Authenticity – Is It Real or Is It Marketing?
Summary
Hunsk Engine is a motorcycle company that was once a major competitor against Harley-Davidson. After a period, the company lost sight of its vision. The company resolved to hire Marty Echt as the head of marketing (Weinberger, 2008). The purpose was to transform the company through authentic marketing. According to Marty, the company is the best in the market, and the campaign will go back to the roots. Marty organized a commercial racetrack where individuals rode motorcycles. He later asked them various questions to assess the knowledge of the products. The questions were; how many have been on a motorcycle before today? How many have been on a Hunsk, and how many own a motorcycle? (Weinberger, 2008). Only three members had a motorcycle. The team did not go well with the new marketing tactics, thus feeling out of place. The employees thus feel left out, marginalized and dismissed. The second section of the case study shows the comments of various analysts on Marty’s no-holds-barred authenticity strategy.
Question One
Gordon should continue backing Marty’s authenticity approach since it will determine its success in the long-run. Authenticity marketing is one of the best approaches that profitable giants such as Apple Inc. utilize. A unique selling proposition will improve the competitiveness of the company (Weinberger, 2008). The employees should align themselves with the changes to enhance profitability. It will be wrong if the CEO does not support Marty’s new ideas on embracing authenticity in marketing. Setting them aside will maintain the status quo and lead to more losses in the future (Charlton & Cornwell, 2019).
Question Two
There is a need for a match between the external and external marketing environment. It will help in identifying opportunities, threats, and promoting change. The internal environment comprises of employees, suppliers, customers, and shareholders (Weinberger, 2008). The external environment comprises political, legal, government policies, technological, and economic factors. A balance between the two factors is essential in managing change and improving the ability to overcome barriers in the marketing process (Charlton & Cornwell, 2019). The firm also needs to be aware of the marketing environment to ensure it does not lead to negative effects on their marketing strategies. Therefore, a company should balance or match the two environments since they are essential for companies willing to make progress.
Question Three
Authentic marketing involves honesty with employees, customers, and yourself. It involves empathy with the customers, communication, realism, and learning from the mistakes. I believe that all companies should embrace authentic marketing. It is not just suitable for specific companies since customers are seeking value (Weinberger, 2008). Therefore, companies selling soap or insurance can be real with their customers. The authenticity will involve communicating openly, show empathy, admit mistakes, and learn from the mistakes (Ilicic et al., 2019). One of the companies that transformed itself was Dove, a soap producer. The company transformed the vision to involve beauty as a source of confidence, not anxiety. When the company began the marketing campaign on real beauty in 2004, it transformed the marketing industry. Its marketing campaigns started looking credible, leading to a viral and campaign. Therefore, authentic marketing is for all companies.
References
Charlton, A. B., & Cornwell, T. B. (2019). Authenticity in horizontal marketing partnerships: A better measure of brand compatibility. Journal of Business Research, 100, 279-298.
Ilicic, J., Baxter, S. M., & Kulczynski, A. (2019). Keeping it real: examining the influence of co-branding authenticity in cause-related marketing. Journal of Brand Management, 26(1), 49-59.
Weinberger, D. (2008). Authenticity: is it real or is it marketing?. Strategic Direction.
