What Consumers Really Want
Managers cannot subjectively judge that what is authentic.
The things which are authentic to you may not be authentic to your customers
(Gilmore, JH, & Pine, IBJ, 2010).
After an analysis of numerous article views studying consumer psychology and authenticity, I find that consumers are in fact seeking multiple aspects when they seek authenticity.
I mainly summarize three different aspects:
the objective (imperfect) reality, self-identity, and authentic experience.
1. Objective (imperfect) Reality
A survey found that 60% of consumers (and 70% of Millennials) said social content from friends and family impacts their purchasing decisions - while only 23% said celebrity influencer content was impactful. In fact, 60% of consumers said user-generated content (UGC) is the most authentic form of content – 3X more authentic than brand-created content (Cassidy,2017).
It proves that compare with perfect ads or overly produced digital experiences, most consumers prefer imperfect and organic information.
A lot of brands are committed to looking perfect, but they ignore consumer voices. As Robertson, managing director at Tour operator Busabout pointed out, “I just don't think that's the next stage in marketing. They are not embracing the real authentic story about their brand and how it exists in a consumer's life.” (Salim, 2017)
Brands must be honest
From this point of view, being honest is an important weapon of attracting consumers. In fact, traditional marketing is inherently insincere. It co-opts trends, capitalizes on breaking news, mimics popular vernacular, and glamorizes the mundane to make consumers believe that products can solve their problems. But in today’s cultural context, these slick and sensational tactics don’t work (Tracking wonder, n.d.).
It seems to make sense. However, does keeping authenticity necessarily mean “filter-free image sharing” and “unmodified content”? The answer might be “no”. In other words, keeping the "absolute" honesty seems not enough.
2. Self-identity
From the attitude conveyed by the brand, consumers can also get a certain sense of authenticity that they pursue--it is authenticity related to self-enrichment (Pattuglia et al., 2017).
Reasons are as what Deloitte stated: in uncertain times, characterized by the perceived and real dissolution of national borders, the decreasing importance of religion, a declining integration into local societies and exponentially advancing technology, many humans experience a deficit of available identity anchors. People seek authentic experiences in their daily lives. This search is developing into a fundamental human endeavor and includes consumption and brand relationships.
However, for some brands, sometimes providing consistent brand values for consumers may mean abandoning objective reality.
For example， the mission of The Walt Disney Company is about “entertaining, informing and inspiring people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling”. In this case, consumers can feel more authenticity of Disney spirit from fantasy-driven, perfected images posted by the brand, rather than images of “candid snapshots of long lines, tired toddlers, or sweating parents” （Moore, 2021）.
thus it can be seen that sometimes for a company with a larger-than-life brand，objective reality may not be a good choice. However, it doesn't mean an abandonment of brand authenticity. As Herminia Ibarra said in her speech about “authentic leaders”, authenticity usually means loyalty to yourself--not yourself from yesterday or today, but yourself whom you want to be in the future (Ibarra, 2018). For brands, Moore (2021) has a similar view: being authentic is to be true to your personality or spirit, not necessarily true to objective reality.
Brands need clear and consistent values
From this point, consumers want to feel the clear values of the brand which they can resonate with. In fact, younger shoppers were more favorably inclined toward brands that supported their values and politics: roughly half of the millennials (52%) and Gen Xers (48%) wanted retailers to align with their values (Stering, 2018).
Except for seeking these two kinds of authenticity, consumers also seek another "inevitable" authenticity.
3. Authentic experience
“There is no such thing as an inauthentic experience. ”
Currently, the world is transforming from the service economy to the experience economy. Consumers are looking for real experiences, such as theme restaurants, experiential retail, boutique hotels, etc. For consumers, the experience happens inside, so there is no inauthentic experience. This kind of authenticity is becoming a new feeling for consumers, and it is becoming a new consumer sensitivity —— the standard for consumers to "choose whom to buy from". (Pine, 2004)
Forrester’s 2018 Customer Experience Index found that the way an experience makes customers feel has a bigger influence on brand loyalty than any other factor. It might be because that today’s affluent customer in developed economies has become more interested in the quality of life (doing things) than material wealth (owning things) (Gilmore, JH, & Pine, IBJ, 2010).
In fact, according to Foresight Factory (2018), the ephemeral experience has become an acceptable capitalist asset; it cannot be quantified or valued, yet it signifies authenticity, individuality, and solidifies personal positioning in the realm of the fascinating.
Brands need to advertise with the consumer experience (not ads)
Therefore, for brands, “the number one thing to do when it comes to being what you say you are, is to provide places for people to experience who you are. For people to experience who you are. Right, it's not advertising does it.” (Pine, 2004)
For example, Starbucks doesn't advertise: they provide the brewing of that coffee with their special ambiance, and because of that authentic experience, consumers feel who Starbucks is.
I believe you feel that authenticity is so complex. For consumers, it often means different things in different situations. In fact, as Dropulić and Došen (2021) said, there are more kinds of authenticity that consumers seek: such as natural and organic products, historical and cultural values.
For brands, what challenges does this complexity of authenticity bring?