It’s easy to get caught up in the urgency of the moment, chasing short-term wins with buzzwords, tactics, or quick tricks in the hopes that it will generate fast returns.
But here’s the truth: For brands that aim for long-term success, sustainable growth, and genuine customer loyalty, this “quick-fix” mentality won’t cut it. Brand building isn’t about temporary spikes in sales or hopping onto every trend. It’s about creating something real and lasting - a brand that stands for something and connects deeply with people over time.
Without authenticity, a brand is just another face in the crowd. But when your brand is grounded in authenticity, it becomes a true force in the marketplace, fostering loyalty, trust, and long-term success.
"In a world where 86% of consumers say authenticity influences which brands they support, the question is no longer whether to be authentic - it’s how."
Brand authenticity is more than just a feel-good statement or a pretty mission statement. At its core, it’s about alignment between your brand’s actions, values, and messaging. It’s the consistency in how you communicate your brand promise, how you show up in the world, and how people feel when they interact with you. It’s not about making the perfect statement or chasing every trend. It’s about staying true to your core beliefs and ensuring that everything your brand does reflects those beliefs.
Imagine a company that constantly asks for customer feedback but never acts on it. Customers are often asked to complete surveys or engage with the brand on social media, but their suggestions or complaints go unanswered. Over time, this makes customers feel like their voices don’t matter and that the brand isn’t genuinely interested in improvement.
Authenticity is about listening to your customers and showing them you value their input. If you ask for feedback, make sure you take action and communicate the changes you’re implementing based on their feedback. Ignoring them only damages your credibility.
Building an authentic brand isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Here’s a breakdown of the 5 pillars that will help you craft a brand that feels real, trustworthy, and resonant with your audience.
Transparency goes beyond simply telling your brand’s story - it’s about being honest and open about where your products come from, how they’re made, and how you handle challenges when they arise. An authentic brand doesn’t just tell beautiful stories; it’s willing to face uncomfortable truths, even when things are less than perfect.
One striking example of the erosion of authenticity due to a lack of transparency comes from Van Heusen, a brand with over a century of history. In 2022, Van Heusen saw a massive 58% drop in its transparency score - the largest among major fashion brands. This decline coincided with the brand’s acquisition by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a company known for aggressively acquiring well-known brands but providing minimal information about its supply chain, labor practices, and sustainability efforts.
Under ABG’s management, Van Heusen shifted from being a brand known for its trustworthy heritage to one that fell silent on critical issues. Despite ABG’s CEO touting the rich history and consumer recognition of the brands in its portfolio, the lack of transparency about practices like human rights and environmental impact led to a decline in consumer confidence. Van Heusen’s authentic image crumbled as customers began questioning the brand’s commitment to its values.
This case underscores why transparency is critical for maintaining authenticity. Consumers don’t expect brands to be perfect, but they do expect them to be honest and responsible. When a brand withholds or hides information, the trust it has built with its customers is put into question, and once lost, it’s difficult to regain. The transparency that once served as the foundation for Van Heusen’s authenticity was undermined, leading to declining trust and erosion of brand value.
Consistency is a key pillar of an authentic brand. It’s not just about keeping your logo or designs consistent across platforms, but about maintaining a cohesive brand experience in every interaction. Whether it's through your product packaging, your online presence, or customer service, consistency ensures that customers know exactly what to expect and can trust your brand.
Seed Probiotics is a great example of a brand that has built its authenticity through consistent messaging and brand experience. Seed’s approach is rooted in transparency, education, and sustainability—and they deliver this consistently across every touchpoint. From the sleek and minimalist design of their packaging to their tone of voice in social media and blog content, Seed stays true to its core values. Their messaging emphasizes holistic health and sustainable practices, and this is reflected in both the quality of their products and their brand story. Every part of their brand reinforces the same message: health-conscious, eco-friendly, and science-backed.
