‘On Seeing and Noticing’
Alain de Botton 
Penguin Books, 2005, London, page 16 

‘A Whole New Mind: why right brainers will rule the future’
Daniel H.Pink
Riverhead Books, 2005, New York 

‘Brands in the Balance: meeting the challenges to commercial identity’
Kevin Drawbaugh
Reuters, 2001, London 

‘Brand Hijack: marketing without marketing’
Alex Wipperfurth
Penguin, 2005, London 

‘Brands and Branding’ 
Rita Clifton & John Simmons
Profile Books Ltd, 2003, London 

CONTEXT:

OUR POSTMODERN WORLD IS MOVING EVER FASTER,

BECOMING MORE FACELESS, MORE FABRICATED AND

ARTIFICIAL.
 

EVERYTHING WE ENCOUNTER IS CREATED FOR

CONSUMPTION. THIS ERADICATES REAL INTERACTIONS.

THE MORE CONTRIVED THE WORLD BECOMES, THE

MORE WE CRAVE WHAT IS REAL.
 

“ABUNDANCE AND TRANSPARENCY HAVE CREATED

A DEMAND FOR MEANING AGAIN.”
 

SUSPICIOUS ARE WE OF A WORLD WHERE WE DON’T

SEE PEOPLE OR TOUCH ANYTHING.
 

THE WORLD IS SO HIGH TECH THAT WE WILL NO

LONGER SEE OURSELVES AS HUMAN.
 

WE MUST LAUNCH A REVOLUTION AGAINST “THE FAKE,

THE VIRTUAL, THE SPUN AND THE MASS-PRODUCED.
 

FORCE BRANDS TO BE FIRMLY ROOTED IN HUMANITY

AND HUMAN SCALE; THE ATTAINABLE INSTEAD OF

THE UNATTAINABLE.
 

WE ARE AS SKEPTICAL AS EVER.
 

WE, THE CONSUMERS, DESIRE TO CONNECT WITH

THINGS THAT ARE SAFE AND UNAMBIGUOUS.
 

WE HAVE A DESIRE TO DERIVE GREATER MEANING

AND SINCERITY FROM THE BRANDS WE CHOOSE.
 

WE, THE CONSUMERS, CALL FOR “SUBSTANCE, NOT

HYPE; HONESTY NOT HYPOCRISY.”

BRANDS:

BRANDS ARE LETTING US DOWN.
 

BRANDS ARE “OUR NEW TRADITIONS, OUR VALUES TO LIVE

BY, OUR IDEALS IN A SHAPELESS AND SHIFTING WORLD”.
 

YET, THEY HAVE MADE THE MISTAKE OF BUILDING

THEMSELVES AROUND TRENDS INSTEAD OF

RESPONDING TO OUR REAL HUMAN NEEDS.
 

BRANDS WHO THINK ABOUT THE CUSTOMER FIRST

WILL BE REWARDED.
 

WE ARE SUBJECT TO MORE THAN 8000 BRAND

MESSAGES A DAY.
 

THERE ARE 20,000 PRODUCTS IN OUR AVERAGE

SUPERMARKET AISLE.
 

WE HAVE REACHED A SATURATION POINT. NOTHING

RESONATES ANYMORE.
 

BRANDS ARE ABUSING OUR TRUST. THEY MANIPULATE

RATHER THAN ENGAGE AND HAVE THEREFORE LOSE

THEIR INTEGRITY.
 

WE AREN’T SATISFIED WITH A JUST HINT OF REALITY,

WE WANT IT ALL.
 

BRANDS MUST BE REAL, BECAUSE “THE OPPOSITE OF REAL

ISN’T ‘FAKE’ IT’S CYNICISM” AND A SOILED REPUTATION
 

WE WANT BRANDS THAT ARE PROUD OF THEIR ORIGIN,

THAT SHOW SIGNS OF HUMANITY AND CELEBRATE THEIR

IDIOSYNCRASIES.

BRANDS SHOULD BARE THE SOUL. 
 

BRANDS SHOULD NOT FAKE THEIR PROMISES OR SEEK

ATTENTION THROUGH GIMMICKS.
 

WE WANT BRANDS THAT ARE WORTHY OF OUR BELIEF.
 

BRANDS THAT CAPTURE OUR HEARTS AND MINDS, NOT

JUST OUR DOLLARS.
 

WE WILL NOT BE LOYAL TO BRANDS WHO ARE

TRANSPARENT IN THEIR ABUSE OF AUTHENTICITY.

AUTHENTICITY

AN AUTHENTIC BRAND IS: ORIGINAL, HONEST, SINCERE,

TRUSTWORTHY AND SIMPLE.
 

AUTHENTICITY ISN’T A WALL PAPER THAT YOU APPLY

TO THE BRANDS INTERIOR.
 

AUTHENTICITY IS NOW IMPERITIVE TO BRAND

COMMUNICATIONS IN THE NEW ONLINE AND SOCIAL

MEDIA WORLDS.
 

AN AUTHENTIC BRAND IS OPEN TO CONVERSATION;

IT DOESN’T DICTATE.
 

AN AUTHENTIC BRAND HAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT LIVES

UP TO ITS PROMISE.
 

AN AUTHENTIC BRAND TELLS THE WHOLE TRUTH AND

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, ABOUT ITSELF, TO ITSELF.
 

“AUTHENTIC BRANDS HAVE A CLARITY OF PURPOSE THAT

IS SINCERELY EXECUTED”.
 

AN AUTHENTIC BRAND IS SUSTAINING AND SUSTAINABLE.
 

AN AUTHENTIC BRAND FEELS NATURAL.
 

WE WON’T TOLERATE AUTHENTICITY ADDITIVES,

MANIPULATIONS OR FAKE ATTEMPTS AT AUTHENTICITY.
 

AUTHENTICITY IS STRONGEST WHEN THE BRAND DOESN’T

YELL ABOUT IT.
 

WE DEMAND BRANDING AGENTS MEASURE THEIR BRANDS

BY SUCH AXIOMS.

THE TASK:

To explore the wider trend toward ‘authenticity’ in branding.

The aim is to analyse parameters through which authenticity could be measured, in order to create a formula that will be applied to ‘unauthentic’ brands.

THE OUTCOME:

The formula will be applied to one brand that is ‘unauthentic’ by these measures.

The result will be a suite of graphic collatoral (identity and brand collatoral, website, advertising and promotional materials) and a space/retail environment.