Emerging Need State 1. The authenticity premium

Pursuing the pure and unadulterated, not tainted by marketing spin and packaging

The authenticity premium is the first of the four need states at the core of our first meta-need  “Keeping it real” in ConsumerShift.

These consumers have a core need of realism complemented by an avid curiosity about how things work. They want to know what’s really going on, “warts and all” and are confident in their ability to handle the truth. Their curiosity drives them to probe beneath the surface of the obvious. They feel it is better to understand, even if that understanding is unpleasant, than to be blissfully ignorant.

They are reacting against an overly managed world. “Delighting the customer” has gone to an extreme. As management of consumer experiences has gotten increasingly sophisticated, it has created a situation where every aspect of the experience is micromanaged, and these consumers sense that, and feel that they are being manipulated. The micro-management of consumers manifests in several ways:

• Individuals are bombarded with more and more marketing and advertising messages, with no opportunity passed up in pursuit of a potential new opportunity to reach more eyeballs.
• Spin control dominates politics, and this is now increasingly true of organizations as well. Everyone is trained to be on message. Particularly in large organizations, individuals must check with the public affairs people before saying anything publicly. Conference presentations are sanitized to fit with the corporate image. It is rare to hear the unvarnished truth.
• Event planning has risen to the level of a science, such that every aspect of the experience is carefully thought through to create the intended impression. One of the unfortunate byproducts of the so-called experience economy is that the experiences have become increasingly managed over time.
• As networking becomes increasingly important to business and professional success, every meeting or encounter becomes a potential to get one’s message across—it could be that down the road this person could provide a referral or business, so the presentation of self needs to be in line with the intended messaging.
• Everything seems staged and for the camera. Reality television, YouTube clips, and social media have made everyone a potential “star” and thus increasingly conscious of image. As production technologies have filtered to the masses, the “on camera” mindset has accompanied it.

It is increasingly difficult to distinguish “truth” from messaging. And consumers are getting tired of it. Thus, there is a craving for plain speaking.

These consumers seek authenticity in dealing with organizations. They have an innate curiosity about how things really are. They seek more of a human touch in dealing with organizations. They want the straight story and are capable of handling the truth. They feel disrespected when they are dealt with on an impersonal basis that lumps them in with some market research segment and follows a script. This desire is related to their growing interest in real experiences. They see encounters with other people and relationships as one of many experiences in their life, and they want these to be positive and meaningful. They value their time and expect those they deal with to reciprocate. Andy Hines