authentic: adj. genuine; authoritative; true; entitled to acceptance; of established credibility; (of writing) trustworthy; as setting forth real facts…authenticity n. the quality of being true or in accordance with fact; genuineness (Chambers 13th ed.)

In today’s post-truth era, emotional appeals wield greater influence over public opinion than objective facts. The shift is epitomised by figures like Trump in the US, and movements such as the 2016 Brexit campaign in the UK. But post-truth is not simply spin or “alternative facts”, it is about a collective negation of truth in favour of emotional connection.

Declining consumer trust is just one product of the post-truth era. For marketers, the “death” of advertising has been long foretold, and the decline in both print and television (traditionally reliant on ad revenues) are clear consequences of this. With politicians and media moguls crafting their own versions of reality, discerning consumers are increasingly looking towards brands that demonstrate honesty, integrity, and values that fall in line with their own.

What is brand authenticity?

Authenticity is the essential component for brand success. It is about having everything that the modern consumer is looking for: honesty, integrity and clearly articulated values that reflect their own. The bottom line for business is, “if a brand isn’t trustworthy, when choice is available it’ll be rejected in favour of one that is.” (Pillot de Chenecey, 2018).

There has been a huge influx of “maker” brands over the past decade – or perhaps simply a heightened awareness of them – some of which have quickly become household names. The best example of this for me is the so-called “craft” beer movement, in particular the company BrewDog, which from its humble beginnings in Fraseburgh, Scotland, grew to a global brand allegedly worth over £1.8 billion in 2018.

Localisation is often cited as the tonic to globalisation, and it has been a successful approach for many maker brands. Recently, brands such as McDonald’s and Coca Cola have adopted localisation tactics to increase their own authenticity. For BrewDog, the small (local) scale of its original mission: two young guys pitting themselves against the “industrially brewed lagers and stuffy ales that dominated the UK beer market”, was the key to its success.

BrewDog had something that the likes of Carlsberg, Heineken, and Carling did not have: they had a story that the average drinker could relate to – something honest, genuine and – ultimately – trustworthy.

The importance of a brand “story”

Defeating post-truth irreverence of your brands means going back to basics. Why was the organisation established in the first place? What problems did it aim to solve? Who was it trying to help and why? If it has changed drastically, then what were the reasons for this? What are the brand’s core values and does it aim to live and die by them?

Let’s take a look at BrewDog’s website and their “About” section (often ignored by organisations). What makes this special is that it doesn’t offer a stuffy corporate history about who did what and when, or how successful they are. An authentic brand needs to relate to the consumer – it’s about personal connection.

So why does this work so well?

• The use of first names immediately connects the brand with real people – not the brand name. People like people!
• Their struggle is relate-able; the consumer can empathise with it. Bad beer is miserable, good beer makes you happy, and we can applaud them for fixing it themselves and not waiting around for someone else to do it!
• They acknowledge their roots. Everyone has to start somewhere, and they are proud of it! Again, something we can all relate to.
• They show integrity: their mission is no different now than it was 10 years ago. And it is not about making money, it’s about making great beer.

From accusations of “selling out”, to satirically pink beer for women, to various shock tactics targeting rival firms, BrewDog is no stranger to controversy. But whether you love or hate their style, co-founder James Watt’s desire to “break free from the mundane, risk-averse, colourless templates” of the corporate world remains integral to the brand.

Create Communications with Meaning

Your brand is unique. Nobody has the same story to tell. No other brand has exactly the same passion, experience, or motivations. This fact should lie at the heart of all your communications, whether it’s the “about” page of your website, your social media conversations, or your sales patter.

Advertising is dying because it only offers one-way communication. Successful relationships require two-way communication, and this is exactly what discerning buyers want – indeed, expect – in a post-truth world. And like any relationship, the other person can tell when you’re not really listening!

If you don’t genuinely care about, and act on, what your consumers think, they will see through any attempts at authenticity. It is not enough to say what you mean, you have to mean what you say.

Defeating post-truth is about accepting all that is great about it – the appeal to the emotions, to lived human experience. But it is also about making truth great again (in a way Trump never could!). So be political, stand up for what your brand believes in and aim to build a following around your shared values. From this, trust and credibility will soon follow.