For contemporary brands, authenticity has never felt more important, nor so unattainable.
As brand strategist Eugene Healey has recently argued, we are witnessing the “flawless performance of being flawed”. That is to say, the illusion of authenticity is being artificially produced by brands, often by emulating the genuine behaviour of real users.
The classic example here is across social media, with brands commenting and writing as if they are regular users. This tactic saw early success (Paddy Power and Duolingo for instance), but now meets with hostility from increasingly brand-suspicious audiences.
Real value, real authenticity
With all this said, brand does still matter, and so does authenticity. The question is how brands can provide truly authentic experiences for their audiences, without coming across as insincere or shallow.
The obvious answer here is to focus on the “real” user experience and customer experience. As we’ve argued in previous blogs, your brand is not just colours, visuals, and language, but also the actual experience of using your product or service. No amount of gorgeous branding can make bad products work well, and a positive customer experience can over-rule the most lacklustre visual identities.
Unfortunately for marketing teams, the product may be outside of their control. In this case, the priority should be on building a more valuable, useful, and entertaining experience prior to purchase. When your content is genuinely worth engaging with, users will recall your brand when entering the market. This top-of-funnel visibility will (eventually) translate into more leads.
The medium matters
In their efforts to create these positive experiences, brands often fall at the first hurdle. Given the warped incentives of social media platforms (which tend to reward superficial interaction over genuine engagement) brands will push low-quality content across their channels, creating a shallow and inauthentic impression for their audiences. Worst of all, this can be measured as “success”, even if it is actively degrading the brand identity in question.
To avoid this, brands need to consider their publishing medium. Instead of automatically producing content for the platforms with the lowest barriers to entry (generally social media), focus on the channels which allow you to speak sincerely. Each brand has a natural form of expressing itself, be that through visual, written, or audio formats. With the correct medium, you can platform this authentic voice, rather than writing instagram comments that nobody wants to read.
Digital control
This is where a clever website can offer real value. A bespoke digital solution will be designed to speak your language, whether that’s long-form thought leadership pieces, snappy blog articles, or integrated videos and animations.
For instance, take Kooba’s work for Screen Ireland, where we delivered a custom-made digital brochure (for presenting annual reports), and a fully integrated short film streaming platform. These solutions provide Screen Ireland with a website that seamlessly matches their brand identity, and highlights their strengths to each of their audiences.
Authenticity and performance
Finally, it's worth noting that a brand being “performative” and authentic are not mutually exclusive. There’s nothing wrong with putting on a show and entertaining your audience, provided that this stems from a real desire to showcase what’s great about your brand. You don’t need to be cool, trendy or exciting, but you do need to be honest about what you’re good at.
For a digital solution that helps you show what you do best, get in touch with Kooba today.
