I once thought there was something narcissistic – - or at least self-indulgent about having a vanity Web site and a blog. At a minimum, writing in the first person begged the question: Who cares? At the risk of sounding apologetic, www.PeterBray.com was originally a gift from my friend David. Since that unique gift in 1997, my site has changed shape and grown. As a career marketing guy who has launched more than my fair share of new products, I have always known the importance of branding. Only in the past few years have I begun to apply the same principles to me: I began to think of my site as a way to complement the my CV and demonstrate how I ‘eat my own dog food.’ The response from those whose opinions matter to me confirmed the approach.

A few years ago, I began the journey to design my brand, what my brand stood for, who my target was and where my brand would have the best environment for success. Worthwhile exercise? I definitely think so as it guided the career decisions I made. Today, I work in a company at the right maturity level, market positioning and with a management team comprised of professionals who are passionate, principled, talented, who I respect and with whom I enjoy working. Like any new product, to be successful, the go-to-market strategy cannot be an accident. The planning I did helped me focus and make the right choices.

This blog extends my brand, and hopefully extends my reach to help someone else. My blog is called “Musings of a Marketing Guy” as the topics I cover, I expect, will be inspired. More importantly, I hope my writing will inspire you. What I write about will not always be marketing related, but the blogs will most likely have a technology slant to them. I’ve met, worked with and known some incredible people in my life, and I will periodically ask some of them to contribute to this blog.

If you’d like to stay in touch, please drop me a line. We can also connect via LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. I hope you stop by regularly and find something valuable here.

Your friend,

Peter