The Pursuit of Authenticity: Yale Insights

Consumers value authentic products and foods, but definitions of “authentic” can vary widely. Anyone in marketing must understand what authenticity means for their particular products and customers. Balázs Kovács, who researchers organizational behavior at Yale’s School of Management, studied what authenticity’s means among ordinary people and found big differences when the word is applied to people, brands, organizations, art or restaurants. He surveyed people and discovered that they assign hundreds of words to items deemed authentic – and these ranged from original and honest to expensive, stylish or traditional. “For marketers, a command of the language of authenticity is becoming more and more necessary, Kovács says,” as explained by Áine Doris for Yale Insights. “As society becomes more digital, connected, and modern, researchers are seeing a demand for greater authenticity that spans all walks of life.” Understanding consumer expectations for authenticity could come in handy as the term becomes overused. – YaleGlobal