Keeping It Real: Applying 360 Degrees of Authenticity

Marketers tout authenticity as the new reality, a means by which consumers in markets of abundance determine value and, at times, prestige. Approaching consumption from a ServiceDominant perspective, where every product has a unique experiential component within which the consumer and producer co-create value, means authenticity is problematic. How can a marketer represent authentically the infinite possibilities of the experiential component of a product? This paper builds on emerging research and a qualitative example to explore the meaning and application of an authenticity framework: the 360 degree model of authenticity. Perspectives on Authenticity Types of Authenticity Authenticity generally refers to an original, not a copy or reproduction (Burchfield, 1987). Usually an expert in the field empirically confirms the authenticity of a physical object or a state. Extending the concept, Wang (1999) proposes objective authenticity as the genuineness of an object and constructed authenticity arising from the community’s story about the object. In order for constructed authenticity to be recognized, Wang indicates that an experience must occur within the appropriate cultural context. Beyond these two types of authenticity lies a third possibility, existential authenticity: an experiential state of being. Existential authenticity comes to Wang through philosophical work in authenticity, primarily by Keirkegaard. Soren Kierkegaard posited that to be authentic meant to be true to oneself in a holistic sense, consistent across all facets of one’s life (Golomb, 1995; Guignon, 2002). Similarly, Lionel Trilling (1974) used existentialist ideas to examine authenticity in an academic context, referencing Kierkegaard’s holistic approach. Wang (1999) claims that tourism experiences can deliver a feeling of the wholeness of self. This existential state of genuineness, of people coming together with themselves, reflects Wang’s proposed existential authenticity. Gilmore and Pine (2007) identify commercial authenticity with a matrix combining Wang’s objective authenticity and constructed/existential authenticity. They cite the prevalence of perceived value of authenticity as prevalent in consumer and popular culture. For example, slang phrases referring to authenticity such as “keep it real”(Urban Dictionary, 2010), are positive indicators of value. Modern Psychology and Authenticity Modern psychology, particularly positive psychology takes a Kierkegaardian approach, and incorporates the work of Martin Heidegger (Guignon, 2002). For Heidegger authenticity is fleeting and experienced through moments where the individual connects with a network of people/objects in a unique, conscious and deliberate way based on the particular background and circumstances (Steiner & Reisinger, 2006). For the Heideggerian, an authentic experience transcends automated responses. Authenticity is an actor’s conscious awareness of a context and deliberate action within that context. At the core of Heidegger is the uniqueness that results in a specific moment, when a specific person with a specific history interacts with a specific set of stimuli. The awareness of the uniqueness of the circumstance is the authentic experience. In psychology, this would mean