Brexit, Beyonce, and Snapchat: Defining Authenticity in an Info-Immersive Age

Seeking control in an out-of-control world. Raw connection. Heroic credibility.

These three big ideas comprise more than just the opening insights from the Killing Giants Mindset 2020 Global Survey. Together, they provide a blueprint for leadership and authenticity in an age defined by device dependence, distraction, and plummeting trust in the institutions around us.

When we sought to understand the future of the brand/consumer relationship, we asked about more than just brand loyalty. We delved into issues surrounding changes in values, the impact of technology on our lives, and our reaction to bold statements well defended. What we discovered gave us a framework to help explain how and why many high profile political, cultural, and market-driven events have happened – and what we should do as brand stewards to leverage these societal and cultural developments for our own ends.

Seeking Control in an Out-of-Control World

The first big idea we discovered speaks to the deep desire to wrest back control over our lives. The examples are many and all are as current as today’s headlines. Political statements like the recent Brexit referendum – the rallying cry for which was, “Take Back Control” – speaks to a desire (of 52% of UK voters, at least) to declare independence from unelected bureaucrats in foreign countries. Emerging global fears over the security of information stored in the cloud – or in “countries I don’t trust” – to growing distrust over how the data collected by our wearables is stored and used show how deeply this distrust has grown.

Even values have changed on this front, with global citizens agreeing that the signs of success that matter most to them are ones that signify their independence and personal control over their lives – having control over my time, living a self-sufficient lifestyle, and even working for myself – as opposed to the traditional trappings of success, like having a lot of money or owning a large house.

What does this mean for us?

It means we need to bring this trend to the front of our thinking and treat seriously how we give “control” to our customers. How can we give our customers a sense of control over their experience? How do we over-do transparency? How can we eliminate even the perception of manipulation? We need to make this about them, not us, and prove it with tools and processes that put the control back in their hands.

Raw

We see this desire for raw, unfiltered, disintermediated communication express itself in the devices we carry, the newsfeeds we read, and the platforms we increasingly rely on. And the smart brands – as well as the politicians, athletes, and entertainers who are paying attention – have picked up on this. Not only do we have the means to communicate directly, but those we want to communicate with want to hear from us directly as well, because they don’t trust intermediaries. Livestreaming has gone mainstream, from Facebook to Twitter’s Periscope to traditional media outlets seeking to tap into the desire for the “raw” video that shows, without filter or editing, what they’ll try to repackage for you in an hour. Brands like Adidas and others have picked up on this, extending their communications via Snapchat to show behind the scenes looks at life from their vantage point, shoulder to shoulder with the elites of the soccer world.

The data clearly shows that we want to see work in process, as it unfolds, so that we can judge its veracity and realness for ourselves. We want transparency that makes us part of the process – and exclusive, insider’s privileged position.

What does this mean for us?

It means we have to find ways to operate in a state of continuous rawness. We need to be able and willing to let go of the editing that goes on in our post-production suites as well as in our minds so that we can give our market a real-time look into our work as it unfolds. This will be scary to many and culturally impossible for others.  But the trust it will engender will be impossible to gain any other way.

Heroic Credibility

Why have we become so enamored of bold, controversial brands? Why are we willing to follow leaders willing to take bold stands and not back down? Is it because the bar has been raised so high on the noise and the mediocrity that only the most heroic, edgy statements get through? Possibly. But regardless of why this is, we can clearly conclude that we no longer have any tolerance for wimps.

Beyonce’s recent Lemonade tour gives us a startling example of this phenomenon. Having polarized the country during last February’s Super Bowl half-time show with her Black Panther-inspired Formation performance – causing many local police departments to threaten a security boycott of her national tour – she sold #BoycottBeyonce t-shirts at tour venues, confidently shoving her detractors away while pulling her fans ever closer.

The data shows that we don’t respect brands that take a bold stand but then back down at the first sign of criticism.

What does this mean to us?

It means that our point of view defines who we are and who we aren’t. We need to take a bold stand – we need to find where the outer edge of our acceptable tolerance for controversy is, and then plant our flag there. Nothing else will break through the clutter and the noise. Edgy is a tattoo. So don’t act edgy if you don’t mean it. Because it’s going to hurt if you decide you need to take it off.

The Blueprint for Leadership in an Info-Immersive Age

Individually, each of these three trends have significant meaning. Together, collectively, they represent something more profound. When we combine these three ideas into a cohesive unit, we see an emerging framework for leadership in an Info-Immersive Age.

We want leaders who offer us a sense of control over our lives. This goes for politicians as well as business leaders. How many current political movements are tapping this trigger today? From the US with the rise of Donald Trump to the aforementioned Brexit to elections in middle Europe to the Philippines to elsewhere, the desire for a return to a state of control is a constant theme. At work, it’s no different. Look at the data for the future of work (the third section of the Killing Giants Mindset 2020 Global Study) and we see the desire to control our environments, particularly when it comes to individual productivity.

The beginnings of trust start with what we see with our own eyes. Rawness means that we, the content providers, are confident enough to argue against our own perceived best interests. Don’t take my word for it, we say – look for yourself. Those willing to show and not tell are perceived as having nothing to hide.

Heroic credibility means we stand for something. We have a vision for the future – and even the present. We’re moving in this direction whether you want to join us or not, but if this makes sense to you, too, then come along! This is persuasive. It speaks to momentum, drive, and the true bravery that only comes from standing up to determined resistance.

How does this look in real life? Here’s a hypothetical case study.

A company experiences a critical failure – a PR disaster in the making. Instead of waiting too long and letting the angry mob gather on Twitter, followed by sadly falling on its sword and over-communicating its slow and painful contrition (the normal pattern of behavior), the CEO now has a different mindset.

When the critical failure bubbles up to the CEO’s desk (or device, more likely), he or she hits the “record” button right there in the airport where they’re waiting for their flight to leave. Posted to the company feed is a raw, unrehearsed video clip acknowledging that the problem has been identified but that the company is still collecting information – and that the CEO will update everybody, in a quick video just like this one, as soon as they get off the plane.

Information gets collected and not one, but a series of game plans are formulated. The CEO is back on the feed with a new video, this time with updates. The hashtaggers are told that the problem exists – it’s acknowledged – and the CEO directs them to a site where a series of work-in-process fixes are shown, giving the mob a chance to vote up or down on any of them, along with the opportunity to add a new idea or two.

A few days of this give guidance as to what the market believes, along with a few extra videos discussing reactions to what information is being received. Then, a decision is made – a big one. Not only has the CEO decided on the solution, but the idea has been expanded and taken to a larger extreme. A heroic stance has been taken, inspired by the feedback and the internal work done by the team but owned and championed by the CEO. A new direction has been taken. Thanks for being a part of it.

Seeking control, rawness, and heroic credibility, all integrated into one seamless game plan. 

We give our customers a sense of control over their information, experience, and ultimately their destinies. We communicate in real time, showing not telling, stripping away the extraneous layers of unnecessary elements until it’s just the naked truth, available for the customer to judge. And underpinning it all is a heroic, sharp edged point of view – controversial, edgy, and ownable – that serves as a vision for the entire movement. That’s worth getting behind.

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The Killing Giants Mindset 2020 Global Survey explores the future of the brand/consumer relationship, the future of the digital footprint, and the future of work. You can download a summary of the key insights at DennyLeinbergerStrategy.com.

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons by Orest Ukrainsky.