This consistency has allowed Seed to build a strong and loyal customer base who trust the brand to provide high-quality probiotics that align with their values of wellness and sustainability. Whether you’re interacting with Seed through their website, packaging, or customer support, the experience is seamless and true to the brand's identity. This trust and reliability are key to Seed’s success and their authentic image.
Being customer-centric doesn’t mean saying yes to everything.
It’s a common misunderstanding-thinking that putting customers first means bending over backward to please everyone. But if Imagine a fashion designer constantly adjusting their collections based on every customer request - adding more embellishments, changing fabric types, or altering designs to satisfy every single opinion. Over time, the brand would become a jack of all trades, master of none. The designs would lose their signature style, and customers would be left confused about what the brand stands for.
The best designers-whether in fashion, food, or any industry - know that sticking to their core vision is what makes their work authentic and compelling. Just like a chef who refuses to change their signature dish just because someone asks for less spice or extra sauce, a brand’s identity is most powerful when it stays true to its original essence.
A brand tries to satisfy every single request, it loses what makes it unique in the first place.
Every brand has a What - what they sell, what they offer. Many have a How - how they do it differently. But the most powerful brands? They start with Why. At its core, Brand Purpose is not just a statement; it’s the emotional thread that connects a brand with its customers.
Looking at how the brain processes decisions, we see a direct connection: The logical side focuses on What - features, benefits, and functionality. The emotional side resonates with Why - the deeper meaning, the belief, the purpose.
A brand with a clear Why creates natural empathy in the customer’s mind. It builds trust, sparks alignment, and forms a connection that goes beyond just a transaction. Over time, these emotional cues turn into behavior - customers feel drawn to the brand, engage with it, and ultimately, choose it.
While defining and living a brand purpose isn’t a quick fix or an easy strategy, it’s a worthwhile investment. More companies are recognizing this, knowing that as the market evolves, having a strong purpose will no longer be a differentiator - it will be an expectation. And those without one may struggle to stay relevant.
Authentic brands become more than just products or services - they evolve into integral parts of their customers' identities. These brands don’t just serve needs; they reflect values and create emotional connections that transcend transactional relationships. As these brands become symbols of personal identity, they elevate into badge brands, worn proudly by consumers who feel they are represented by the brand.
The Calm app is a prime example of a brand that has become an essential part of people's daily lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as people faced heightened stress and anxiety, Calm provided a sanctuary. Offering meditation sessions, sleep aids, and calming sounds, the app gave its users a tool to cope with the overwhelming challenges of the time. But more than that, Calm became an expression of self-care, well-being, and mindfulness, principles that resonated deeply with users.
As people embraced the app not just for its functionality but as a companion in their mental health journey, Calm imprinted itself on their identities. The app wasn’t just downloaded; it was integrated into the lives of its users, providing lasting value and emotional comfort. It evolved from being just an app to a badge of wellness—something people proudly identified with.
No matter how transparent, purpose-driven, or storytelling-rich a brand is, if the product or service doesn’t live up to expectations, nothing else will matter. Quality is the foundation of authenticity. If the product fails to deliver on the promises made by the brand, consumers will quickly lose faith, and it won’t take long for the brand’s reputation to suffer.
For example, a brand might market its products as “organic,” “dairy-free,” or “gluten-free,” with bold claims about their sustainability and health benefits. But if the product falls short in terms of taste, performance, or overall quality, consumers will try it once and never come back. The disconnect between the marketing and the product quality creates a sense of betrayal, leaving customers feeling misled.
Authenticity isn’t built through flashy advertising or clever campaigns. It’s shown in the consistency between what a brand says and what it delivers. Consumers need to see that the promises made in marketing campaigns are backed by high-quality products. If the product doesn’t align with the brand’s message, the brand’s authenticity will be questioned, and customer trust will erode.
Performative authenticity refers to brands that go through the motions of appearing real and honest - creating ads and experiences that simulate authenticity, without actually embodying it.
