The Concept of Authenticity: What It Means to Consumers

This webinar is part of the seminar series Journal of Marketin Webinar for Marketing Professional. Register here: www.ama.org/events/webinar/jm-webinar-series-insights-for-managers/

Abstract
Consumers crave authenticity. Yet many marketers do not know what consumers mean by authenticity. A new study in the Journal of Marketing studies this issue by identifying how consumers assess the authenticity of consumption experiences. To consumers, authenticity is determined holistically by six different types of judgements: accuracy, connectedness, integrity, legitimacy, originality, and proficiency. These involve judging the extent to which: (1) a provider is perceived as transparent and reliable; (2) a customer feels engaged and familiar with a source and/or its offering; (3) a provider is perceived as being intrinsically motivated, not acting out of its own financial interest; (4) a product or service adheres to shared norms, standards, rules, or traditions; (5) a product or service stands out from mainstream offerings; and (6) a provider is perceived as properly skilled, exhibiting craftsmanship and/or expertise. Managers can use these insights to identify and resolve product shortcomings, keeping in mind that consumption context matters for the relevance of each judgment.

Authors: Joseph C. Nunes (University of Southern California, United States), Andrea Ordanini (Bocconi University, Italy), and Gaia Giambastiani (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Joint presentation by all authors.