Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want

by James H. Gilmore, B. Joseph Pine II

Contrived. Disingenuous. Phony. Inauthentic. Do your customers use any of these words to describe what you sell—or how you sell it? If so, welcome to the club. Inundated by fakes and sophisticated counterfeits, people increasingly see the world in terms of real or fake. They would rather buy something real from someone genuine rather than something fake from some phony. When deciding to buy, consumers judge an offering's (and a company's) authenticity as much as—if not more than—price, quality, and availability. In Authenticity , James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II argue that to trounce rivals companies must grasp, manage, and excel at rendering authenticity. Through examples from a wide array of industries as well as government, nonprofit, education, and religious sectors, the authors show how to manage customers' perception of authenticity by: recognizing how businesses "fake it;" appealing to the five different genres of authenticity; charting how to be "true to self" and what you say you are; and crafting and implementing business strategies for rendering authenticity. The first to explore what authenticity really means for businesses and how companies can approach it both thoughtfully and thoroughly, this book is a must-read for any organization seeking to fulfill consumers' intensifying demand for the real deal.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Psychology, Buisness, Design, Philosophy

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2007

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

it ws a difficult read for me. it had some good points about the way products are represented, but it failed to hold my interest for application of these points.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The overarching principle of this book is interesting to consider, and the examples are fun to read. But overall, found this book full of jargon-y adverbs that don't really mean anything once you try to explain the concept to someone else.

Skimmed most of the second half of the book. The most helpful piece for me came on page 118 under the subchapter called 'State your identity.' "Before you can work at being true to self, you must know the self to which you must be true." Then it lists what to think about: who you are at your core, what you offer others, how you came to be who you are, why you are in business, and how this identity is manifested.

[YHC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed a lot for the first half part of the book to know what is real-real, real-fake, fake-real, fake-fake with the examples. The second part led to the management of companies, strategies which are bit too dry /professional to read.

[szymborskalyte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my god. Business school lit. is absolutely horrific to read. Who is their audience.

[Grace Akkad · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
You know the saying it could’ve been an email?
Well, this could’ve been an email

[Rebecca Noran]

I won this book at a workshop on Wednesday, started reading it. Main concepts were expressed in workshop. I'll summarize at some point, but the main premise is that authenticity has joined, goods, services, quality, cost etc. as a factor people look for when they purchase. "Fake" is the new "junk." There's a fake-real matrix, inspired by Hamlet: Is the company true to itself? Is it who it says it is to others? Know who you are, and be that. Don't plaster real over everything to say you're real -- that's not how to render authenticity. Selling out an issue here, too. When keeping it real goes wrong.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently Gilmore and Pine were the first to write about the 'experience economy'; they may not have invented the idea, but they certainly had the bestseller about it. That was powerful and groundbreaking. Authenticity is not. The main point, that you have to be authentic in some way to appeal to consumers today, is incontrovertible. But the authors' approach to the subject is overly complicated and pretentious. There are too many suspect diagrams that mean nothing upon closer inspection. And really, what does it mean to be 'authentically fake'?

[Scott Korljan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I decided to read a book on business, I didn't expect it to be as challenging as Authenticity was. Gilmore and Pine are obviously exceptionally gifted academically (and having had Gilmore as an instructor, I can testify to that fact), and have written a book PACKED with insights on doing business successfully. The downside is that the book is quite dense, and demands a lot of attention to get anything out of it. However, if your up for the challenge it is well worth it. Much in here that has relevance to ministry in the local church as well, I might add.

[Emalick Malick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it's a book about business and marketing, this book easily translate into the interests of this current generation of adolescents about gravitating towards the realism in life. They can sense hype and reject it in a heartbeat. They demand proof for things and participate in things that they can relate to their daily lives. I have used the items in this book and have applied it to my teaching with awesome results.

[Samson Blackwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

The authors discuss authenticity in only a very superficial sense, and they never reconcile the paradox of consciously manufacturing or creating "authenticity." Perhaps they are unaware of the paradox; perhaps they ignore it because it does not suit the stated ends of their book, which is to project a sense of "authenticity" to the consumer in order to sell more widgets.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am into the middle portion of this title and its words ring true so far. As consumers, not only do we want "real" products, but we want "real" experiences. Very interesting to see how companies try to bring this to the market.

[Nick Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still working through this book (other things keep popping up) but definitely a book full of insights. I'm through chapter 3 and it has already spawned hours of brainstorming on the topic.

A great book that is sure to get better.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting nuggets in here (the fake/real matrix) but I'm so glad I didn't pay for this book. It reads like a short paper expanded out into a book with anecdotes and company examples. At least it provided some food for thought.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

possibly one of the worst marketing books i've ever read.
a load of hackneyed crock.
impressive plagiarism, this book is in its own words, "fake-real."

[Eager Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with Nick. I thought the Experience economy was eye opening, but this wasn't as engaging or as fresh a viewpoint.

[Iben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a good book, per se, but it served as an excellent case study for what I'm researching.

[Otis Chandler]

Recommended by game designer Jesse Schell

[Paul Moberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not quite as revolutionary as The Experience Economy, Pine and Gilmore's insight on experience economics is dead on.

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing - rather than celebrating authenticity of companys that have it, it tells the rest how they can "fake it" enough to get by.

[Ruthie · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I prefer Beverland's 7 Habits of Authentic Brands. But hey, what does it matter? I've FINISHED my Master's dissertation...

[Steve Dragoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ideas. Very thought-provoking and applicable to personal and business spheres.