Authenticity is so magical that even though there is no universal definition in academia, everyone believes it.
However, I think authenticity is so fascinating precisely because of its complexity: authenticity is essentially something related to people and spirit, and is related to "who I am" and "whom I want to be". Of course, for brands, in addition to clarifying the brand purpose and brand spirit ("Who Am I"), it is equally important to present authenticity to consumers.

​

However, regarding authenticity, there is always a cognitive gap between brand and consumer, which is why consumers' ideas are so important.

​

We have learned that consumers want to understand the objective reality of the brand; They want to achieve self-identification through brand value, and they want to experience, but not just purchase.

​

The above indicates that consumers not only want to buy products from brands but more importantly, they meet some of their spiritual and emotional needs through consumption.

 

In different situations, different consumers pursue different things. However, brands often do not understand their consumer groups enough, leading to misleading practices. In the past, scholars’ discussions on authenticity were mostly too broad and did not target specific consumer groups, resulting in a gap between theory and practice.

​

​

​

To study authenticity is to study human nature

under different cultural backgrounds!

 

​

​

​

In this case,  I began to study a specific group of Chinese gen-z girls. after observations, interviews, and the creative workshop with the prototype testing, I learned about the inner world of 8 gen-z girls from different cities and different industries.

​

​

​

A  surprising finding is that the elders who were seen as opinion leaders under the Chinese traditional background seem to be no longer trusted.

​

 

Now, Chinese gen-z groups tend to think that young people are more real and they trust young people more.
In the investigation, I seem to see the close connection and contradiction between young girls and traditional Chinese culture and concepts. In fact, I found that their distrust of their elders reflects their distrust of some Chinese traditions or other things.

 

Based on this, I got more interesting and strange discoveries.

​

​

​

Let's recap:

1. Authenticity means emotional communication, not persuasion. Due to the moral requirements of traditional Chinese culture, elders seem to be ashamed to communicate with young people on an equal footing, which leads young people to desperately desire emotional connection. The Chinese gen-z girl group is so emotional: even if you are so persuasive, when they can't feel you, they won't obey your authority. This means that brands need an abandon God's perspective.

​

2. Authenticity may mean disharmony / non-mainstream. The Chinese gen-z girl group is breaking through the restrictions on traditional Chinese qualities such as "unity" and "unity", and they believe that harmony sometimes might mean compromise to a uniform standard. Living by the same standard is not true, and they think that the views of bright and non-mainstream views are more true. This means that brands need to be bolder to convey their views.

​

3. Consistency of identity is the core of authenticity. Here we see the nuanced review of authenticity by the Chinese gen-z girl group: you must behave consistently all the time in different situations before they will think you are authentic. However, the excessive pursuit of authority makes identity consistency more difficult-this is also the reason why this group began to distrust the elders. For brands, the easier way to be authentic is just say what you actually do and stop pretending.

​

4. Moderate social distancing is necessary. Different from the value of hospitality in traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese gen-z girl group believes that being too enthusiastic and hospitable might mean being hypocritical and deliberate. Many brands have wrestled in this regard— —It seems not feasible for brands to superficially add some of China's traditional ethics to brand values ​​in an attempt to win the favor of consumers. Chinese generation-z girls pay more attention to personal real feelings. Therefore, sincerity is the ultimate password for authenticity.

 

 

These findings let us understand one thing: authenticity from the perspective of different consumer groups is closely related to their cultural background and life experience. On the topic of authenticity, please don't be lazy-there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Trying to understand who you are and who your consumers are, is a long-term project for brands.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​By the way, find more literature in the museum if you are interested.