Authenticity bingo

Authenticity has become the ultimate buzzword.

If I had a drink for every time I heard the word Authenticity at the SME conference a couple of weeks ago, I would have been sloshed before midday.

But what does it even mean?!

I get the notion- “humanise the brand”, and don’t hide behind a wall of corporate jargon, but according to the Internet, “authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”

So if we break this down, what is authentic to one brand is very different from another, and to be authentic at scale, surely you have to all have a common frame of reference to be authentic from otherwise it is going to be total and utter carnage.

But no one was talking about this. The word was just being flung around followed by lots and lots of nodding heads.

To be ‘authentic’ you have to have to build a brand persona, and have a defined set of rules that articulate what the brand stands for and for who. How it behaves, it's perspective on the world, its view on different topics, and how it talks about these.

It’s this central brand strategy that will enable you to give an authentic voice.

We break it down into these components:

• Value Proposition - The Magic, the emotional hook.

• Brand pillars- the foundational makeup

• Brand DNA - the values that underpin everything you do as a brand, our behavioural attributes

• Customer profile - Who we’re speaking to and what drives them emotionally

• Key messaging - The core statements that bring the proposition to life

• TOV do’s and don’ts - how you say it, and how you don’t

It is only once you have these clearly defined in a way that they can be understood by all, then you can show up in an ‘authentic way’.

If you are struggling to do this, I would love to chat and see how we can help you.