Is Your Brand 24 Karat or Fool’s Gold?
The Power of An Authentic Brand
Pyrite, more commonly known as fool's gold, has the potential to create quite a frenzy. At first glance, it can spark immediate visions of great wealth and success. Yet, simple field tests and analysis can identify fool’s gold for what it is—a farce, a valueless gem.
In this digital age, we’ve witnessed a similar rush toward ideas, products and brands that promised the moon but were ultimately discovered to be hollow marketing ploys.
The unfortunate thing is that sometimes it is the actual pursuit of being seen as relevant and authentic that causes a brand to lose credibility. Remember The North Face debacle of 2019? The North Face marketing team had the clever idea of inserting branded photos from exotic locations on Wikipedia entries for those places. Certainly, the strategy seemed to align with their brand personality—that The North Face is associated with outdoor-adventure enthusiasts. The problem is that the image insertions were seen as a contrived, manipulative tactic to promote The North Face apparel, not an effort to feature the destination itself or promote the great outdoors. They were ultimately exposed as advertisements in disguise.
Earlier this year, the Edelman Trust Barometer found that, “business is the only institution seen as competent and ethical” at a 62% trust level, with trust in nonprofits falling behind at 59%.
In other words, many of the very institutions that were once pillars of our society no longer withstand the authenticity test. What they claim to be no longer aligns with what they actually do. Trust has been broken at the foundational level.
What about your organization’s brand? 24 karat or fool’s gold?
Any brand is built through experiences. It becomes known for delivering an expectation—good or bad. It is a collection of perceptions, or a brand reputation, formed by every communication, action and interaction. That means every social media post, news release, partnership, product and project must align.
Authenticity matters. It’s critical that you are authentic to your brand, beliefs and voice. Your organization’s brand should be an authentic reflection of the products and services you offer, and those products and services should reflect the brand.
So how can a brand be authentic?
Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
Know who you are. Being authentic starts with knowing who you are and making sure your team is in agreement on your brand and how to communicate it well. A brand identity snapshot is a great place to start.
Show who you are. Avoid formulaic, corporate-sounding, overly polished language. Your communications strategy —and any communication within it—should reflect the organization’s voice and tone in a real and compassionate manner, always limiting jargon. And remember, actions often speak louder than words. Sometimes the most powerful message can be found in a spontaneous, candid moment of your ministry in action.
Stay on track. Your organization has a goal, mission and purpose behind achieving your ministry objectives. Staying on message is like following train tracks to effectively reach that goal. Every time organizations venture into topics and issues that are “off message,” you risk derailing your brand. You lose power, authority and weight when you are not authentic, or you wade into topics that are not part of your expertise.
Remember whose you are. Maintain the right perspective. Be courageous and forthright in owning who you are and what you believe, even if it is difficult. In this divisive and aggressive landscape, critics abound. Be faithful to your mission and rest in knowing your ministry is called by God during this specific time for this specific purpose.
Today, people are savvier than ever before in sniffing out fool’s gold. Being authentic starts with knowing who you are, then ensuring your team knows how to communicate it properly.