Authenticity Is King

Having spent the good part of a year inundated by unscrupulous politicians, CEO’s, hedge fund managers, and combinations thereof usurping public funds and misleading regulatory bodies, an article on authenticity in branding seemed timely.

We live in an age where emulative (and often unethical) competition has become the order of the day, and where fly-by-night companies built on quick fads rise and fall daily. At best, this might be effective for generating short-term profit, but it falls well short of long-term strategic thinking. Citizens today have unprecedented access to information, and a growing impetus to call companies on their misdeeds and double-speak. This much shouldn’t come as a surprise. What’s less obvious is these demands for transparency and authenticity are also exciting branding opportunities. At a time when it’s easier than ever to mimic successful business models, being able to claim something authentic is worth its weight in gold.

One of the biggest challenges we face is convincing clients to commit to a comprehensive branding process. For some, it isn’t immediately obvious why this process is crucial, especially when these businesses are convinced that taking a ‘follow the leader’ approach will yield the easiest return. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), there’s a good reason why those leaders are leaders: they have something unique and meaningful to offer to their customers, and their brand reflects that authenticity and relevance.

Luckily for us, one of our longest standing clients, local realtor and home-owner advocate John Grasty, epitomizes this philosophy and commitment. We sat down with John recently and discussed his day-to-day operations and the impact of an authentic brand on his practice.

Q. What role does authenticity and transparency play in your day to day operations?

It’s central to everything we do on an everyday basis, and has helped strengthen the long-term vision for Real Estate Evolved. I’ve turned down listings after evaluating a situation and concluding that it wasn’t in the best interest of a client. Although this can cost us in the short-term, it has helped us grow and build brand equity. Our goal has always been to make decisions that are in-line with our core values, even (and especially) when they clash with the temptation of short-term gain.

Q. How has the idea of authenticity helped evolve your organizational vision?

The Real Estate Evolved vision is about empowering consumers by providing them with quality, accurate information, so that they are able to make informed decisions when buying or selling. This is achieved through a continual evolution and improvement of our process. This process, which we believe exceeds the services required of a Realtor, ensures that a potential home buyer or seller gets an entirely accurate picture of their circumstance, including potential risks involved that we are able to uncover. Like all other facets of our business, this process stems from our commitment to authenticity and transparency.

Q. At a time when Realtors appear to be slowing down, how have these initiatives kept you afloat?

Generally speaking, they’ve allowed me to be proactive rather than reactive in how I market and build Real Estate Evolved. A large component of our overall strategy is ongoing independent research related to homeowner issues, which has given us a strong differentiator in a relatively homogeneous market. As a result, this has helped instill a sense of trust and integrity in the Real Estate Evolved brand, and most importantly makes our motives and sincerity explicitly clear to consumers.

Another added benefit is the value gained from reduced marketing expenditures. A focus on homeowner issues has built, in a relatively short period of time, a sustainable referral network, which has grown in proportion to our reduced spending on marketing and advertising. What we’ve found is having an army of ‘brand advocates’ speaking on our behalf trumps even the most savvy marketing campaign.

Q. What role does your branding strategy play?

It has clarified and distilled the most important aspects of our services and philosophy, providing a tangible buy-in for consumers. The umbrella of ‘Real Estate Evolved’ allows us to speak on issues of due diligence, disclosure, and homeownership with added relevance and clarity. Simply put, it’s been the point of reference for our business; we understand where we are and where we need to be because we’re fully invested in a strong and sustainable brand.

If you’d like more information on John Grasty and the services of Real Estate Evolved, you can go online at www.realestateevolved.com. John also runs and regularly updates a blog, mainly on local homeowner issues, which can be found at www.johngrasty.ca.