In an insighful paper, « Being authentic, it is simple but not easy« , Geoff Marlow discusses the question for a brand’s company to be authentic. I invite everybody interested in that question to read and benefit from this paper.

To my turn, even if I share largely most of this parers content, I would say exactly the contrary. For a company, to be authentic is easy but not simple.

Being authentic is easy …

In fact, the question of the company’s authenticity can be easily solved. We need only to question what is (or should be) a company’s brand.

In fact, nothing is easier than distinguishing the authenticity or the unauthenticity of a brand. An unauthentic brand is a question of (bad, deceitful) marketing whereas a (real) brand cannot be unauthentic.

What is a brand?. It involves 3 simple but very engaging componants:

1. The promise a company makes to its market,

2. A promise that the company is able to deliver

3 A promise that the company will continuously endeavor to deliver.

In fact, far from being a mere marketing tool (like it is too often the case), a brand is and would be the pure extract (in wine we speak of Spirit) of the company, the exact expression of the company reality.

… but not simple.

Once taken into account, this definition of a brand, all the work is to be done. A triple work considering each of the three components of what a real brand has to be:

1. Define the promise you (as a company or as an individual) want and can make to your market or environement, considering with humility (which doesn’t forbide you to be ambitius) your abitlities and competencies,

2. Marshall and align all your organization, strenghts and ressources to the delivery of your promise,

3. Continuously compass and magnet your actions and decisions on this promise and continuously endeavor to honour this promise, the only way to gain your clients and your ecosytem’s counterparts confidence.

That is clearly not simple but highly entrepreneurial exiting and profitably rewarding.

So be real, be authentic ….or don’t be

You can deve into this invitation by reading this article « Etre authentique ou ne pas être » – Its english version can be accessed by selecting « English » in the « Select language » window.