When we use a search engine, sometimes we aren’t sure what we are searching for. “I’ll know it when I see it” or “It just felt right.” Whatever the case may be, it’s definitely not because we’re looking for something that’s fake. Unfortunately, as we know all too well, sometimes the appearance of authenticity can ring our bell enough make purchase.
Finding we what have been searching for gives us that rewarding hit of pleasure and accomplishment. The harder “it” is to find, the bigger the hit. Unsurprisingly, when what we experience doesn’t reflect what we were led to believe, it leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. Trust walks out the door. And so does the chance for alchemy.
Pure authenticity is alchemy’s main ingredient. It is the spark that ignites a chemistry between people, a product, service, or organization.
Will the Real Butterfly Please Stand Up
Viceroy butterflies look identical to Monarch butterflies. Which is a drag if you’re a bird and decide to eat the wrong one. That’s because the Monarch butterfly is poisonous to birds. And it also explains why Viceroy butterflies mimic them.
Birds stay away from monarchs because they might be a Viceroy. But a discerning bird can tell the difference between them. Theirs a slight difference in their markings. And, when birds know a Viceroy is the real thing, they’ll snap it up before you can say Viceroy Robinson.
Coca Cola Gets Real
In the late 1970’s 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. And now, with its introduction of new colas, Pepsi was closing in.
The 1970’s was a tumultuous decade. America’s socio-political landscape was undergoing a significant upheaval marked by large demonstrations and protests across the country. The Civil Rights movement, Women’s Lib, Gay Rights clashed with what was considered at the time to be the american way of life. There was also the tragedy of the Vietnam War, growing angst and uncertainty brought on by the Cold War, and Watergate had left America’s trust in government badly shaken. Makes sense that the culture of the younger generation was turning to the ability to live their lives more freely, in an individually authentic way.
This 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.
Throughout the decades we could count on Coca Cola tasting just as great as we remembered it from our childhoods. The world could undergo massive changes, but Coke’s classic taste never changed. And 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 our belief. Yes, those beliefs needed challenged and change, but to the millions of Americans that held them, it was turning their world upside down and inside out. But Coca Cola was the rock of stability. A small one to be sure, but like Old Glory, it was still there. And it was real when the world around us was becoming more unreal every day. Coca Cola was the “The Real Thing” and we could tell the difference between Coke and an imposter.
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 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 mar rage, they even renamed the popular “Chubby Hubby” 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. They no longer wanted its ice cream sold in the specific areas withing Palestine territory that was being illegally occupied by Israelis. Most recently Kama
Ben and Jerry’s has continued to make it no secret that their company has progressive values. They created the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation that was started with a gift from Ben and Jerry and continues to be funded by a percentage of the company’s profits.
Everything Changes (Except Ben and Jerry’s)
Ben and Jerry still insist on making their ice cream the same way they’ve made it 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 is, they’ve become the number one ice cream brand in the U.S. and are in 36 countries. Ben and Jerry’s is impossible for another ice cream brand 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.
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