Coca Cola calls itself \”The Real Thing.\” Rappers tell each to \”keep it real.\” Teenagers are told to \”be true\” to themselves.
Truth, honesty, authenticity — these things are all seen to be valuable; goals to which everyone should aspire.
And yet, step into the world of marketing, and you\’ll hear about image and branding, spin and message. Marketers — good marketers anyway — don\’t just tell leads about the features or even the benefits of their products. They tell stories that generate emotion, win engagement and build a relationship with the company doing the selling.
Get the story and the branding right and the result can be phenomenal. Apple\’s fanboys don\’t evangelize the company just because they think the iPhone is a very useful long-distance talking device. They do it because they love the company. They love its uncompromising emphasis on design, on usability and on new technology. Those are the elements that make up the company\’s brand.
But they\’re also true. Apple really is passionate about design, usability and technology. It\’s reflected in the excitement on Steve Jobs\’ face when he shows off a new model, and it\’s reflected in the company\’s products too.
I post a lot of personal content on my Twitter stream. I put my political opinions there, and I put my religious feelings there too. And every time I do it, I receive replies from people surprised that I\’m mixing my business life with my personal life.
For me, those two are the same. To try to present myself as someone with no political opinions and no religious feelings would be false. It\’s not who I am. It\’s not who anyone is.
It would be inauthentic.
It is something that companies and products can do. The Twitter stream for the iFart Mobile app is friendly and fun, but it\’s not personal in the same way that my own Twitter stream is — or the same way that my brand is. It\’s authentic because it\’s lighthearted, like the app itself.
Defining your brand and reflecting what it stands for shouldn\’t be difficult. It should be you. Or it should be your product. It should be authentic because anything else is going to be false — and that\’s no foundation for a lifelong relationship.