​The Four Pillars of Authenticity

At the very heart of GEM's communications strategies are what we call the Four Pillars of Authenticity. Given that today's consumers are generally weary of traditional advertising, brands that pursue integrity and authenticity in their messaging are winning the war of ad-saturation.

The four Pillars of Authenticity at GEM are:

• Transparency – What does the company stand for? How do its beliefs impact its operations?

• Community – Does it positively affect your three constituencies: Company, Customer, Community? How?

• Relevancy – Does this company fill a unique need in the marketplace? Does it understand and balance the needs of today with the needs of tomorrow?

• Experience – How does this company make actions out of words? How does it impact real people with its USP?

Ironically, most brands have already done the hard 'work' by embodying each of these Pillars in their words and actions. Working with an organization that has taken steps to be authentic, we can then spend our time packaging those manifestations into the various media distribution mechanisms. For marketing executives: before engaging in any brand messaging and advertising, assemble your executive team and talk through these Pillars, answering the questions of each. Through this exercise, you'll often come away with the most clear, authentic way forward for sharing your brand's values with the world (read: the 'new' way advertising is effectively done).

Luckily for consumers, more brands than ever embrace this type of guideline today, since the market has had such little regard for anything false or misleading (see McDonald's food quality, Nike's poor working conditions, etc.). That's why at GEM, we take steps to honor our own values of 'Passion,' 'Clarity,' and 'Integrity.' What are your brand's values? Start with the Pillars of Authenticity, and you'll be set up to earn the best response from your marketing, on behalf of the people who matter most - your customers.

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