You may have heard the word “authentic” was announced as the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year for 2023. It immediately resonated with us. This is the 20th anniversary of the company choosing a Word of the Year and evidently there was a huge volume of lookups for “authentic” at their site this year. “Authentic is what brands, social media influencers, and celebrities aspire to be,” wrote Merriam-Webster, the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States.
P.R. and communication professionals are well-aware of the need for their clients to be authentic in any communication activities that they undertake. We counsel clients on the importance of conveying authenticity in their messaging to be considered credible and trustworthy. Believability is intrinsic to building relationships, creating a community, and fostering an honest dialogue with others.
Today’s savvy consumers will tune out the messages from a spokesperson, CEO, or influencer who doesn’t appear genuine. An early December task force at the DealBook Summit featured a discussion about the creator economy. New York Times reporter Christine Muhlke in her piece, “For Content Creators, It’s the Wild Wild West,” reported on the task forces’ findings. She writes, “What creators and brands alike are after is authenticity: Influencers build an audience because they seem relatable. Brands know that the best way to reach consumers is to seem real – or at least align themselves with someone who is.”
Emitting authenticity builds trust in your brand, company, or organization and should be apparent in all forms of external marketing communication activities including social media posts, media interviews, website videos, digital newsletters, and presentations.
Nowadays, people don’t generally relate to perfectionism or an unattainable idealistic lifestyle. When a person, story, or message is portrayed as real or authentic it is more likely to make a positive impression. This new trend was reported in a WSJ story on November 1 showcasing mom influencers who shared what their true imperfect lives as busy moms look like. And similarly in 2023, more celebrities embraced make-up free looks showing off their authentic faces on social media.
This year we saw another new trend promoted on social media called “deinfluencing.” Now some content creators and influencers are sharing their authentic thoughts about products and services they believe people do not need to buy. They are expressing their opinions on why certain beauty products, accessories or expensive clothing are not necessary and may be a waste of money.
“The trend signals that traditional influencer marketing — a $16.4 billion industry last year — has reached an inflection point, experts say. Younger consumers increasingly see through the influencer-brand partnerships, calling companies out for going too far, and creators for prioritizing money over authenticity and promoting overconsumption.” Read the full article in The Washington Post about “deinfluencers” here.
We’ll be watching and will share noteworthy trends that will impact the effectiveness of your messaging in 2024 in future blog posts.
