When you’re young, you don’t care what people think. You are who you are, no shame and zero filter. But as you get older, that changes. You start experimenting with different personas in an attempt to “fit in” and be accepted by others. Case in point: I went from dancing like Michael Jackson as a kid to sporting an angsty emo hairdo and entirely black wardrobe for a solid six months in high school.
What does all this have to do with marketing and branding? Well, I think most brands today are in their emo phase. They’re having a brand identity crisis. And 2023 is the year they come into their own and be true to themselves and their customers.
But that can’t happen unless they take a step back, reflect on what the last several years have taught them and redefine what it means to be authentic.
Branding in the time of Covid
The global pandemic was such a major catalyst for society that life can now be separated into two distinct times: “before Covid” and “after Covid.”
Before Covid, Marketing 101 taught us the importance of having a definitive and consistent brand identity. Rebranding was a huge risk. The best way to grow business was to cater to a specific channel, audience or message and build a group of loyal customers that your brand resonated with for years to come.
Enter the pandemic, closely followed by major political unrest, a slew of social justice movements, historic supply chain shortages and record-breaking inflation. Societal tensions reached an all-time high as public opinions grew increasingly polarized.
A brand’s decision to engage (or not engage) on a specific topic was considered an active affront. Faced with so much uncertainty and agitation, brands soon began partitioning themselves across various channels and audiences in an attempt to be all things to all people.
But brands’ plans to cover all their bases have backfired. At some point, ubiquitous LGBTQIA+ Pride logos and corporate Juneteenth celebrations began to feel more like forced, obligatory lip service than genuine gestures. Recent research by the Changing Markets Foundation found that nearly 60% of sustainable fashion claims are misleading and can be categorized as greenwashing. Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers in Q1 of this year amid accusations that its once beloved comedy specials have become too “woke” to be funny.
Now, consumers are demanding something different from brands: authenticity. In fact, brand authenticity is now valued by a whopping 88% of consumers. But if brands think this means just going back to “the way things were before,” they better think again. Because just like everything else, Covid has forever changed what it means to be authentic.
The truth about authenticity
How do you define authenticity? Original, reliable, faithful and pure are all words that come to mind. And while they’re not totally inaccurate, they have a definite connotation to them—one that’s static, pristine and just a little too good to be true.
But if the pandemic and its ensuing events taught us anything, it’s that real life is messy. Our colleagues are no longer the professional caricatures we used to see across the office during the week. We’ve seen their homes on Zoom. We’ve heard their dogs bark and their kids throw tantrums. We’ve experienced them in their roles as parents, spouses, siblings, children and friends. We’ve seen each other sick, scared and stressed.
To be authentic is to be raw and aware of all the pieces that make up who we are at our core—even the parts we may not like. It requires the ability to adapt to the people and circumstances around us, and to constantly grow, learn and improve. No one can do everything well or be all things to all people all the time. But if you pay attention, it’s easy to tell when someone is doing their best to be sincere and stay true to themselves.
And now that we’re aware of these things, it’s impossible to ignore them in the brands we love. In other words, it’s okay for brands to grow out of their Michael Jackson persona, but that doesn’t mean they should start wearing black skinny jeans and Converse sneakers just because all the cool kids are doing it.
Keeping it real
So how do you come out of an identity crisis and embrace authenticity in full? Here are some ideas.
Clearly define your brand purpose and mission and make sure it’s something everyone in your organization is excited to actively get behind.
Think of your brand as a human. Who is it? What does it stand for? What are its limits? Areas of interest and growth?
Put your money where your mouth is. Donate, volunteer, join discussions to show it’s not just lip service and that the causes and movements you support are really a part of who you are.
Partner with other brands to explore sides of your brand personality and reach other audiences without sacrificing who you are at your brand core. Think The North Face x Gucci collab.
Get inclusive. Encourage your team members to contribute to brand identity for a truly authentic outlook.
As you move forward, consider these five practices the basics when it comes to evolving how you approach authenticity as a brand.
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Adam Figueroa is director of marketing at Brandfolder. During his eight years in the Denver tech scene, he has specialized in areas from brand to demand and helped companies both big and small increase their pipeline, revenue and presence in the market.
