Th e company you keep

Since I'm getting focused on the whole branding and marketing thing, you may have noticed that this is tag line for the New York Life. I find it interesting that we as a society use ad tag lines as a shortcut.
As an example, During a recent bible study, the leader asked a question. One the individuals replied “just do it!” I'm just as guilty, as I replied to a later question with “Grab life by the horns!”
And as I said in a previous post, sometimes the important message isn't the one you should bring home. Yes, The folks behind the ad would like it if we remember that New York Life has been here for a long time and is a good place to invest your money. And I'm not disputing their point.
But what about your circle of friends? And their friends? If you've read this far, you know I'm a cyclist. Does this mean I'm a pill-popping lunatic on a 'roid rage? Hardly. You may have stumbled across this blog from an Internet forum . And if so, you've probably noticed that old Fredwina is conspicuous by her absence on those. It's not that I'm not aware of them, It's that I read them and determined that I really don't want to be associated. Yes, I'm aware that forums are supposed to be private, but have you ever tried to find the “Right to privacy” explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution? I would suggest you try to. You might be surprised.
So, the point I'm aiming at is that people will judge by the company you keep. Ride around in Tight sorts and pretend that you're doing the tour? You must have EPO at home. Post on site where it seems everyone verbally beats everyone down? Must not be a nice person. Yes, I know you can't judge a book by its cover, but to large extent, that's what branding encourages And I'm not sure there is a solution, beyond keeping in mind that we are in 24/7/365 marketing situation.