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Sometimes the things businesses say sound inauthentic to start with. Financial Times journalist Lucy Kellaway spent years picking out the worst examples. She quoted the Starbucks executive chairman announcing that new Starbucks roasteries were "delivering an immersive, ultra-premium, coffee-forward experience."
Even saying nothing can amplify a crisis. In September 2016 Yahoo acknowledged a 2014 data breach that exposed the accounts of 500 million users to hackers. Three months later they announced there was another breach from 2013 affecting one billion accounts. Nearly a year later in October 2017, Yahoo announced that the data breach affected all three billion of its customers. Company insiders knew all along.
Avoiding bullshit and sounding authentic is a start. But in a joined-up world being authentic is more difficult than ever – and AI is making it easier, whilst at the same time turning us all into sceptics.
Being authentic these days requires messaging that's flexible, but consistent enough across channels to be recognisable and relevant. It also means acting in ways that are consistent with the brand.
Brands that stick to their values, embody transparency and form personal connections with their followers are likely to succeed.
Some get it right. Nike does it well, from how it controls its identity to the way it engages comprehensively. It runs imaginative and compelling creative content across its social platforms and builds engagement with multiple audiences.
Some don't. Jaguar's decision to announce a radical reset of its brand received a lot of negative feedback. A CEO resigned. Was it because its statement of the future was so far away from current perceptions? Time will tell, but the total absence of 'Jaguarness' seemed inauthentic to many.
To a large extent, companies have lost control of their own story and in order to get it back they have to work harder to be their authentic selves, everywhere – online and off.
At Invicomm, we’re trying to help clients do just that. Our Brand Armour audit is a tool that allows marketers and corporate communications professionals to take a look at what they’re doing and calibrate how well they’re doing it.
The Brand Armour audit helps companies understand the strength of their corporate brand at a particular moment – it tests the key pieces, identifies any vulnerabilities, and assesses how seamlessly the moving parts join up.
What you get in a practical, concise report is a snapshot of your company's performance across Purpose, Messaging, Identity, Authenticity, Consistency and Engagement. Each is defined by a set of key criteria which is used to to determine a score.
You will be able to identify which areas are performing stronger than others and where to focus your communications efforts in order to better project and protect your brand and defend your reputation.
When it comes to Authenticity, it will help you answer questions like;
As part of our Brand Armour launch, we are offering companies the opportunity to choose two areas they feel will benefit from the audit. They can also request to be benchmarked against a competitor of their choice. We will conduct a complimentary assessment, together with a consultation to showcase our findings.
And when it comes to the full Brand Armour audit, all six areas will be assessed as well as additional competitor brands, giving companies an in-depth benchmark of the strength of their communications relative to their peers'.
Mark Garraway, Partner at Invicomm, says,
“Who do you trust these days? The world is full of disinformation, bots and deep fakes. Authenticity is about knowing who you're talking to. You only foster trust by being truthful and human. Those who build mutual understanding will win in the long term."
