WordWrite President and CEO Paul Furiga presented this at the 2010 IABC Heritage Region Conference in Philadelphia, Pa.

1. Let’s Get Real:
How and Why Your Organization and Clients
Must Communicate Authentically
Today or Suffer the Consequences
#iabchr10
#iabcgetreal

2. Real or not?

3. Real or not?

4. Real or not?

5. Takeaway # 1
• It’s hard to tell what’s real any more.
Sometimes, the “fake” is more authentic
than what’s real.
#iabchr10
#iabcgetreal

6. Why it matters
• “Authenticity is the benchmark against
which all brands are measured.”
— John Grant, The New Marketing Manifesto

7. Why it matters
• “If you can fake authenticity, the rest will
take care of itself.”
— Seth Godin, Permission Marketing

8. Why it matters
• “If you can fake authenticity, the rest will
take care of itself.”
— Seth Godin, Permission Marketing

9. Authenticity: What it means
• Your story is
rooted in fact

10. Authenticity: What it means
• Your story is
shared by a fluent
storyteller

11. Authenticity: What it means
• You continually
read your
audience to
ensure you’re
connected

12. Authenticity: What it means
• Rick Dias, Chief Operating Officer at
Thermos,“cited blogger commentary as
the leading cause of their decision to
change the plastic again, to a mixture
that is a bit more pliable but is not quite
as heat tolerant.”
— Z Recommends consumer research blog

13. Takeaway #2
• An authentic story is rooted in fact,
shared by a fluent storyteller and
continually adjusted to resonate with
your audience.
#iabchr10
#iabcgetreal

14. Authenticity: Why it matters

15. Authenticity: Why it matters
• United Breaks Guitars
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

16. Authenticity: Why it matters
• Too many more examples to name . . .

17. Takeaway #3
• On the Internet, no
one knows you’re
a dog. But they know
if you’re dishonest
and they will punish
you for it.
#iabchr10
#iabcgetreal

18. Authenticity: How to get it
• "Always be a first-rate
version of yourself,
instead of a second-rate
version of somebody else.”
— Judy Garland

19. Authenticity: Assess yourself!
• You are who you are, not who you claim
to be.
• ‘As part of that effort,
Volvo will try to search
for "a clear definition
of what the brand stands for," the
German-born Mr. Jacoby said.’

20. Assess yourself? How?
• Remember? Rooted in fact.
• A method: The Five Burning Questions

21. Assess yourself? How?
1. Business purpose
• It’s not all about the money

22. Assess yourself? How?
2. Market need/opportunity
• It’s not about you. It’s about your
customer. It’s about both of you
together.

23. Assess yourself? How?
3. Position
• Fill in the blank: Are you Hertz, or are
you . . .

24. Assess yourself? How?
4. Communication channels and
methods
• Are you “reading your audience?”

25. Assess yourself? How?
5. Message and
call to action
• Are you engaging
your audience?

26. Takeaway #4
• Authenticity means going to market with
a story of who you are, not who you
want to be.
#iabchr10
#iabcgetreal

27. So who are you anyway?
• The importance of an authentic
archetype

28. Why it matters
• Reaching the “old brain”

29. Why it matters
• Reaching the “old brain”

30. Why it matters
• Our old brains struggle in a new world

31. How you do it
• Adapt old, authentic archetypes

32. How you do it
• Create new, authentic archetypes

33. Takeaway #5: Your payoff
• “Stories create connections for people.
Stories create the emotional context
people need to locate themselves in a
larger experience.”
— Scott Bedbury, Brandstream
(formerly led Nike and Starbucks marketing)
#iabchr10
#iabcgetreal

34. Some tools for you
• Five Burning Questions Assessment

35. Some tools for you
• Mapping your authentic story

36. Some tools for you
• Charting your authentic story plot

37. Authenticity and social media
• Truth or consequences in 140
characters

38. Authenticity and social media
• Truth or consequences in 140
characters

39. Takeaway #6
• For social media success, you must first
be authentic, or you will learn the
meaning of #epicfail.
#iabchr10
#iabcgetreal

40. Thank you!
Paul Furiga, ABC
President
WordWrite Communications LLC
10475 Perry Highway Suite 104
Wexford, PA 15090-9213
http://card.ly/wordwritepr
paul.furiga@wordwritepr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulfuriga
http://www.twitter.com/paulfuriga