistent basis. The same can be said for the top matadors, as there’s no such thing as a shortcut to success in the bullfighting world.
Just to be clear, I’m not associating the Kenneth Kam brand with the act of bullfighting in any way, but more with the act of knowing and understanding the metaphorical beasts we deal with.
The matador symbolises the spirit of the Kenneth Kam brand, and elements of the matador can be found across every branding touchpoint from my logo design to my line of suits. For me, the matador also serves as a constant reminder to put on my best performance for every occasion, whenever I enter the Forex arena.
Analogies like the matador can be used to differentiate our brand and clarify our positioning. Analogies add context to our brand, painting a mental picture that helps to make our brand easier to understand and more relatable.
So, what analogy best describes your brand? What character do you want the world to associate with your brand? Choose your metaphor wisely and own it. Lead with it, and repeat it over and over again. And perhaps that connection will someday go hand-in-hand in the minds of all that are familiar with your brand, like Wheaties and champions.
Authored by Kenneth Kam
Produced by Callio Media