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The real deal (or is it?)

Authenticity and the art of looking the part

“The really depressing bit for me,” said my friend, “was to hear the word authenticity used as a marketing term. Something is either authentic or it isn’t.” He wasn’t talking about mobile phones or cars, life coaches or insurance salesmen. No, it was worse – much worse. Politicians. We’d both heard the same edition of Analysis on BBC Radio 4, which talked about pitching for the female vote in the upcoming general election. Its title, Babies and Biscuits, was inspired by David Cameron’s appearance on Mumsnet, a million-strong online network of mothers. Mothers with votes. Questions ranged from childcare vouchers to ID cards, with brief detours via nappies (aka diapers) and his favourite biscuit (he had an answer he prepared earlier – unlike Gordon Brown in the Biscuitgate scandal).

Perception is reality

Authenticity is on everybody’s lips these days. Everybody wants to be real, honest, and open – or at least, to appear so. So we’re all doing the open-kimono thing, trying to show the real us, trying to connect with prospects. My gym certainly is. LA Fitness have mugshots of real staff members plastered all over the gym, the web and in magazine advertising. Real people, warts and all. Estate agent Carter Jonas has taken the same approach, relaunching its brand so the focus is not property, but…you got it, people. So Sinéad likes Latin American dancing and Marie is a champion golfer. Geoff sails dinghies and Kevin enjoys cooking (he’s welcome to it). Does this all feel authentic to you? No, me neither. You get the feeling they’re trying too hard to be something they’re not. And by shoehorning them into roles they – and we – feel uncomfortable with, nobody’s being done any favours.

Easy does it

The thing about being honest and open is that it’s a hard sell. Tell somebody you’re honest, and their instinct is to doubt you. Why is he telling me this? It’s a bit like telling somebody you’re talented. Isn’t that something they should be able to work out for themselves? Going back to basics is another option. I’ve lost count of the number of times people have said to me I want to be more like Innocent. Innocent Drinks, that is. With the cute cartoons and the cutesy taglines. It works very well – for them. But here’s the thing. It isn’t the result of some focus group or creative brainstorm. It’s not designed to deceive or deflect. It’s a simple idea, with a simple execution. And I do think it’s authentic. In fact, unless I was being spun to, I know it is. Years ago, I bumped into one of the Innocents at a networking event in London. An ex-teacher, he’d abandoned the classroom and thrown himself into smoothies instead (metaphorically speaking, you understand). And when it came to copy, he decided to give it a go himself. He’d keep it simple, straightforward and… innocent. And it worked. But that bandwagon has passed, and it’s too late to jump on. So don’t. Instead, create your own, start a trend and set yourself apart. Be authentic, but do it your way. And remember that being is one thing – doing is another. You’ve got to deliver, otherwise you’re just a likeable incompetent. As Seth says:
… ‘being’ is too amorphous and we are notoriously bad at judging that. Internal vision is always blurry. Doing, on the other hand, is an act that can be seen by all.
Can I quote him on that? Oh yes, I just did.

And finally

So was Cameron being authentic, or just playing the game in a cynical attempt to garner votes? Well, June 3rd is the last date on which an election can take place. So on the morning of the 4th, we’ll see how the cookie crumbles. Or the biscuit. (Mine’s a ginger nut, by the way.) Find out more:

Related posts:

  1. Will the real you please stand up
  2. Stuff happens. Deal with it (before somebody else does).
  3. It’s the customer, stupid
  4. Stepped into your customers’ shoes recently?
  5. Are you getting up close and personal?
Kevin Communication, Marketing.
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