You’ve heard how important authenticity and transparency are to your marketing efforts. Now you’ll learn what those buzzwords really mean! You\'ll learn principles for incorporating true authenticity and transparency to your messaging, reputation management and social efforts.
2. Authentic: 1. of undisputed origin or authorship; genuine: an authentic signature 2. accurate in representation of the facts; trustworthy; reliable: an authentic account
3. Transparent: 1. having the property of transmitting rays of light through its substance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be distinctly seen. 2. admitting the passage of light through interstices. 3. so sheer as to permit light to pass through; diaphanous. 4. easily seen through, recognized, or detected: transparent excuses. 5. manifest; obvious: a story with a transparent plot.
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15. Need Some Examples?! Rewarding people only for positive reviews Taking down anything negative on FB Implying resort-like when it isn’t. Making fake claims – United – Fly the Friendly Skies “ We Love our Residents?” NOT doing something for fear of losing control.
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17. And in the end, The love you take Is equal to the love you make. The Beatles
Your design is great, your navigation intuitive. Today we ’ll discuss ways to avoid muddling your meaning and in in the process not connecting with your reader
Your design is great, your navigation intuitive. Today we ’ll discuss ways to avoid muddling your meaning and in in the process not connecting with your reader
“ Authentic” is derived from the Greek authentikós, which means “original.” But just being an original doesn’t mean your brand will be perceived as authentic. You could be an original phoney. Most definitions used in branding circles also include the words “genuine” and or “trustworthy.” In The Authentic Brand it’s defined this way: “Worthy of belief and trust, and neither false nor unoriginal — in short, genuine and original.” I think it’s also useful to look at the philosophical definition of the word… “being faithful to internal rather than external ideas.” In philosophy of art , “authenticity” describes the perception of art as faithful to the artist’s self, rather than conforming to external values such as historical tradition, or commercial worth.
I think the general public believes that marketing — by definition— is not authentic. Guilty until proven innocent! And if someone sniffs even a hint of corporate BS they’ll blog about it, post negative reviews and announce it to all 7,694 Facebook Friends.
Rule #2: Get to the point – don ’t muck around. Following on from rule #1, people don ’t have the time or inclination to sit there while you slowly introduce your business. You need to quickly tell them who you are, what you do and how you can help them, otherwise they ’ll click away and find someone who will. So get to the point! Don ’t let your web copy dawdle.
Nobody ever starts a company with the goal of becoming an authentic brand. Think back to when Amazon, Starbucks, Nike and Apple were just startups. They were all authentic in the beginning. Each had a core group of genuinely passionate people dead-set on changing the world in some little way. And that esprit de core set the tone for the brand to be. Patrick Ohlin, on the Chief Marketer Blog, says “Brand authenticity is itself an outcome—the result of continuous, clear, and consistent efforts to deliver truth in every touch point.” It’s a by-product of doing things well. Treating people right. Staying focused. And not getting too greedy. “ Companies are under pressure to prove that what they stand for is something more than better, faster, newer, more,” said Lisa Tischler in Fast Company. “A company that can demonstrate it’s doing good — think Ben & Jerry’s, or Aveda — will find its brand image enhanced. But consumers must sense that the actions are sincere and not a PR stunt.” Add the word “sincerity” to the definition. Sincerely try to do something that proves you’re not just another greedy, Goldman Sax. In the age of corporate scandals and government bailouts, not all authentic brands are honest. If your brand values revolve around one thing — getting rich — it’s pretty tough build a genuinely trustworthy brand in the eyes of the world. Amway, for instance. Amway has an army of “independent sales associates” out there luring people to meetings under pretense and spreading a message that says, essentially, “Who cares if you have no friends left. If you’re rich enough it won’t matter. We’ll be your friends.” The front-line culture seems to revolve around wealth at any cost. Then there’s the corporate office trying to put a positive spin on the brand by running fluffy, product-oriented, slice-of-life commercials.
