Brand Matters: Are You the Real Deal?

Separate your brand from the competition

April 2008 By Andrea Syverson

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I have always been a cheerleader for the underdogs. They just plain try harder. This is why I favor companies like Caribou Coffee over Starbucks, Frontier Airlines over United Airlines, Ben & Jerry’s over Breyers and Chipotle over McDonald’s. Not only do these “underdogs” try harder, but they also seem more comfortable in their own brand skins. They are original. They are daring. They are independent thinkers. They are the real deal.

Is your brand the real deal? I bet your customers know the answer.

Stand Out from the Crowd
As you look at the vast choices of products and services customers have today, few truly stand out. What are the authentic differences between the many companies jockeying for customers’ minds and market share these days? I’m at a loss when I look at retailers like OfficeMax, Office Depot or Staples. What differentiates Northwest from Delta or American Airlines? Or Barnes & Noble from Borders? There is very little originality.

What is authentically different between your offering and your top two competitors? If your brand is sandwiched blandly between others, it’s time to rethink both your brand positioning and your merchandising concept. Don’t bore your customers with this sea of sameness. They deserve better.

As you might guess, there is no formula for authenticity. Either you are authentic or you’re not. Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to living in a faux society, where entertainment is disguised as news, celebrities are disguised as heroes and Internet connections are disguised as relationships. And, yes, there are faux brands or transaction-based companies focused on themselves and short-term profits.

In “Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want,” authors Joseph Pine and James Gilmore propose that authenticity is a completely new management discipline, and they outline three axioms for authenticity:

1. If you are authentic, then you don’t have to say you’re authentic.

2. If you say you’re authentic, then you’d better be authentic.

3. It’s easier to be authentic if you don’t say you’re authentic.

This may seem simple, but it isn’t. Many brands fall back to being faux. It’s easier.

Authenticity in Action
Consumers crave the real deal. They desire companies that deliver on their promises and brands that listen and do what their taglines say they do. They seek independent thinkers, product creativity and originality in solving their problems. They want brands that respect their time.