Branding: Charisma vs. Authenticity or Charisma + Authenticity

This is a short follow-up to yesterday's post about President Obama and the Nobel Prize. I wanted to highlight two different foundations for a brand: Charisma and Authenticity.

Charisma

Charisma is based much more on fostering an emotional connection to the brand than on tangible attributes. Take "hope" for example. Hope is emotionally charged and can be an amazing catalyst. The downside is that it generally causes blind followership and buy-in. This is not to say that fans and advocates in Obama's camp are lemmings. I am a supporter and fan. The enthusiasm just needs to be tempered.

Authenticity

Authenticity is based on promoting the best of what is...not what will be. When place branding Fresno, my colleague and I focused on the six pillars identified through research that are authentic to the region. It has been difficult to find many detractors to the brand. Authenticity is also much more behaviorally based. A brand built on an authentic foundation can cause people to actually move into action by doing the things that uphold the authentic pillars.

Both/And not Either/Or

The Nobel Prize was awarded (in my opinion) based on President Obama's charisma. His goal is to authentically work for peace. It must be a both/and approach. Focusing on one or the other is not sustainable.

Charisma can rally people, but authenticity is needed to provide more than just sizzle. Likewise, building a brand solely based on authenticity make sense intellectually, but needs an emotional component. For the Fresno Brand platform, we developed a brand vision: Be World Class. Be Fresno. This is an emotional plea because the region is not at his point yet. Just as Obama built a campaign based on the vision of hope and change because the country needed those thing to look forward to.

What brands do you admire, trust, follow, support?

Is it based on the sizzle of the steak (or both)?

Related Posts

Barack Obama and the Nobel Prize: Leadership as a Brand

Memo to Conan: Fresno's not that different than you, my friend

Smartness in Action

Smart is as Smart does

AuthentiCity: The Secret of Place Branding

If a Tree Falls in the Plaza...

A recent story in the Fresno Bee, post on the Beehive and subsequent discussion that ensued has prompted me to remind everyone involved to open the Fresno Brand Platform Workbook. The City of Fresno is fixin' to cut down some trees in Eaton Plaza and people are in an uproar. Has the City pissed off tree huggers? Are tree huggers looking at the bug picture? My answer to both of these rhetorical questions is "I Don't Care." You see, I would rather use the issue of diseased (allegedly) tree removal as an opportunity for brand reflection.

I previously posted an overview of the Fresno Brand Platform. It is a place brand built on authentic truths and not ideal reality. It is a platform built on six distinct pillars:

• Land Stewardship
• Authentic America
• Big City Amenities
• Small Town Ease
• Diverse Culture
• Spirit of Innovation

Well, well, well...it looks like the issue of tree removal is totally against being good land stewards, right? Not necessarily. If the trees are truly diseased, then it is in the best interest of the land to remove them. If the trees use an unhealthy amount of water, then maybe a different (more drought tolerant) type needs to be planted. I think the solution can be found by engaging all six pillars and not just one.

Fresno will achieve it's goal of an improved image, if and when people start using the pillars as a way to hold others accountable. Use the language.

The cool thing about the brand is that it can be used beyond marketing. These pillars should be used to shape policy, impact budgeting, and develop employee relations programs.

Living the brand is not about clever messaging.

So, what decision should be made about the trees? Use the pillars in your justification.

the one:forty - No Image Problem Here (ep1)

The is the first installment of The One:Forty. Each episode will be a verbal tweet, but I will use one minute and forty seconds instead of 140 characters. Brevity is key. Take a look. What polarities are you solving instead of managing?

AuthentiCity: The Secret of Place Branding

Place Branding. Man, that's a crapshoot. Here's how I've seen it approached in the past:

Step 1: Hire a six-figure firm (from out of town)

Step 2: Give the "experts" access to your community

Step 3: Review a few logos and tag lines

Step 4: Hold a press conference

Step 5: Order new letterhead

Step 6: Live with regret because the "brand" never took hold in the community

The Fresno region has struggled with an identity crisis for a number of years. Recently, I joined my buddy, Suzanne Bertz-Rosa of Bertz-Rosa Design, to work with the Fresno County Convention & Visitors Bureau to develop a brand for the region. Here's the kicker, we decided to create a brand platform without a logo or tag line. Dear God, what would we show off at the press conference?

The region is nearly one million people strong, it is at the base of three national parks, and there are multiple audiences. Is it foolish to believe that one logo or tag line would do the trick. There are other agencies and organizations that also are tasked with communicating the benefits of the region. Everyone needed a platform from which to work. A platform is what they got.

After doing extensive research (thanks to the help from The Fresno Bee and Decipher, Inc.), authentic pillars were discovered. The brand for the Fresno region is based on the following six pillars:

• Land Stewardship
• Authentic America
• Big City Amenities
• Small Town Ease
• Diverse Culture
• Spirit of Innovation

Now organizations can use the Fresno Brand Platform Workbook to create audit brand alignment. The premise is that if multiple organizations speak and behave in a fashion consistent with the overall brand, then the brand experience will be more positive. Research also showed that these pillars are very authentic.

So, is it taking off? Well, it has changed language and some behaviors. People are using the workbook as a guide. Heck, one designer, Katrina Neufeld of Neu Design, even created Fresno Brand wallpaper for the iPhone. Local blogger, The Fresnan, wrote a great piece about it. The college radio station, KFSR 90.7FM, devoted an episode of The Pulse (download MP3 here). to discussing it. It is taking off because it is authentic.

We cannot be an Authentic City without AutheniCity.

Here's a link to the iPhone wallpaper designed by Katrina Neufeld.

Take a look at the Brand Platform Workbook: