July 20th, 2008

We’ve always shared our first three Axioms of Authenticity assuming the implication to be that businesses should not self-proclaim their offerings as authentic. Re-read the Axioms (or the whole of Chapter 3) and that sentiment seems obvious:

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

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

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

Yet I’ve recently watched two companies quite convincingly self-proclaim the authenticity of their offerings:

• Import Brands Alliance defense of “The Authentic Black & Tan: Always made with Bass Pale Ale”; surf:
  www.bass.com (and then head to a local pub for a Black & Tan pour.)
• Denny’s offering of “Real Breakfast 24/7″ and its “Real Breakfast Club”; surf:
  www.dennys.com (and then head to a nearby Denny’s for a late-night/early-morning — or mid-afternoon! — breakfast.)

This leads me to think that it’s a viable option to take the more difficult path: to say you’re authentic in order to force yourself to be authentic. It’s certainly harder to be authentic if you say you’re authentic. But why not render the hard way? In a sense, the whole of one’s identity and full portfolio of one’s statements had better be, must be, better must be rendered more compellingly if you stop after Axiom 2 and get to work.

As long as you’re still fully aware of:

Axiom 4. It’s easier to render offerings authentic, if you acknowledge they’re inauthentic.

That acknowledgment need not be made publicly. Then with regard to:

Axiom 5. You don’t have to say your offerings are inauthentic, if you render them authentic. . . .

You don’t have to say your offerings are inauthentic, if you render them authentic. You can say they’re authentic, but only if you’ve really rendered them authentic.

I must say this approach may only work if, after rigorous self-examination, you deem your offering Real-real — and then vigilantly transcend your inauthenticity (see pages 102-103 of Authenticity). And note: It may be harder to stay
authentic, once you’ve said you’re authentic. Hmm. . . . an Axiom 6?