Brand Authenticity: What it Really Means

John Paquin How do you define quotauthenticquot True to your own rich history and values Or is it how those values are applied to today39s conversations as a contemporary societyKelly Ravestijn It39s both It is maintaining your brands39 values and purpose in today39s marketplace where consumer and shopper expectations have evolved They expect brands to be authentic beyond corporate and brand initiatives through the full funnelPacquin AnheuserBusch has a rich sense of tradition that one could argue was authentic before quotauthenticityquot became a marketing buzzword How would you define what makes your brand quotauthenticquot and how has it changed along with evolving consumer expectationsColleen Kelly AnheuserBusch has always had a sense of self and authenticity as a company and across our entire portfolio To ensure that we are meeting our consumers39 and shoppers39 expectations and demands we39ve evolved to driving interaction along the full path to purchase Our tone of voice is cohesive across all channels but with differentiation across our portfolio so we are meeting our audience where they are in that moment We39ve evolved our corporate purpose to quotWe Dream Big to Createamp8203 a Future with More Cheersquot which is reflective of our ambition optimism and helps create a sustainable future We seek to bring that same level of purpose to each of our brands across our portfolioPaquin Over the past two years have you seen a rise in shopper expectations for your brands to be trueauthentic To what degreeKelly The rise and transformation has been gradual but significant since the 1980s As with many things COVID has only fastforwarded and intensified what was already there driving shifts in narratives for brands and companies finding their way beyond transaction and into meaningPaquin What role does quotauthenticityquot play in AB39s internal culture How do you ensure it39s wellcommunicated and understoodKelly We39re on a 10year journey in the US and are just about at the halfway point As mentioned we rolled out a new purpose and brand for AnheuserBusch earlier this year that is reflective of our heritage but also clear about the future we are working toward together One key area where authenticity shines internally is our Employee Resource Groups and Panorama DEI Council As a leader of our Women in Beer and Beyond group as well as an ally in many other ERGs I am impressed by the caliber of discussion and activity that each ERG brings These groups serve as communities for our teams but also change agents within the company that create forums for discussions around topics like race gender equity and inclusion to name a few These initiatives are representative of who we are today and who we want to be tomorrow Across these topics and many others we acknowledge internally when we are imperfect learn from it and grow so that we can be better in the future which is integral to our company culturePaquin A company as visible as AB has a significant responsibility to use that power and influence wisely How do you decide when and how to take a stand and how strong of a stand to takeKelly quotWith great power comes great responsibilityquot We take our position in the industry with our wholesaler and retailer partners very seriously as we all focus on giving consumers and shoppers the most authentic experiences with our brands This behavior is at the core of authenticity We remain focused on what is true and authentic to our brands and their purposes not pandering or losing sight of that We make decisions based on what our communities need and where our brands can play For example Budweiser elected to forego a Super Bowl commercial in 2021 and reallocate that money toward helping communities through vaccine and blood donation campaigns The biggest shift we must focus on is at commerce A key opportunity for us is meaningful communication throughout the consumertoshopper journey in the age of connected commerce We39ve been dedicated to our corporate and brand authenticity but now consumers are demanding to see that everywhere across the funnel with anything less being unacceptablePaquin Tell us more about your KPIs for measuring quotauthenticityquot How do you judge quotsuccessquot How are these weighed against more traditional measures of success such as salesshare Affinity and preferenceRavestijn As any measure it is better demonstrated than written The paradigm shift is in how we view authenticity Currently it is measured on brand sentiment and tracking studies versus sales LTV and connectivity As consumers continue to see their dollars as a vote of approval and action authenticity is the fundamental measure for loyalty in today39s consumer environment Loyalty for us does not mean they only buy us but they choose us more often across our portfolio because we have solutions that can meet their demands from morning to nightClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Brand Authenticity: What it Really Means

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Brand Authenticity: What it Really Means

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