“I’ll know it when I see it” or “It just felt right.” When we use a search engine, sometimes we aren’t sure what we are searching for. But when we do come across it, we know. Whatever the reason, it’s definitely not because we’re looking for something fake. Unfortunately, as we know all too well, sometimes the appearance of authenticity can ring our bell enough to make a purchase. Unsurprisingly, when our experience doesn’t reflect what we expected, it leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. Trust walks out the door. And so does the chance for alchemy.
Finding we what have been searching for gives us a hit of pleasure and accomplishment. The harder “it” is to find, the bigger the hit.
Pure authenticity is one of alchemy’s main ingredients. It is the spark that ignites a chemistry between people and products, services, or organizations.
Will the Real Butterfly Please Stand Up
Viceroy butterflies look identical to Monarch butterflies. Except there’s a big difference. Unlike Viceroys, Monarch butterflies are poisonous to birds. Which is a drag if you’re a hungry bird that eats the wrong one. No wonder Viceroy butterflies have evolved to look like Monarchs.
However, a discerning bird can tell the difference between them. There is a slight variation in wing markings. That’s how experienced birds can tell when a Viceroy is the real thing. And once they know, they’ll snap it up before you can say Viceroy Robinson.
Coca Cola Gets Real
In the late 1970’s the proliferation of new soda brands created an intensely competitive beverage category. Coca Cola, the megabrand leader of the pack, found itself in the unfamiliar territory of fighting for market share. The cavalcade of new colas diluted the competition and put Pepsi hot on the heels of Coca Cola..
The tumultuous times of change in the 19070’s gave birth to the individualist culture of the younger generation. Deemed the Counterculture generation, they went against the grain of the traditional values that they now saw as phony.
This major culture shift was not lost on the cola companies battling for market share. Pepsi positioned itself as “The Pepsi Generation”, 7Up was the “Uncola”, and Dr. Pepper was “Misunderstood”. But it was Coca Cola’s “It’s the Real Thing” that captured the ethos of an entire nation. “It’s the Real Thing” embraced people of all ages. It spoke to the older generation who yearned for the nostalgia of the past. At the same time, it spoke to the Counterculture of America’s youth who were searching for the authenticity that embodied a their generation.
A number of factors were combined to create Coca Cola’s remarkable alchemy that encompassed the older and younger generations. Older people could count on Coca Cola to taste just as they remembered from their childhoods. At the same time in the 70’s the unthinkable was happening. Our president was a liar, a cheater, and summarily impeached. We were fighting in a war in Vietnam that we didn’t understand and thousands of young men were coming back from Vietnam in body bags. There was a Cold War buildup of nuclear missiles. To top it off, a huge social movement was sweeping across the country and challenging long-held social beliefs. However while the world could undergo drastic social change, Coke’s classic taste never wavered. Coca Cola offered a small bastion of stability and Coke became more real when the world was becoming more unreal every day.
But the “The Real Thing” also spoke to the Counterculture’s disdain for “fakiness”. All in all, “It’s the Real Thing’ reaffirmed the importance Coke placed on being recognized as ‘original’.
For decades Coca Cola stayed true to idea of being the “The Real Thing”. Because of this and an alchemy of other factors, Coca Cola continues to reign as the king of colas.
Think Like Ben and Jerry
Just because you can’t be Ben and Jerry doesn’t mean you can’t think like them. In 1978 Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield started selling their now famous Ben and Jerry’s ice cream out of a converted gas station in Burlington Vermont. Super premium ice cream had begun gaining traction with the luxury brand HaagenDaz in the lead. However, trying to be a luxury ice cream couldn’t have been further from Ben and Jerry’s mind. It simply wasn’t them or what they were about. They were two regular and wholesome hippy-like guys without pretense. Their packaging was fun not fancy. Their ice cream aired on the side of rustic. Ben and Jerry’s ice cream was part youthful flower child, part socially conscious activist, and part playful rebel. There was “Cherry Garcia”, “Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler”, and to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage, the popular “Chubby Hubby” was renamed to “Hubby Hubby”.
Ice Cream Power
Ben and Jerry stubbornly refused to modify their identity as socially aware rebels. So much so that their parents (Unilever) kicked them out of the house. Over the years Ben and Jerry’s has often taken stances on issues like LGBTQ rights and climate change. In fact, during the Isreali-Palestinian conflict, they no longer wanted its ice cream sold in the specific areas with in Palestinian territory that was being illegally occupied by Israelis.
Ben and Jerry’s has continued to make it no secret that their company had progressive values. They created the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation which supported grassroots organizations that worked their communities to achieve social and environmental justice. The effort was started with a gift from Ben and Jerry and continues to be funded by a percentage of the company’s profits. Most recently they concocted a new flavor called Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee, a coconut ice cream with swirls of caramel and mixed with star-shaped red, white, and blue candy sprinkles.
Everything Changes (Except Ben and Jerry’s)
Ben and Jerry still insist on making their ice cream the same way since 1978. Their ice cream was made by simply combining high quality ingredients, rich, original flavors, less air content, and a sense of humor. And yet as simple as their approach to ice cream was, they’ve now become a powerhouse ice cream company that ranks number one in the U.S. and are in 36 countries. Ben and Jerry’s is another great example of the alchemy of a brand that’s impossible to impersonate.
You Can’t Fake Authenticity
Good luck with that. Any brand that isn’t committed to being 100% authentic will never achieve an alchemy with people. And the brands that DO develop an alchemy will be around long after those brands are gone.
Slow and steady wins the race and so it is with alchemic authenticity. Neither Coca Cola or Ben and Jerry’s started out with a lofty goal of winning millions of hearts and going down in history as famous American icons. They just wanted to make a certain kind of cola or ice cream that capture their values. And, in the case of Ben and Jerry’s, according to who they were as real people.
We all search for products that say what they do, and do what they say. People want Viceroy brands. Be like a Monarch and, while your brand may be quickly snapped up, it will get spit out even faster.