What Is Brand Authenticity?

What is Brand Authenticity? – Why It's Important To Your Business

When creating a personal brand it must appear real and believable. It must be authentic. What is brand authenticity?

Hi Trish Davies here and for today I want to focus on brand authenticity. Therefore, what is brand authenticity?

Authenticity is both a measurement of your brand and how the world sees it. It’s a delicate balance between what you want to project and what people actually think about you.

However this balancing act doesn’t have to be an uphill battle if you know where to start. Authenticity is derived from the word “authentic,” which means real or genuine.

In today’s world, brands are expected to be authentic in their dealings with customers and potential consumers. It’s not enough for your business to just claim that you stand for something, your actions must reflect those values.

However, that may not seem like much of a challenge. Especially when we consider how common authenticity has become as a theme in every industry.

Let’s take a look at why brand authenticity is important and how you can achieve it with these four tips.

What Is Brand Authenticity? 

Brand authenticity is how genuine your brand feels. This can be measured in two ways.

How you view your brand as an organization and how your customers view your brand as an organization.

A brand that’s authentic has integrity, is believable, and resonates with its target audiences. A brand that’s authentic is unapologetic.

It doesn’t try too hard to be something that it isn’t. It doesn’t live in a fantasy land where unicorns gallop beside rainbows and cotton candy clouds.

Rather, it exists in the real world just as it is, with all of its imperfections and quirks.

What Constitutes Brand Authenticity? 

Authentic brands are consistent in their messaging and in their product or service offerings. They don’t react to the latest trend or fad but instead focus on their core values and what makes them unique.

Authentic brands don’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, they create a niche for themselves by appealing to a specific audience.

An authentic brand doesn’t shy away from who they really are. Instead, they make their quirks and imperfections part of their identity.

They don’t try to be something they’re not in order to be accepted by the rest of the industry. They are confident in who they are and what they’re all about.

Why Is Brand Authenticity Important? 

Brand authenticity is more than just a buzzword. It has real marketing and business implications. Consistency in your brand is key to creating trust among customers, which is often difficult to earn but easy to lose.

Brand authenticity makes it easier for consumers to believe in your brand and to trust your company. Your brand has the power to make or break sales by influencing consumer perceptions.

The more genuine your brand feels, the more likely it is that consumers will buy from you.

To make the most of your brand, you need your target audience to believe in your authenticity. If they don’t, you risk losing them to your competition.

How To Achieve Authentic Branding Through Culture 

When thinking about authenticity, you may be tempted to think only about your brand’s outward-facing marketing efforts.

However, one of the best ways to achieve authentic branding through culture is by making sure your employees feel valued.

Employee satisfaction is key to a strong company culture. When employees are happy in their work, they are more likely to put in extra effort and stay with the company for longer.

This boosts productivity and creates positive brand perception among customers.

A positive company culture doesn’t happen by chance. Achieving it requires you to be deliberate about creating a workplace where employees feel valued.

A strong brand doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a sustained effort to keep the momentum going. When your employees feel valued, they are more likely to respect your brand and convey that feeling to your customers.

How To Achieve Authentic Branding Through Marketing Mix 

As we’ve discussed, one of the most important aspects of branding is consistency. When your marketing efforts are consistent and your product offerings stay true to your brand. Therefore you are more likely to be branded as authentic.

Your marketing efforts can be both inward-facing and outward-facing. How you market your products and services is a great way to show the world who you are and what you stand for.

When marketing efforts remain consistent, they help to reinforce your brand and create an authentic image. Your marketing mix can include everything from your social media strategy and website design to your product packaging.

Each plays a role in conveying your brand to the world. Your marketing efforts should be as genuine as your product or services. They should reflect the core values of your brand and the mission behind your company.

How To Achieve Authentic Branding Through Design 

Great design can boost your brand’s authenticity in a number of ways. It can help your target audiences visualize your products and become more excited about them.

It can also help you convey the core values of your brand and how your products solve problems for customers. Let’s take a look at two examples.

First, Toyota’s branding has always emphasized reliability and longevity. They’ve achieved this through consistent design elements and a simple but effective logo.

 Meanwhile, Apple’s branding has evolved significantly since its inception. However, each change has been designed to reinforce the company’s brand identity and core values.

Apple’s most recent branding change, which removed the Apple logo from product packaging and replaced it with a dark grey “signature,” has been widely discussed.

Consumers have speculated as to why Apple made this change and what it means for the company’s future.

How To Achieve Authentic Branding Through Advertising and PR 

Your advertising and PR efforts have a direct impact on your brand authenticity. They are a great way to reinforce your brand image and promote new products or services.

They are also a platform for you to show off your brand personality. Advertising and PR efforts are often the first contact that many customers have with your brand.

They help to shape consumer perceptions about your company and the products or services that you offer.

Advertising and PR efforts can be both inward-facing and outward-facing. They can be aimed at both your current customers and potential new ones.

Advertising and PR efforts can be as creative and authentic as you want them to be. They are a great place for you to channel your brand personality and show off your creativity.

What Is Brand Authenticity? – Bottom Line 

Branding isn’t something that you do once and forget about. It’s an ongoing process that requires you to remain authentic and relevant to your customers.

Your brand identity is something that takes time to develop and can be seriously damaged if you don’t take care of it. This is why it’s important to be deliberate about your branding efforts.

By incorporating brand authenticity into your marketing strategy, you can create a brand that resonates with consumers and makes sales easier.

For more information on brand authenticity check out my free training program called Build Your AU.

Register for the program here.

Helping you build your authenticity, authority and audience.

Trish Davies

Build Your AU