Today (May 19th) is Grace Jones’s birthday. Even at age 72 and in self isolation I’m imagining it could be carnage. I’d like to think so anyway. Grace Jones has always been a stand-out, iconic character. She is rebellion personified. As her own website puts it, “her attitude is one of fierce individuality and fearless self-expression.” The New York Times states her “greatest achievement has been remaining her defiantly idiosyncratic self.” There’s something to be said for a large welcome dose of authenticity. “I’m always rebelling. I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Because my whole view is being unique and finding yourself.” Grace Jones is certainly no slave to anyone else’s rhythm. She is a wonderful example of speaking her mind. When brands are looking at creating their brand voice, there are manly lessons from Grace Jones when it comes to authenticity.
Authenticity in self promotion
I started to think about authenticity after recently taking up writing The Craft Works blog. I noted how so much content these days is formatted to the same standards. It obviously works but it’s a little depressing when you start to scan the content found in the results of any Google search. Apparently, us humans only interact with articles that have been turned into some sort of list or ‘how to’ format. Top tips, five things to know about, the top ten of whatever… you know what I’m talking about. It’s all homogenised. You can even learn from HubSpot on how to write a blog post just the same way as everyone else. I’m not against a list or ‘how to’ per se but it’s the ubiquity of the same type of digital content out there. And so much of it doesn’t come across as authentic – it’s just content for the sake of presence. Pump stuff out there in volume. Authentic voices are sadly lost amongst the noise. The desire to publish, and to be seen is above saying something original and of interest in the hierarchy of importance. That’s why I have always found Dave Trott’s blog so interesting – even if I don’t always agree with absolutely everything he says. Apart, from being a brilliant communicator and storyteller, his main message is borne out of absolute conviction.
It’s not just article content, authenticity is in short supply in social media. Have you seen your LinkedIn newsfeed during the pandemic? The need to be in the business shop window by being omnipresent and shouting the loudest. But dear me, all the guff. Facebook is mostly all about the perfect life one would like you to think they live. Instagram is one step further in the visual portrayal of one’s beautiful life. Away from social media we find even less authenticity in our politics and government. Fake news is a phrase we’ve become all too familiar with. We live in a fake world of lies, bullshit, and pretence. Perception through fakery is everything. Except to those that don’t subscribe to it. Grace Jones ain’t pretending for anyone.
Defining Authenticity
I started looking into creating brand voice authenticity through human psychology. Back in 1943 Abraham Maslow described the state of ‘self-actualisation’ as recognised by any marketing student. The British Psychology Society reports that self-actualised people were thought to be realistic in their perceptions, guided by inner goals and values, able to form deep relationships, and not needing to seek other people’s approval. Similarly, in the sixties, Carl Rogers described the state of ‘fully functioning’. This involved movement: away from facades, from meeting expectations, from pleasing others, and towards self-direction. Basically, humans are hardwired to be authentic.
These ideas are backed up in modern research: studies led by the University of Edinburgh have found that people seem motivated to deliberately seek out experiences in which they feel authentic, and to avoid situations in which they feel inauthentic. If that’s truly the case, why do we then find it so difficult to promote ourselves, whether personally or professionally, in an authentic way, true to ourselves? Unless we’re of the belief that what we’re offering and who we are really isn’t all that appealing.
Finding a purposeful voice
When reviewing marketing content from other agencies and consultancies something jarred. Lists and how-tos of everything and anything in digital marketing. Five ways to improve your SEO, how to do this, and ten ways on how to do that. The problem I had with most of it was it was all regurgitated fluff. The only purpose it served was to be seen and heard and generate those backlinks. I can’t fault it for doing that but the authenticity and integrity was somewhat absent. This is where my starting point had to be. Creating brand voice authenticity has to come from something more than the same old formats on a subject area extensively covered. So, through this whole process over the last few months, like Grace Jones says, my whole view is being unique and finding yourself. That was my self-actualisation. At The Craft Works it will always be about creating emotionally compelling content that connects to our clients’ audiences and inspires action. Authentic and borne from conviction.
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