Adversity and Authenticity

In the face of massive adversity in the marketplace, with the stock price of a major brand leader like GE falling below the price of a 2-pack of light bulbs, how are these market leaders continuing to present and deliver the superior brand experience that their customers expect?

It seems that everyone inside companies like GE, Bank of America, or GM are now suddenly more concerned than ever about their own jobs, than they are about delivering superior experiences to their customers. And beyond the issues of significant anxiety and distraction for employees, how many major brands are actually investing real dollars today in ensuring "superior customer experiences"?

It would follow then that customer service complaints are up and sales are down, which they are, and that these brands currently don't carry the same cache' in the marketplace that they're accustomed to. What comes to mind, for example, when you see an ad for the new 2009 Pontiac G8 sports car? ... do you think "the new BMW", which is a key element of this car's brand promise, or do you think "endangered species"?

So, the theme of this post is the question of what happens to "authenticity" in the face of "adversity"?

Think about this question in the context of how it applies to "personal branding", to YOUR brand, and to how authentic your brand is in these tumultuous times. And, think about it in the context of this quote that I read recently ... "Adversity introduces a man to himself".

Well, I believe that if a man or woman has made it this far without being clearly aware of the qualities, talents and characteristics that define them, then it's way too late when adversity deals its heavy blow.

As I wrote yesterday in a LinkedIn recommendation for my friend Marty Kenney ... "Adversity introduces everyone to the authentic man". The best brands, and the best people, never waver from their core beliefs, key talents and gifts, and brand promise. They never lose their authenticity.

Marty Kenney has faced adversity before in his career, and because he knew what made him special and valuable, he was able to continue his successful career path. And, rather than causing fear or anxiety, adversity looked like opportunity to Marty.

Many leading brands are seeing today's marketplace as an opportunity to capture share from their competitors ... overall sales may be down, but the leaders know who they are and know how to lead. On Friday, I spoke with the SVP, Sales for one of the world's most prominent apparel brands, who said that his company had plenty of cash and no debt, and that they were singularly focused on growing their business by taking market share from weaker, or distracted, competitors.

Authenticity beats adversity, so in times like these, stay true to your brand.

For further reading on branding, I've shared below an article from yesterday's NY Times, on how the co-founders of Zipcar applied fundamental and intelligent branding techniques to build Zipcar into the leader in the car-sharing business.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/magazine/08Zipcar-t.html?_r=1&th&emc=th