- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 2
- 0
-
Sparkle (1)
Transparency, truth and being real, all the rage now and as it should be. This is not a new position or idea it’s just that people now are taking it a lot more seriously, when choosing who they want to align themselves with and invest in.
The web, online and social media platforms have forced this. There are so many predatory, unscrupulous and dishonest people ready to pounce that it’s really important for each of us to take our time getting to know people and NOT taking people at their face value immediately. We all need to spend time building that “like, know and trust” factor. We simply need to be authentic all the time now for that to happen.
I have always been fascinated with the phrase “perception is reality” because it’s so true. What people perceive is what they think, and it is based on what they are being shown or told. So, presenting ourselves authentically in person and online consistently from the beginning can ward off a bad impression being your last.
There is no clear origin of this phrase that I could find, other than it coming from the Gestalt School of psychology and thought from Germany in the 1920′s. It basically say’s what you see or hear about something is what you end up believing about it.
We build our brand and branding authenticity through consistency, leadership and legacy. We deliver our brand promise and through people we serve.
A few of my thoughts on this, as there is so much mumbo jumbo and psycho-babble out there that is more confusing then clear.
- Brand Authenticity is that you are who say you say you are consistently over time. Your value statement really doesn’t change, but the ways you deliver that value may.
- Branding Consistency is demonstrating and articulating a unified message using all of the ways you can to communicate, deliver, and engage with your core.
- Brand Leadership is your commitment to tangible activities within your industry, community and the world you live and work in to make it a better place. Sponsorships, partnerships, collaborations, synergies.
- Branding Legacy is how you leave a lasting impression of your value that lives on and through others. How you share the results, benefits, impact that your brand has made and tell it through your brand story.
Some examples that jump out for me that have accomplished this brand and branding formula are:
Comedic genius Bob Hope entertained our men and women in the military for years with his USO tours.
Comedic entertainer Jerry Lewis had his MDA Jerry’s kids.
The Oprah Winfrey Show 25 years of bringing difficult and previously unspoken about issues and challenges to the public and her school for girls in Africa.
Cocoa-Cola’s partnership with the Olympics and Special Olympics.
Apple’s IPhone technology has made our cell phones into mutli-purpose entertainment and communication centers.
Google has revolutionize web data gathering, management and usability
Facebook has given people from anywhere in the world a central meeting and gathering place to connect, interact and find each other.If perception is reality, then why not be who you really are from the beginning?
Makes NO sense to waste time not being who you are.
It's simply a short lived approach that will not only fail but will probably brand you forever as a phony. In our current business world that would be a tough and possibly irreparable image to repair. Why bother?
How do you nurture and deliver your authenticity?
Who do you emulate?
