The Marketing Buzzword of Our Times - Authentic

What does authenticity even mean?

In it’s most basic sense, authenticity is being true to yourself. Who are you? If you are 100% honestly yourself and let that shine, you are authentically you.

So how does being authentic apply to marketing?

The next generation is changing the standards of marketing. Whether you market to them or not, you need to understand how their values are changing how marketing is done.

56% of Gen Z believes advertising is lies [Thanks Ashlyn Carter for those stats]. They don’t believe marketing because of course you think your product is great. They lean on social proof like Google Business reviews and UGC (user generated content) to show them the reality of a product.

You’re probably thinking, “Aren’t you talking yourself out of a job?” Nope. Social proof is only part of the equation. You still need expert and strategic images for clarity, validation of your professionalism, and depth of brand character.

Authenticity shows up in visuals in two ways:

1] Real people giving real reviews to validate your product itself.

2] Consistent presentation of brand personality and values across all touchpoints (possible encounters your audience can have with your brand).

Lifestyle Associations

When I was starting out as an editorial photographer in the 00s, I did mostly photojournalistic type projects. Which means documenting the event or person as you see them in real life. From your perspective, without changing the context. This was most interesting to me because it was true and genuine.

For example, shooting a chef in their restaurant with burners flaring, steam rising, and omelettes flipping vs. putting a chef in a stark white studio holding a skillet and a spatula. Which location feels more natural? The kitchen, obviously, because that’s where the chef does their work. It’s their environment and so their vibes. At the time, this was called environmental portraiture. I think it’s just considered “lifestyle” now, since it has become so synonymous with visual culture today.

And why do you think that dynamic is so engaging? [By that dynamic I mean, taking the photographer out of the studio and putting the photographer in the subject’s environment vs. taking the subject out of their environment and putting them in the photographer’s studio.]

Because of a.] the relationship to the location and comfort of the subject and b.] the story you can infer based on the environment. There’s a different kind of information derived from the actual environment. That visual narrative is engaging. It makes you feel curious or angry or inspired with awe or a spark of connection because “Hey! That looks like home!” or maybe you feel sad or nostalgic or joyful or any number of emotions. Sense of place pulls on our memory and plucks at our heart strings.

So that’s one way that authenticity comes through in photography. The lifestyle associations that pique our interest and drive engagement.

Abstract Exhibitions

An image can still be authentic if it is conceptual, though. Authenticity also comes through in your visual voice and consistency of values. Maybe the chef in the photos is promoting a skillet brand. Alright, so another way we can be authentic without being literal is to design an environment for the skillet. Maybe this skillet brand has a contemporary and artisanal vibe with a bright and bold personality. We can exhibit those characteristics through our art direction: in the vivid background we make and modern props that we choose and how we light the set to produce contrast.

So authentic doesn’t necessarily mean absolutely in real life context. It is still possible to be authentic and innovative with your visual assets even if you design an unnatural environment. It’s a different way of storytelling and showcasing your brand’s unique characteristics.

Which way is better?

They each have their place. I honestly love both and both perspectives can work together, although they don’t have to. I will say photojournalism definitely informed my narrative style when I moved into a studio practice. But ultimately I think it depends on your product and personality. As long as you can maintain consistency in your approach, it will read as authentic.