Tuesday 31 July 2018

Beyond hype and hoopla - the case for brand authenticity

Everything is marketed. Everything is a 'brand'. Everything (uh okay, almost everything) has a price attached to it. No wonder, then, hype and hoopla herald everything. 

In the cacophonous marketplace that our world has become, it's just not enough to stand out; it's important to beat your chest and be shrill and in-your-face. So, whether it's a product or a persona, it's all about positioning and preening. Look around you and you will see what I mean... newspaper front page real estate has been sold to advertising, gimmicky marketing is the order of the day and if you don't have a business or personal platform (read website, social media page etc.), you are persona non grata !

As a professional communicator and brand promoter, this should be music in my life! But, truly, in my book honest-to-goodness authenticity wins hands down. Now, I'm not suggesting that we don't get out there to market our wares, or talk about them or put them up for all to see. But, what definitely riles me up is to promote and position that which isn't. And, in the rat-race for getting a toe ahead, we often fall into the trap of plugging and hyping to an extent that it borders on the false. 

This is the one thing that I want to put out there for professionals, or anyone, for that matter. It is important to advertise, but it's more important to be authentic. At the core of anything you market - whether it's a product or an idea or your own persona - is credibility. Credibility, or authenticity, is a baseline component of a brand's value. It is credibility that sustains long after the hype has blown over. The return footfalls, the repeat visits, the recurring inflows happen on the basis of the sheer solidity, quality and premise of what you have to offer. Hype gets in the first-time visitors, what makes them stick is the promise made good.

So much of what goes around today has little or no substance, and it is tempting (and easy!) to 'keep up with the Jones' in this regard. But, gradually, we are building a bubble society and economy and it will burst badly one day. It's not difficult to sell something that's great, but it sure is difficult to keep something poor going just on the basis of hype.   

Set up a great website, do the snazzy advertising, but only when you can put your hand on your heart and vouch for the values your products - or you - stand for!

Suggested reading:
Forbes >>>Steve Olenski/2015/09/15/ Brand value what it means....Forbes.com>Steve Olenski: brand value what it means...
   

4 comments:

  1. Amen, sister! No wonder we worked so well together. :)

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  2. So true about being authentic in your actions and words! And I too very strongly feel that the bubble of hype and hoopla will burst sooner than soon. Very nicely summed up article on all that in print and media today. Thank you for sharing it.

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    1. Thanks, Rita. Glad it resonated with you😊

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