Revenue Disruption: Game-Changing Sales and Marketing Strategies to Accelerate Growth

Authenticity: Crowd-Sourcing the Truth

In a world where buyers are isolated and have relatively little access to information, it’s not hard to create a brand image or product positioning that’s out of line with the “truth.” Take, for example, a clothing company that introduces a new line built around a cool, hip, socially conscious image. Meanwhile, they’re hiding the fact that they manufacture their clothes in a third-world sweatshop. In the not too distant past, unless you happened to read an exposé by an investigative journalist, there is little likelihood you would discover such an unpleasant truth.

One of the most profound and game-changing insights from social media is that the voice of the crowd really does discover and converge on the truth. No single individual necessarily starts with the whole picture, but by sharing and resharing, and discussing, and challenging, the crowd will figure out that the socially conscious brand is a sham.

In the business world, this means that the social crowd will figure out if a product has poor quality, a company is lousy at customer service, or a list price is different from the real selling price. This new world of information makes it essential that brands, product positioning, and marketing campaigns strive toward truth and authenticity. You’re not going to pull the wool over the crowd’s eyes, so don’t even bother trying. Instead, embrace authenticity. In the same way that the crowd has an uncanny way of spotting lies and half-truths, ...