Be clear about what you stand for. Communicate! Your brand values need to be spelled out, on paper. After all, your employees are your best brand champions and you can’t expect them to stay true to something they don’t even understand. research and write the book on your brand. Craft the message and then communicate it internally, so all your managers, front-line employees and business partners are on the same page Underpromise and overdeliver. Now here’s a concept CEOs can get a handle on. If you consistently exceed expectations, consumers will believe that your’re sincere and trust your brand. It’s a fundamental tenet of brand authenticity. If you’re constantly disappointing people, it’s going to be tough. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Being authentic means staying focused and saying no once in a while. The more you diversify, extend your product line or tackle new target audiences, the better chance you have of alienating people. In a down economy it’s always tempting for small businesses to branch out. You take on projects that are beyond your core competencies, because you can. People trust you. Then if things go south you lose some credibility. And without credibility there can be little authenticity. Align your marketing messages with your brand. You sacrifice authenticity when your marketing messages are not true to the company, its mission, culture and purpose. You can’t be saying one thing, and doing something else. Alignment starts with understanding. Understanding starts with communication. So figure out your core brand values, and then hammer those continuously with your marketing team. Every time they trot out a new slogan or campaign you can hold up that brand strategy document and ask, is this in line with our brand? Be consistent. Another way you lose that sense of brand integrity or authenticity is when you change directions too frequently. I’ve seen this in start-ups that have new technology, but no clear path to market. The company just blows with the wind, changing directions with every new investor who’s dumb enough to put up capital. There’s no brand there at all, much less an authentic one. Lead by example One of the best CEO clients I ever had was a master of management-by-walking-around. His authentic, soft-spoken demeanor worked wonders with his people. He was out there everyday, rallying the troops and reinforcing the brand values of the company. So if you’re in charge, stay connected with your teams and don’t ask them to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. When sales, or marketing or R & D starts working in a vacuum, you often end up with an authenticity drain. Hire good PR people Like it or not, the public’s sense of your brand authenticity often comes from what the press says. For instance, BMW’s claim of being “the ultimate driving machine” is constantly reinforced by the automotive press in head-to-head comparisons with Audi and Mercedes. According to those authoritative sources, it’s not a bullshit line.
Underpromise and overdeliver. Now here’s a concept CEOs can get a handle on. If you consistently exceed expectations, consumers will believe that your’re sincere and trust your brand. It’s a fundamental tenet of brand authenticity. If you’re constantly disappointing people, it’s going to be tough. Here is a great example – the guarantee.
Don’t try to be something you’re not. Being authentic means staying focused and saying no once in a while. The more you diversify, extend your product line or tackle new target audiences, the better chance you have of alienating people. In a down economy it’s always tempting for small businesses to branch out. You take on projects that are beyond your core competencies, because you can. People trust you. Then if things go south you lose some credibility. And without credibility there can be little authenticity.
Align your marketing messages with your brand. You sacrifice authenticity when your marketing messages are not true to the company, its mission, culture and purpose. You can’t be saying one thing, and doing something else. Alignment starts with understanding. Understanding starts with communication. So figure out your core brand values, and then hammer those continuously with your marketing team. Every time they trot out a new slogan or campaign you can hold up that brand strategy document and ask, is this in line with our brand?
Be consistent. Another way you lose that sense of brand integrity or authenticity is when you change directions too frequently. I’ve seen this in start-ups that have new technology, but no clear path to market. The company just blows with the wind, changing directions with every new investor who’s dumb enough to put up capital. There’s no brand there at all, much less an authentic one.
Lead by example One of the best CEO clients I ever had was a master of management-by-walking-around. His authentic, soft-spoken demeanor worked wonders with his people. He was out there everyday, rallying the troops and reinforcing the brand values of the company. So if you’re in charge, stay connected with your teams and don’t ask them to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. When sales, or marketing or R & D starts working in a vacuum, you often end up with an authenticity drain.
Purpose is authenticity. Purpose is strategy. Purpose is advantage. Purpose is message. Purpose is direction. Purpose is innovation. Purpose is proof. Purpose is community. Purpose is balance. Purpose is your gift. Authenticity is simply the manifestation of what you truly believe, the core values, the basic identity of the leader of the business.