Take Lay’s Flavor Finalists campaign, for instance. The brand wants customers to vote for their favorite new flavor by showcasing a group of “real” people trying the chips at a food truck. At first glance, it seems like a fun, engaging way to get consumers involved, right? However, the reality is far from authentic. The reactions of the so-called “real” people are so scripted and exaggerated, it’s painfully obvious that they’re not genuine. It’s hard to believe someone could genuinely say, “It tastes exactly like an Everything Bagel,” when they’ve been handed a chip, not a real bagel.
Rather than creating a true experience for consumers, Lay’s opted for a manufactured moment, creating something that seemed real but was clearly engineered for advertising purposes. And while the effort may have been well-intentioned, it ends up feeling more like a marketing stunt than an authentic interaction.
Instead of relying on manufactured moments, brands should focus on creating genuine connections and honest storytelling. Lay’s could have easily invited customers to share their opinions directly, either through taste tests or simple feedback, and made the experience feel more organic. Rather than trying to fake spontaneous reactions, they could have embraced creativity and humor in a way that felt true to their brand.
When a brand sends an email saying, "This offer is exclusively for you," but it’s clearly sent to thousands of people, customers instantly recognize the inauthenticity. Far from making customers feel special, it creates a sense of being misled, not appreciated.
Imagine this: You’ve never bought anything from this brand, you rarely open their emails, and honestly, you can’t even remember the last time you visited their website. Then one day, you get an email like this:
💌 “This offer is exclusively for you, VIP subscriber!”
Wait, VIP? When did that happen? How is it that everyone is suddenly a VIP? It’s obvious this is a mass email, and that personal touch they’re trying to create feels more like a marketing gimmick.
If you want to send a personalized offer, it needs to feel genuine and tailored to the recipient. Here’s how: “Since you bought [product name] last month, we’d like to offer you this deal.”
Real personalization is about acknowledging where the customer stands - whether they’re a loyal shopper, a curious browser, or a first-time visitor, and crafting a message that feels authentic to their experience.
It’s one of the most overused, inauthentic phrases in email marketing. A brand I haven’t heard from in months, or sometimes never even purchased from, suddenly sends me an email saying, “We miss you!”
Let’s be honest: you don’t miss me. You miss my transaction.
This approach doesn’t create a genuine relationship with customers. Do you really miss me? If I’ve never interacted with your brand before or haven’t heard from you in months, what exactly do you “miss”? It feels more like a desperate attempt to get me to make a purchase, rather than a genuine sentiment.
People ignore emails, not because they’re busy, but because they don’t feel real. In today’s world, where we're bombarded with automated messages and template-driven emails, authenticity is the key to standing out. If an email feels robotic or insincere, it won’t get opened, let alone get a response.
Take Airbnb, for example. Rather than sending out impersonal “We miss you” emails, they send personalized invitations with specific recommendations based on your past stays or browsing history. It’s clear they’re not just sending a generic message - they're actively trying to engage with your unique interests. This approach makes their communication feel more like an invitation, not a sales pitch.
In a world flooded with automated messaging, the brands that win are the ones that sound human, are genuine, and mean what they say. Take the time to craft messages that resonate with the customer’s real experience. It’s about creating authentic connections, not just sales.
With so many options available to them, switching brands is easier than ever. Consumers don’t need to stay loyal to brands that focus solely on profits, ignoring their customers’ needs, values, and expectations. This is the challenge for brands that rely on short-term marketing tactics, but it’s also an opportunity for those that want to build a brand for the long haul. Brand authenticity is the key to earning trust in an increasingly competitive market.
In the long run, taking the time to build an authentic foundation and a community of brand ambassadors will help establish and maintain this authenticity, even through turmoil. A loyal community that believes in your brand’s values and consistently supports it can weather the ups and downs of the market, making your brand more resilient and trustworthy in the eyes of consumers.