NOT AUTHENTIC ONLY, BUT AESTHETIC.

Nobody likes to be fooled. As human beings, we base our relationships on trust and make them meaningful. Social media is often described as a place that people only show their happy moments and perfect lives. According to Forbes’s marketing trend report, this kind of flawless curated content has over. Instead, people are looking forward to authentic and everyday moments content that viewers can quickly react, such as Instagram Stories. But, what does authenticity means to a brand? Does it mean a brand has to post photos without filter or making captions without an edit? The answer is NO.

Brand authenticity

When it comes to social media or the Internet, authenticity is not a “real” thing or something that can be objectively determined. It is a social-constructed phenomenon, which links to people's expectations (Carroll& Wheaton 2009). Brand authenticity is determined by consistency, uniqueness, the ability to keep promises, and unaffectedness. Hence, to be authentic, brand consistency in social media is important. That is, a brand’s behavior should reflect its core values. Further, being innovative and up-to-date is also crucial. A brand should be able to discuss issues and speak out its value to affect people around the world, such as being responsible for the environment. Moreover, being honest about brand service and products, remember what is the main purpose of the brand, and always stand for the truth.

Brand aesthetic

One of the ways to create brand consistency is to build up a unique brand aesthetic on social media. These days, social media profile becomes the first place for potential consumers to reach a brand. The tone, colors, and overall feeling of a brand profile contribute to aesthetics are the elements that consumers judge a brand’s consistency. A consistent social media profile can not only naturally please viewers’ eyes, but can also increase brand awareness and gain consumers. Select 3-5 colors as a theme and make photos stick to them can bring all of the contents together. Further, building up a stylish preview feed with ready-to-go content is helpful for brand consistency. Also, the tone of voice needs to be determined and scheduled in the posts.

Authenticity matters today, and aesthetics is something that can help brand consistency grow.

What is next?

I understand it can be hard to keep authenticity and aesthetic at the same time, here are some related projects I have done. If you have any question or need any assistance, feel free to contact me.

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Carroll, G.R. and Wheaton, D.R. (2009), “The organizational construction of authenticity: an examination of contemporary food and dining in the US”, Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol. 29 No. 2, pp. 255-282.