Maintaining Authenticity in the Digital Age

 Social media has irrevocably reshaped how people communicate. Now, through digital communication, ideas can spread at greater speeds and over a larger range than ever before. In addition, potential consumers expose themselves to more new ideas than they can conceivably retain. In this new context social media users must be selective about which ideas are worth further attention. Similarly, businesses and advertisers must be careful to convey their ideas in more engaging ways if they want them to be successful. For successful communication to occur, where social media users choose to engage with and spread an idea, the message needs to appeal to a vital trait, authenticity.

In his TED Talk, author Simon Sinek underlines the importance for authenticity with his communication model. According to his theory, most potential leaders when trying to convey their message emphasize the result (which in most cases is money) and explain a strategy to convince people of their effectiveness. What separates successful leaders is that they are primarily focused on the core belief that drives them (or as Sinek calls it, the why) and focus and that when communicating their message (Sinek 2:00). Sinek references how Apple Inc has found success by highlighting their company philosophy in their advertisements (Sinek 3:08). A great example is their 1984 Super Bowl commercial. Rather than flaunting various features of the product, the commercial instead paints an Orwellian dystopia where people are enslaved to a giant television screen, then shows a lone rebel run through the crowd and smash it (“1984 Apple's Macintosh''). The narrative reinforces the stated values of the company, individualism, nonconformity, and innovation, and associates these concepts with the product. By focusing on the motivation behind creating their product rather than the end result of doing business, Apple created a sense of authenticity by convincing the audience that the computer was about more than making money.

When communicating authenticity, it is important to consider how the source of an idea affects people’s perception of it. The wide array of media now at everyone’s disposal has fragmented traditional communication channels (Clerk). One of the ways to counteract this effect is to use word of mouth (WOM). Word of mouth is one of the oldest forms of communications available to humans. While traditional advertising is negatively affected by the increased complexity of emerging media, word of mouth is actually strengthened by the digital landscape. This gives WOM an advantage over other types of communication, it breaches the gap between in person communication and online media. (Clerk) It also means that word of mouth does not have to worry about not reaching laggards who have yet to adopt newer forms of communication. WOM happens between people because after deciding what they want to talk about. In addition, WOM tends to take place between people who are familiar with one another, or in a situation where one person already looks up to another (such as an influencer or blogger). As a result, there is already a preexisting sense of authenticity (Clerk).

Of course, relying solely on influencers to initiate word of mouth can have its drawbacks. Studies show that even with social media, there are restraints in the human brain that restricts the number of meaningful relationships a person can maintain to about 150 individuals, and that true friendships require face-to face interaction to be meaningful (Pash). Companies can still project a sense of authenticity through more controlled forms of advertisements. The trick is to appear personal and sincere when interacting with the public. One company that has successfully accomplished this is Starbucks. First, they create digital content that can easily be shared on social media platforms. According to a 2018 article, Starbucks has about 12 million Twitter followers, 16 million Instagram fans, and 153 thousand YouTube subscribers (Ravi). Everyone of these social media users can initiate positive word of mouth for Starbucks by sharing or reposting Starbucks’ content, all with the ease of pressing a button. Considering that 90% of people are willing to buy a product based on a friend’s recommendation, this type of marketing is invaluable to businesses (Sukhraj). Equally important to how Starbucks communicates is what it communicates. The videos which received the most engagement featured baristas making their products, instead of simply displaying the product. Starbucks also has two seasons of the original series “Upstanders”, which documents ordinary people creating positive change in their local community. Starbucks also uses their Twitter account to showcase customer experiences (Ravi). All these elements combined paint a benevolent picture of Starbucks’ company philosophy; it is not a restaurant chain simply interested in profit, but a coffee shop that values human interaction and customer experience.

In the spirit of Sinek’s communication model, Starbucks creates marketing content where the outcome of their business is overshadowed by their belief. In addition to ‘Upstanders’, Starbucks also produced ‘1st and Main’ an animated series that retold real life stories about Starbucks patrons and customers (Ravi). These series, along with videos that cover several human-interest stories, attract the attention of modern audiences that have grown cynical towards traditional advertisements. They do this by covering stories or ideas that are not immediately related to their bottom line. Of course, just because these videos do not focus on Starbucks products does not mean consumers’ behaviors stay the same. According to experts, people make 95% of purchase decisions on a subconscious level (Minnium). While advertising that focuses on the results tries to engage the analytical part of the brain, ads that effectively appeal to a sense of purpose engage the more primal part of the human mind (Sinek 5:02).

Maintaining a sense of authenticity in the modern age can be difficult for businesses. Consumers have grown accustomed to the endless onslaught of information and the basic tricks marketing employs, resulting in a population that is media-savvy and skeptical. The various means of advertising, from word of mouth to influencers to video, can all come across as insincere if approached wrong. By keeping in mind their personal philosophy, and convincing consumers their personal values align with the message, businesses will be much more equipped to succeed in the digital age.

 

References

“1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial (HD).” Youtube, uploaded by Mac History, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtvjbmoDx-I

Clerck, J-P De. “Understanding Word-of-Mouth in the Digital Age.” i-Scoop, 5 Jan. 2021, www.i-scoop.eu/understanding-word-mouth-social-media-age/. 

Pash, Chris. “Science Says This Is How Many Friends You Should Have on Social Media.” ScienceAlert, Business Insider, 22 Jan. 2016, www.sciencealert.com/science-says-this-is-how-many-friends-you-should-have-on-social-media. 

Ravi, Kavya. “Starbucks' Social Media Strategy - What Brands Can Learn from Starbucks.” Unmetric Social Media Analytics Blog, Unmetric, 12 Feb. 2019, blog.unmetric.com/starbucks-social-media-strategy.

Minnium, Peter. “Brands Strive for Authenticity as Audiences Turn a Skeptical Eye toward Ads.” Marketing Land, 23 Mar. 2018, marketingland.com/brands-strive-for-authenticity-as-audiences-turn-a-skeptical-eye-toward-ads-236295.

Sinek, Simon. “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. Sept. 2009, https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action#t-341648

Sukhraj, Ramona. “7 Must-Have Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategies [Infographic].” IMPACT, 24 Dec. 2020, www.impactplus.com/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing-strategies-infographic.