Younger, savvy consumers naturally gravitate towards brands that are authentic, raw, and vulnerable.
Inauthenticity in a brand is a huge turn-off, and younger consumers can often spot fake attempts to appear authentic a mile off. Highly successful businesswomen like Barbara Corcoran understand authenticity.
So how do you ensure your marketing stays on-brand and comes across as authentic?
Be True to Your Brand
There’s really no secret to it; in order to seem authentic, you need to be authentic.
To be a truly authentic brand, you need first to identify what your brand values are. What’s your purpose? What does your brand stand for?
Figure out why your brand exists and why it matters. You can’t fake authenticity; just be true to your brand and the values it stands for in all of your messaging.
Own Up to Mistakes
A huge part of authentic marketing is admitting to the mistakes you make. A number of large international brands have had to make public ‘amends’ for delivering campaigns that offended. As marketing gets more personal and targeted, consumers tend to view their favorite brands as personal relationships.
Pete Canalichio, of Licensing Brands, says, “Even our closest friends make mistakes. We are willing, even if sometimes anxious, to forgive. We just want to be told ‘I’m sorry. I messed up.’ When that happens, all is right. When it doesn’t, things are never the same. The same goes for brands.”
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Take a Stand
The real test of a brand’s authenticity is when it is faced with controversial issues.
Consumers today, particularly Generation Z and the Millennial Generation, are extremely socially conscious. An Edelman study reported that 64% of shoppers worldwide are belief-driven and base their shopping decisions on a brand’s position on controversial issues.
No matter how strong your marketing is, if you don’t step up and speak out against things that go against your brand values and mission, customers will quickly lose trust in your brand.
Keep Your Promises
This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised at the number of brands that don’t keep promises and don’t communicate honestly. Brands like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft & Google that tend to rank the highest in authenticity surveys are careful to deliver on what they promise and are consistent in their messaging.
At Wicked Bionic, we have helped a large organizations keep their marketing on-brand, authentic and real. Get in touch with us, and we will help you devise a marketing strategy that’s true to your brand. Make an appointment today.
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About the Author
Dana C. Arnett, Founder and CEO of Wicked Bionic, spent 30 years in the entertainment business before starting the agency in 2015. The Los Angeles-based multicultural communications and advertising agency works with government and private-sector clients on strategic marketing and engaging media campaigns. Dana has always loved learning from other cultures, and that curiosity became the foundation for how Wicked Bionic approaches culturally responsive marketing – building authentic connections between organizations and the communities they serve.
