The Rising Importance of Authenticity in Marketing
Authenticity can be what makes or breaks a brand in today’s market. Studies show that Millenials and Gen Z prefer brands and companies that are authentic and real rather than those that seem perfectly put together. Here are three questions for businesses to answer to help build an authentic brand:
- What does the company do?
- How do they do it?
- Why do they do it
Most companies can articulate what they do and what they sell, but only a few can show how their values and processes bring value to the consumer.
Putting ‘Why’ at The Center
Being able to identify the ‘why’ is what differentiates successful brands from the rest. Brands must align everything within their business with their ‘why’ purpose. These brands focus on building relationships with their customers instead of just trying to generate sales. Companies that align with their values tend to bring in stronger customer appeal.
Crafting a ‘Why’ Statement
To effectively craft a ‘why’ statement, companies must be able to identify its core purpose. Furthermore, this purpose must be able to be articulated clearly and concisely. Most times, companies outline several purposes but have difficulty narrowing down on the underlying purpose of their business. To discover a company’s ‘why’, look for common themes and identify the core similarity that makes them work together.
Building Authentic Strategies That Embody the ‘Why’
By determining a strong ‘why’ statement, it should become easier for businesses to make decisions straightforwardly and consistently. It is important to place a company’s identity into words because it will be easier to run ideas and processes by ensuring that everything done aligns with the goal.
Read more about Leading With Why at forbes.com