Authentic Marketing – Are You Doing It Wrong?

I wanted to beat the word “authentic” like a red-headed step child. When I first started writing this post a few weeks ago, I was ready to rip that word a new asshole. Seriously, I was locked and loaded while poor, unsuspecting “authentic” had a big bold bulls-eye on its head.

The concept of authentic has been overused and abused so badly, little remains of its former self. Internet marketers have juiced their copy up with the word like it was anabolic steroids. Self-proclaimed marketing experts insist that authenticity is the magic bullet into consumers’ pockets.

My original post didn’t get very far. The reason being I quickly realized I could think of no other word to replace it. Ugh! This pissed me off to no end.

Honesty? Newp. Transparency? Fail.

So I dug through its etymology:

mid-14c., “authoritative,” from O.Fr. autentique (13c.), from M.L. authenticus, from Gk. authentikos “original, genuine, principal,” from authentes “one acting on one’s own authority,” from autos “self” + hentes “doer, being.” Sense of “entitled to acceptance as factual” is first recorded mid-14c.

According to Princeton’s online modern dictionary, the definition for authentic is “undisputed credibility.”

It has a more estoteric meaning and is deeply engrained in the self-help, life coaching and psychology industries. Here its meaning almost goes back to its earlier roots of “self” + “being.”

But all these beautiful definitions have been rendered meaningless by misuse. Or have they…

The topic came up last night during the Tribal Dialects class (omg don’t miss another, we had a BLAST, sign up in the big yellow box so you’ll get the next invite). I mentioned my strong dislike of the word and Peter Crowell asked me what my word for “authentic” was. I had to admit to everyone my failure to find a suitable replacement.

So what do we do?

Collectively we have the power to define our own language.

Truth is, I used to really like the word. It meant something special…profound, even…to me.

For the purposes of self development, being authentic is about being true to yourself, not anyone else. And if you’re trying to be your “true self” to everyone else whilst ignoring your own inner journey, I’m sorry but you’ve missed the point entirely. You’ll only get to the heart of being your true self when you are true to yourself. Not anyone else. (Yes I know I’m repeating myself but this is important!) As I’ve said before and I’ll say many, many times again…just be who you be and screw the rest.

But can we just pah-lease stop mixing in the pretense of being “your true self” with trying to sell other people your shite?  Because in my book that’s pretty fucking inauthentic, amongst many other things.

For the purposes of marketing, I believe Seth Goldmine Godin says it best “Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not ‘being who you are.’”

With marketing, everything needs to be measurable. This is an unchanging truth. “Being” is not something I can gauge. How the hell am I supposed to know if you’re being your true self?  I don’t even know if I give a crap, honestly. I’ve had a couple long term relationships where I was never sure if they were being their true self (in fact most of the time I hoped and prayed they were not).

However, if you say you’re going to do something if I give you my monies…that’s quite measurable. It’s the only expectation I have when I buy someone’s product. This is authentic marketing, following through on your promises…not telling everyone the truth about that scar on your upper thigh.

So I encourage those of you who love the word to reclaim it from the hands of misguided marketing “experts” and copy writers.

But for us guise here? I think the only way to use it properly is to develop a super sekret code word for “authentic.” Don’t you agree? I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t love a sekret code word?

Okay…you ready? You SURE no one’s looking right? This. Is. Sekret!

See-Thru Purple Panties = Authentic (WIN!)

And if you intend to tweet an authentically-you tweet, please use #STPP so we all know that this is the REAL you and not some cheap imitation of you.

That is all. Oh! And I love you.