I met a friend for a coffee recently. We met in an out of town café, run by a young couple with brightly coloured hair, tattoos, and warm smiles. They have created a good selection of food themselves and the coffee is smooth. As ever, this unpretentious café was full of a diverse range of people. It’s not niche, there is no ‘type’ that it appeals to, it is there for everyone.

What We Want, What We Really, Really Want…

Sitting in this frankly inelegant establishment, we were left in peace to enjoy quality coffee and a warmed cinnamon bun. We talked about what made this place so successful. My friend suggested it is authenticity, he is quite probably right. People are veering away from the ‘highly polished’ big brands where one can purchase the same shiny things as other people. They don’t want Starbucks, they want ‘Joe’s Cafe’, they don’t want the perfect sound of CDs, they want the authentic sound of vinyl.

Authentic Branding

So what does this mean for businesses? Nobody wants to see ‘cheesy’ advertising offering the Earth. Unrealistic advertising making huge claims are so clichéd they are ignored, think furniture stores! All of this is now passé, ‘soooo yesterday’. The message is to be authentic, keep it real, people will trust your honesty and respect you for it. Show people who you are and what you can do, and crucially, how it will help them. Stand out for all the right reasons and get yourself a following of believers in your brand. I believe my friend is ‘spot on’, it’s all about the authenticity.

As a consumer, how do you feel about authenticity?

More on a similar topic: Aim for Believe