SXSW: Authenticity is the Future of Building Brands

Authenticity will be a keyword going into 2022 and beyond. In our current digital lives, images and information are overflowing and visibility is thus no longer the most valuable currency. Companies now have to find a different approach to advance on a market where attention is limited and content abundant, and authenticity seems to be the answer.?

Throughout the first half of SXSW, the gravity of genuineness has been emphasized repeatedly. During the featured session “Breaking the Rules to Make Your Experience Matter”, Jill Kramer (CMO Accenture), Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo (CMO Prime Video) and Dara Treseder (Head of Global Marketing & Communications Peloton) all raised ‘being authentic’ as the future of brands. Why is it important, and how come many brands lack the ability to incorporate authenticity in their branding today?

Genuine ideas and messages tend to connect customers to brands emotionally and in a world of ad blockers and spam filters, authentic words and actions are more effectively spread by customers. As Dara Treseder asserted during the session mentioned above, “members are powerful because they can tell their experiences in an authentic way”. Several SXSW sessions have raised user-generated content (UGC) as an organic way to achieve authenticity in marketing. Through UGC, brands can avoid using agency material in expensive top-down campaigns that might be perceived as patronizing. Incorporating content produced by the users of a platform in marketing means connecting and making the consumers a part of the brand.

One aspect of authenticity is taking risks and facing actual challenges, from recognizing competing companies to confronting own inconsistencies. When it comes to acknowledging competitors, it may even be empowering if wisely done. Running a company in denial of rivals does not add credibility, but can be a sign of weakness. To instead own it, signifies that the company has done its homework and is well aware of potential risks. A successful example of this is how Amazon Prime refers their clients to competing platforms on their site. Intuitively this might sound like bad business, but it enables Amazon Prime to benefit in two significant ways: firstly, it creates an image of self-awareness and honesty, and secondly, it facilitates simple data-tracking of the competition.?

Authenticity is, however a double-edged sword. Sometimes it will require taking a contestable stand in the name of consistency. As this may be risky in the short-term, it can be difficult to gain support from the management, but in the long run, maintaining one's position staunchly in the face of opposition and even being vulnerable grows trust. You may risk being left with the same emptiness as in Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi commercial without taking a stance.

Even though authenticity is a marketing strategy, it requires honesty, consistency and commitment. Authenticity means staying true to your brand and presenting it from a place of sincerity.?

Here are three concrete tips to implement when building your authentic brand:

1. Find the purpose or mission of your company. For a brand, this means adhering the business to a fundamental purpose, beyond making a profit. It places your brand in a bigger narrative and lets your consumers understand your “why”.
2. Establish the purpose through aligning the whole business. The vision must be embedded in everything the company does, from projecting the purpose onto every campaign launched to shaping recruitment processes to ensure the employees' commitment and passion.?
3. Walk the talk. Increased scrutiny will follow companies that choose to brand themselves as sincere and ethical. Embracing authenticity comes with risks and for it to be successful, one must be willing to truly address real weaknesses throughout one’s supply chain, both in word and deed. Since a brand’s reputation now includes everything from advertising to employee treatment, companies need to move from words.

An excellent example of this is the retailer of outdoor clothing Patagonia. Patagonia has branded itself as an active leader in the private sector by displaying a transparent record of their environmental and social impact and financially supporting non-profits. At the same time, they also acknowledge inconsistencies in their supply chains and present information less beneficial to their image, which increases trust.?

Authenticity is the key to the future of brands. A genuine connection can make a brand break through the noise, but consumer trust and loyalty must be earned. Therefore, honesty and decency are not only buzzwords, but should shape the complete business model, including supply chains. However, brands of the future must also be ready to address real criticism and sometimes even dare to be vulnerable.