The democratization of technology and rise of consumerism have led people to seek authenticity from the companies they do business with, rather than blindly accepting their authority.
To achieve authenticity, a company must start with a clear purpose beyond making money. When a company’s purpose aligns with their customer’s identity, it creates a sense of fit that lets customers know they’ve found the real deal.
One example of this is shoe company Zappos, which prioritizes customer service over marketing and encourages employee use of social media to help scale the brand community.
