Authenticity in brand communication and advertising comes up a lot. We unpack what it means in this episode of The Lead Creative podcast with Josephine ‘Jay’ Sebesho, Managing Director and Founder of Janong, a Creative and Digital Agency.
Jay joined us in this episode to share how they at Janong view and include authenticity in their work.
The Coca-Cola “Share a Coke” campaign comes in our conversation was one of the most authentic consumer and insights-driven communications of recent times. The culture of sharing was on the rise at the time of this campaign, both social media and across other platforms.
“This is an example of how brands can plug into a change in the culture and show that they understand their customers,” said Jay.
Jay points to representation as one of the measurables in knowing whether a brand or a piece of communication is authentic. If the work represents the customer or target audience closely and builds a relationship that is more than just transactional, then it is moving towards authenticity.
“It all starts with purpose. Articulating your brand purpose in communication is important and adds to the authenticity, that can not be copied.” — Josephine ‘Jay’ Sebesho
Brands should strive to be authentic in both their connections with customers and their communication because it increases relevance. Jay thinks MTN with its Ayoba campaign shows this relevance and how a brand can fit into the local vocabulary in a way that says:
“I see and understand you.”
“Authentic brand connections are about creating an emotional connection between the brand and consumer, it’s this positive link.” — Josephine ‘Jay’ Sebesho
This episode has thoughts, strategies, and ideas on being a more authentic and connected brand.
