Authenticity: the new consumer sensibility

by Reena Kapoor

An excellent talk on TED by Joseph Pine on What Consumers Really Want. He talks about how we've evolved from economy that was based on commodities, to goods, to services and now its about creating and selling experience.  In this context, authenticity is the new consumer sensibility and it's what consumers want to experience.  We're hearing this with social networking/web 2.0 taking off as well.  But the question remains: what is authenticity and how do we (as businesses) render it effectively?

Joseph Pine very wisely points out that rendering authenticity, while it is the new business imperative, is about creating an experience that the consumer considers authentic -- and not necessarily is intrinsically authentic. And in this regard, businesses need to understand their ability to render authenticity on TWO very important axes:

• Inner-directed Authenticity: How true they are to themselves i.e., knowing who you are, your past heritage, brand character and equities that you stand for; for example Disney is about "family values" and their business decisions (including new acquisitions) should keep this in mind

• Outer-directed Authenticity:  Are they (the business) who they say they are i.e., to consumers, do they deliver what is promised; this is about false promises (positioning that you cannot deliver on) that companies make in ads which they don't deliver on

His advice to business in delivering authenticity are THREE simple rules:

1. Don't say you're authentic unless you really are

2. It's easier to be authentic if you don't say you're authentic

3. If you claim you're authentic, then you better be...

Enjoy the video.