Authenticity and Consistency in Marketing

Customers expect transparency and authenticity from the companies with which they do business.

A business or a brand is expected to be open, honest, and straightforward. For a brand to be authentic, it has to be perceived as reliable and real.

According to Geoff Beattie, Cohn Global Practice Leader of Corporate Affairs, authentic companies for people mean, ‘A brand that has values and morals and stands by them no matter what while honestly divulging its practices (flaws and all).

In fact, the thing people most wanted was open and honest communications about products and services. And that finding was consistent around the world.’

Companies which customers perceive as authentic tend to be more profitable.

Transparency is a key component of authenticity.

While a lot of people think Apple and Nike are authentic brands, some add Google and Amazon to the list. Transparency is more than giving an annual report or putting the ingredients on packaging. 

Given below are ways by which a brand can exhibit transparency and authenticity –

Share Successes

Adapting to new technology, winning an award, or closing a major deal are examples of  such instances of successes that can be shared with humility and enthusiasm.

Each milestone means a lot, and sharing such milestones is a very honest reaction. People do get excited when they win something and it is only human to share this experience. 

Street Roots, the publishers of a street newspaper in Portland, sold by homeless vendors, shared its initiative on its Facebook page.

Positive initiatives such as these should be shared. This helps remind customers of a brand’s authenticity.

Discuss Corporate Culture

To win the trust of customers, it would help to let them know how a company conducts business and how it treats its employees. It would allow existing  and potential customers to see the human side of business.

Mention funny things such as how the CEO lost to an office temp on the Super Bowl bet.

Describe group activities. Write about special days such as when children accompany their parents to work .

Talk about benefits such as free medical screenings. For people to trust a business, they should know what a business stands for.

Use Stories to Connect

Customers love stories that add value, educate,  and answer their questions.  Maltesers, the UK chocolate brand, brought specially abled people into mainstream advertising.

According to a study, 80% of specially abled people feel underrepresented by TV and the media.

So, Maltesers launched a series of commercials inspired by real life stories from specially-abled individuals with the focus being on the universally awkward situations that unite us all.

The commercials were a resounding success and led to a 8.1% increase in sales. The campaign led to consumers stating that Maltesers was changing the way people perceived disability.

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