Suspicious of “Authenticity”, women challenge Dove ads – Again!
The latest controversy over Dove’s "Real Women" ads shows just how suspicious we are of organizations that claim they have become authentic and honest, after showing themselves to be neither. […]
Previous Authenticity Controversies re: Dove & Unilever
Can Dove / Unilever be thought of as ‘authentic’? 1. Dove makes and sells products to ‘fix’ women’s beauty problems, and contradicts the messages it intends to send in the […]
B Corporations: Video Clip
Here is a video clip of Andrew Kassoy, a co-founder of the B Lab (the non-profit that has set up the B Corporation structure) speaking at a Stanford Entrepreneurship seminar […]
B Corp Identity: An Opportunity for Organizational Authenticity
What are for-profit organizations to do, if they want to pursue social purposes and be authentic? Until recently, organizations facing this authenticity dilemma had three options. They could: Attempt to […]
The Authenticity Paradox of Gilmore & Pine
The authenticity paradox , as defined by James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II in their book "Authenticity: What consumers really want" , contains the following axioms: If you […]
Can a for-profit business organization that also pursues a social purpose be authentic?
There are so many examples of for-profit organizations whose for-purpose actions are suspect that it’s a little scary to bring up the subject. Where do we even begin? We should […]
3 Questions for a “Quick and Dirty” Assessment of Your Organization’s Authenticity
An authentic organization, very simply, is an organization whose identity, image and actions are congruent with each other. Identity is reflected in image and actions, Image accurately describes identity and […]
Rebranding Opportunities for the American Red Cross?
The American Red Cross has appointed a new CEO, Gail J. McGovern. McGovern, currently a marketing professor at the Harvard Business School, has many years of experince at for profit […]
Authenticity: Is it Organizational or is it Marketing?
Of all the current conversations about authenticity and organizations, none is more vibrant- and confused- than the conversation that mingles authenticity, authentic brands and authentic organizations. The Harvard Business Review […]
Honey is really bee vomit: Why we should label "NonProfit" Organizations "For-Purpose" Organizations
“You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” Would this advice make any sense if, instead, it was: “You catch more flies with bee vomit than vinegar”? Heck no. That’s […]