The Commoditization of Authenticity in Marketing

I’ve had several conversations recently with business owners grappling with how to be authentic in their marketing. It’s what everyone is touting as the thing you have to do now — be authentic, be vulnerable, be real. Sadly, “authentic marketing” has gained buzzword status, and with its rise in popularity, I believe some people are missing the mark entirely. Why is that?

Here’s my $0.02.

Somewhere along the way we’ve equated authenticity with vulnerability, and not only that, but we also have a very narrow view of what it means to be authentic. We assume in order to be effective, we have to bare our souls and share our deepest secrets. For some, that feels true, therefore it’s effective. But for others, sharing about their childhood wounds and limiting beliefs feels incongruent at best and disingenuous at worst.

For example, I understand coaches and therapists who share about their own personal struggles and triumphs as a way to connect with their audience. It makes sense. But I have to bridge a much larger cognitive gap, say, if my favorite ice cream shop suddenly starts talking about personal obstacles in the name of authentic marketing. (Stark contrast I know, but hang in there with me.)

That isn’t to say that the ice cream shops of the world cannot participate in authentic marketing. It’s that we need to widen our perspective on what it means to be authentic.

So where is that line?

I think this has a large part to do with the level of intimacy your brand has with your clients. The nature of a coaching relationship is quite intimate, so it would make sense to open up the container and form a bond with potential clients by sharing part of your story first. It’s a way to connect. But no matter how deep your love for ice cream might be, the level of intimacy you have with your coach or therapist is undeniably deeper than what you would have with your neighborhood ice cream shop.

The moment we attempt to manufacture our message with the intent to be perceived as authentic is the moment we begin to diverge from true authenticity.

True authenticity doesn’t worry about the perception of others. It merely is. For it to be authentic, you share because your soul tells you to, not because you yearn for others to deem your actions as authentic for you.

It’s about knowing when (if at all) to share. If you’ve journeyed through a difficult situation, check in with where you are in the healing process. What is your intent in sharing? Is the wound raw enough that you are seeking affirmation, validation, answers? Perhaps now is not the time to share. Allow yourself to be healed — and then share — if you so choose. Don’t prematurely share in the name of vulnerability, only to use that as a diversion from dealing with (and healing) on your own.

Another way to discern that line is to ask yourself: How will sharing this bolster my overall brand story?

All of this comes back to wise discernment and a strong sense of self and purpose. The moment you start to question: Will other people like this? That’s a sign to pull back and ask the deeper, truer question: Is this really what my soul is asking me to share?

Authenticity is an unyielding dedication to present to the external world who you are internally. It’s leaning all the way into the fullness of who you are.

For brands, authenticity is following through with actions that uphold your values and confirm your messaging. It doesn’t mean following the “shoulds” or sharing things outside your comfort level and unaligned with your brand in order to fit a narrow definition of “authentic”.

You will never be authentic if you continue to look outside yourself for answers.

And herein lies my most foundational belief: Where there’s truth, there’s strength.

For those people and brands who are unquestionably authentic, it’s because they’ve walked into the soul excavation process of unearthing their truth with eyes wide open. They know that when they can anchor into the truth that fuels their entire being, they tap into a limitless well of strength that can withstand the distractions that aim to knock them off of their path.

In order to be authentic, you have to be willing to have an honest relationship with yourself, and you have to be in communication with your soul. New to this idea? Here are some reading recommendations to spark a dialogue:

Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
Rooting Up by Emily Soccorsy & Justin Foster
Crossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte

I do believe in the power of authentic marketing, but it’s not really authentic marketing if you are overly consumed with how it will be received and therefore spend your efforts on backwards engineering how to produce a desired result.

When you are being your truest self, when you share in a way that is the essence of authenticity, you are tapping into a Universal truth that isn’t always perceived in our conscious minds, but is felt in our subconscious. That feeling breeds connection and that continuity builds trust.

The secret ingredient in all of this: Just be wholly, unabashedly, fully you.