I just returned from a 5-day vacation at Walt Disney World Resort and I have to say it really is the happiest place on Earth. This was my 4th visit and I was even more impressed than ever. The cleanliness, the client satisfaction, the ease of zipping through lines with a Fast Pass: all designed to make the client experience extraordinary. I took my son and his family, so maybe it was seeing it through the eyes of a 4 and 5-year-old that made the difference. Or maybe it really was the fact that Disney just keeps getting better. I have to say that the very last thing we saw was the afternoon parade and I was totally blown away!
So what does this have to do with personal branding?
Everything, if you think about how this entire operation, which is a city in itself, is based on one man's vision. Walt Disney was a pioneer who dream transformed into an empire represented in the form of a two-legged mouse, Mickey, and his main squeeze, Minnie – both squeaky clean as anything you'll ever see.
But it's really more about the thousands of employees and associates who support the vision of Disney, an imaginationer, pioneer, artist, creator, innovator, dreamer, who inspired us to dream as big as we ever could.
Every corner of every hotel, restaurant, kiosk, amusement ride, animal hideaway, is infused with at least a little bit of contagious magic, circling around the globe from Anaheim, California , all the way back to Orlando, Florida . This rigorous, systematic, yet joyful and whimsical playground, where everyone's dreams really do come true – albeit temporarily – is an example of true brand loyalty.
Throngs of eager employees, serving visitors like amusement park animatrons, smiling all the while through touristy tears, frustration, and all the other baggage that goes along with family travel. Never a cross word, only solace based on loyalty, offered by uniformed and clean-as-a-whistle attendants. Our problems are things to solve, and if it's any other way, well, we would never know it because it's swept under the surface.
A brand grown to gigantic proportions from one man's dream is a personal brand that every entrepreneur could aspire to. Even Walt would be impressed at the level of brand loyalty that he's inspired in Disney's employees. That's power. And it's magical.
What are you doing to inspire loyalty to your own personal brand? Are you as loyal to your clients and employees as you'd like them to be to you? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
