Authenticity - should you want it?

How do you go from gaslighting to authentic? You just let a year pass. At least Merriam Webster, America’s oldest and most respected dictionary publisher did and made the leap from manipulation to genuineness - in their choice of Word of the Year, that is.

‘Gaslighting’ won the accolade in 2022, and ‘authentic’ a year later. Both are interesting enough to merit an article of their own, but this one focuses on the latter. (To get a good idea of how the former works, watch the 1944 movie Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman.)

What does ‘authentic’ mean? Is it just a buzzword like, say, synergy? Or a word with so many definitions that its meaning is never clear? And can you even be authentic in the first place? Don’t we all just adopt and play roles à la “All the world’s a stage…”? That’s five questions right off the bat so, clearly, there’s a lot to say about the topic. And I’ll add a sixth: what does authenticity mean in marketing? Right, what do you say we dive in? There, question number seven!

What authentic means

Merriam Webster defines ‘authentic’ as not being false or an imitation of something, but also as being true to your character or personality, as well as something that conforms to an original. Both an object and a person can be authentic. Recipes, exhibits, buildings. Your neighbour, your boss, you. Again, both sets are worth covering, but I’m going to opt for people. Maybe not so much your neighbour or your boss as any hypothetical average person. You know, like John and Jane Doe in the States.

The phrase “Be true to yourself” sounds corny, but only because it’s not original. That, though, doesn’t make it any less, well, true. It’s pretty cool when you can always act genuinely, without putting on a front or, perhaps even more annoying, airs. When you’re honest and trustworthy, practise what you preach, that sort of thing. It’s a quality that deserves praise and approval. So while the word ‘authentic’ gets thrown around a lot willy-nilly, you shouldn’t think of it as a buzzword. Buzzwords are like trends, they come and go. Your essence, however, isn’t a fad. Or if it is, you’re not authentic. Many of us aren’t, often in spite of ourselves.

Why it’s tough to be authentic

Social media has a lot to answer for. Who doesn’t like likes and followers? And we all know ways to increase their number. Posting a quote, a meme or a cat video will do the trick, even if everyone’s heard, seen and watched them oh so many times before. A lot of such content is annoying, but it causes no real harm. Also, some people truly believe that “Emotion is energy in motion” is the pinnacle of wisdom. To you something like that may sound trite and daft, but the fact they’re not pretending is commendable. That’s how they express their authenticity, and who knows, maybe emotion is energy in motion. Either way, it’s when whatever is going on in your Facebook, X and LinkedIn feeds pressurises you into conforming to expectations and standards that things get serious. And you may well find yourself on the slippery slope towards not just inauthenticity but a life lived in fear of judgement and rejection.

We all seek validation. It’s nice to be recognized and valued - for your authentic self. Well, again, a distinction, or rather, a caveat is in order: authenticity is not intrinsically good. A habitual liar telling the truth isn’t actually true to their nature, they’re being inauthentic. But for now let’s stick with authenticity seen as a virtue, something to strive for. Feeling a constant need to imitate or please others won’t get you there. Still, it’s easy to see why most of us have the desire to be like other, seemingly successful / intelligent / beautiful people. And this time, social media is not to blame, it’s just that it happens to be the perfect tool to abuse this desire.

Conformity starts in childhood. Pink for girls and blue for boys might be passé, but even if you take gender out of the equation, there’s still plenty that can create a lot of baggage for you to carry around for long stretches of your life, if not forever. Just a few examples: what you’re told success is, what you’re taught beauty is, what you’re expected to do to gain approval. You grow up around people telling you what is and isn’t acceptable, teaching you right from wrong like it’s no biggie. Not complying can lead to you being criticised, judged, ostracised. Should you be surprised, then, that bias, insecurity and irrationality become your constant companions?

But enough doom and gloom. My point, really, is that authenticity is a bit of an elusive concept. Many people portray a perfect image - as if there’s such a thing as ‘perfect’ - and an idealised version of themselves. These are not authentic selves, though, and as such not worth imitating - assuming that your goal is to be as authentic as you can get. And I think it should be because, once again, whoever likes fake people? Or fake companies, for that matter.

Authenticity in marketing

You thought ‘authenticity’ was a buzzword? How about ‘brand identity’ then? To be fair, it’s been around long enough for us to accept that it’s here to say. It stopped buzzing long ago. Still, many people outside marketing start rolling their eyes whenever it’s mentioned. Add the word ‘true’, as in “a brand’s true identity”, and they’re ready to run for the door. But as always, it’s not the words you should find fault with but how they’re used and what they’re expected to mean.

At the risk of coming across as a cynic - or a realist? - I’ll say that the primary goal of any business is to earn money. Mission statements, corporate vision and core values are all well and good, but nobody has ever founded a company just to coin a business motto. So, generating profit comes first, and mission, vision and co. are only supposed to help that along. What sets an organisation apart is how it does that, and this is where authenticity comes into play.

Much like a person, a business shouldn’t tell lies. Or make promises it doesn’t intend to keep. Or claim it’s transparent while hiding something. It ought to be authentic, in the sense that it’s trustworthy, whether or not what it offers is something original - the other meaning of the word. Given that there are myriads of brands with similar offerings in pretty much any sector, originality is a bit of a pipe dream. But a business that puts its money where its mouth is is bound to do well - assuming it has a product or service that there’s some demand for - because customers love a company that acts on its values. Saying you’re going to do something won’t cut it, but as soon as you deliver, they’ll appreciate you.

There’s all this talk about companies creating connections with their customers. Building a relationship, even. Sure, they want to reach their audience, so connecting is inevitable. But have you ever heard anyone say, “I have a great relationship with Apple / Microsoft / my brand of choice.” It would sound odd, don’t you think? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a relationship with Netflix, I’m quite happy to just watch stuff on their platform. Beware of the company that would have you believe there’s more to life than repeat business. Chances are they’re gaslighting you.