Company and Brand Authenticity in the Modern World
By: Amanda Grohowski, Account Supervisor and Writing Director at PRLab
We live in a very noisy world. There’s no doubt about it. Advertisements and company messages are constantly being splattered across our computer screens and on billboards and posters all around us. But how are we supposed to make sense of all of this cluttered information? How do we decide what companies to like or dislike? And as both creators and consumers, how do we know what companies are truly good and what messages to listen to?
The answer to these questions is authenticity—company authenticity, that is. We’ve certainly all heard the term before but maybe haven’t really stopped to think about what it means. Basically, it’s when a company really is what it says it is. It’s as simple as that. Authenticity is when a company’s identity matches its reputation, or what people think about the company from the outside.
Take Disney as the perfect example. Disney openly says that it’s the happiest place on earth. That may be a hyperbole to a certain extent, but Disney does strive to fulfill this dream-making expectation for all of its guests and consumers. Disney pushes its corporate social responsibility initiatives and partners with organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help children with life-threatening medical conditions enjoy a vacation to the Disney’s parks and resorts. Disney is the authentic from the inside-out.
Of course, authenticity was, quite literally, put to the test. Global PR firm Cohn & Wolfe, formerly Burson Cohn & Wolfe, completed a study to find out what companies rank the highest in terms of authenticity. The 2017 Authentic Brands study used a mix of primary and secondary research, measuring more than 200 global brands in over 15 markets worldwide. No surprise, the big A’s scored the top two spots.
The Authentic 100 Rankings:
- Amazon.com
- Apple
- Microsoft
- PayPal
While rankings are helpful to process concepts and information, it’s important to remember that just because certain companies don’t fall in the top ten, doesn’t mean they’re not great companies.
In this age of digitization and globalization, information travels quicker and farther, reaching audiences around the world in the matter of seconds. Luckily for business, companies and brands have caught on to this and have started adapting to this world of social change. Companies take political and social stances more frequently nowadays, which can affect their consumer interest but in the end, seems to greatly benefit them in the long run.
Nike, an innovative company in every sense of the word, has built its athletic-wear empire on an identity that more or less has nothing to do with clothing but everything to do with athleticism and bushing boundaries. The famous Nike swoosh is never seen or heard without people thinking immediately about the company’s slogan, “Just Do It.”
Of course, company authenticity can sometimes generate mixed reactions. Nike recently launched two advertising campaigns within the past year, “Dream Crazy” and “Dream Crazier,” that reflect the company’s forward-thinking mission and values. Nike pushed huge boundaries with these campaigns.
The first one, arguably the more controversial ad, featured former NFL quarterback and activist
Colin Kaepernick. Because of Kaepernick’s choice to kneel during the national anthem at football games to protest police brutality, many Nike customers began boycotting the brand itself.
Forbes contributor Derek Rucker said, “Nike has basically heaved a massive stone into the pond that allows all those who care to watch the ripples play out. That is, Nike has embraced a controversial figure and this has produced a frenzy in social media that we can now observe.”
The payoff? A 31 percent hike in sales after the ad’s release, according to Time. Some say it was a gamble, but this is the perfect instance of when a company takes a calculated risk to stay true to its identity. Nike was authentic.
As a consumer in this oversaturated world, you must always take a step back to analyze companies and their messages to evaluate whether or not they are being authentic. Authenticity is about being genuine, and you must search for it in this chaotic marketplace.
And as dot com executive and marketing guru Seth Godin says, “Authenticity as an impulse is hardly something to aspire to.” Instead, it’s about, “Showing up as a pro. Keeping promises. Even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t.”