The selection of authentic as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023 offers subtle evidence of public relations’ importance to organizations. The dictionary’s Nov. 27 news release about the choice even notes the word’s connection to “identity,” a concept related to reputation, the primary focus of corporate public relations work (see Nov. 13 post).

But no publication that I have seen so far—general or trade—has noted that being authentic is connected to effective public relations. Consequently, I suspect many public relations practitioners have missed the opportunity to use the word selection as a chance to reinforce the importance of authentic actions and messages to an organization’s reputation.

“Authentic has a number of meanings,” the Merriam-Webster news release says about the word of the year, “including ‘not false or imitation,’ a synonym of real and actual; and also ‘true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.’”

The release adds, “Authentic is often connected to identity, whether national or personal: words frequently modified by authentic include cuisine and dish, but also self and voice. Celebrities like singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith, and especially Taylor Swift all made headlines in 2023 with statements about seeking their ‘authentic voice’ and ‘authentic self.’”

Authenticity affects reputation

Authenticity is at the core of reputation management. The Authenticity Factory is one of four elements in John Doorley’s reputation management formula (see Aug. 26 post):

Reputation = Performance (financial returns and quality products or services) + Behavior (organizational interactions with key groups) + Communication (messages sent through all channels to all publics) x Authenticity Factory.

The Authenticity Factor determines the effectiveness of Performance, Behaviors, and Communication in shaping perceptions among people that an organization needs to influence. The Authenticity Factor represents how consistent all actions and messages are with an organization’s “intrinsic identity” (what it stands for).

If an organization stays true to what it stands for, the Authenticity Factor is 1. Any action or message that is not authentic reduces the factor and lowers the sum of images derived from Performance, Behavior, and Communication.

The Authenticity Factor can make or break an effort to change the way people think about an organization.

Significance missed

Missing the significance of increased public interest in whether things are authentic may reflect the shortsightedness of many trade-publication editors. Much of what I read reports on how public relations efforts can support marketing objectives (see Sept. 26 and Nov. 13 posts).

But from my perspective, the public relations management function should deal first with organizational reputation, what people think about an organization in light of all their interactions with it.

Authenticity helps shape those perceptions. People, according to Merriam-Webster, have become especially attentive during 2023 to what’s authentic. Public relations practitioners should have taken note. Practitioners should have used the word-of-the-year announcement as an opportunity to point out to business leaders that:

• Authentic actions and messages help foster a solid reputation with publics important to an organization’s success.
• People in key publics have little trouble identifying when an organization isn’t being authentic.
• Not acting and communicating authentically can, therefore, hurt the way people think about an organization.

Copyright © 2023 Douglas F. Cannon