Storytelling: what is authentic?

Welcome to my 2nd article in the series on storytelling. Think of it as chapter two. Another word that gets bantered about a lot is authentic. Brands want to be authentic, we are authentic storytellers etc. But what is authentic?

As with frequency, this is a term that gets taken out of context or confused with historic.

So let´s break those 2 words down. Both are adjectives and describe the noun they are reflecting. Authentic means not false or copied, but genuine. Having a verified origin or representing one´s true nature or beliefs.

Historic means something is well-known or important in history.

Spot the difference. Something can have an authenticated history as in verified and of historic value. But you do not have an authentic history or historic authenticity.

For marketing, as much as leaning on the historic when valuable is great, I believe you should lean on nature or beliefs. A young brand can be authentic, a historic brand can be authentic. A young brand does not have a history.

While there is some overlap, authentic typically implies that something is true to its original form, while historic implies that something is important or significant in the context of history.

Trickier is that you can model some of your authentic values on other brands/names/things and be honest about that. You cannot however fake either history or authenticity. Start with being truthful.