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Using the word authentic does not make you authentic
- 28/02/2017
- Written by Lawrence Flude

What if we tell you that our company, Fludium, is an authentic branding agency that helps companies define their distinctive brand essence so that they can stand out in their respective marketplaces? Uwg! Even typing that makes me roll my eyes.
Authentic products…authentic experiences…authentic companies… authentic clients….
The use of the word ‘authentic’ in all of its forms has become another fad phrase that has lost its value somewhere between written content and brand behaviour and the customer’s experience of the brand.
Most of our clients have realised the importance of branding for their businesses by the time they have approached us. They love talking about their brands and many have an affection for them akin to the love a parent has for one of their children. We use metaphorical questioning and projection during our research stage, and one of the questions we ask them is, “Describe your brand as if it were a person”. And somewhere during that conversation, more than 80 per cent of them will claim, “Our brand is authentic…”
If you’re going to say you’re authentic, but you’re not doing anything remotely authentic, then you are…yet another…unauthentic brand.
Three things that make brands truly, uniquely and excitingly authentic:
- Actions speak louder than words – Rather than saying they are authentic they are authentic by doing. They create the evidence that supports their soul.
- Consistency transforms an average brand into a magnetic one – Authenticity lies in promising, and more importantly, delivering unique experiences. Every. Single. Time.
- The opinion of others – No one cares that you think your company or brand is the bee’s knees. If your tribe (of customers, social media followers and competitors) talks about the one thing that you are true to, then you start becoming an authentic brand.
To be successful, a brand has to be authentic. It’s a non-negotiable key element. How a brand is going to deliver its authenticity needs to be talked about, considered and defined internally, not expressed externally. The metamorphosis unfolds in the experience that customers, partners, fans and clients have when they engage with you.
Finding authenticity is not easy, thank goodness; if it were we wouldn’t have much work to do. Spend some time with your team to talk about this concept, put ideas up on the wall and come up with ways that you can express your authenticity…for the long haul.
Lawrence Flude
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