FleishmanHillard Authenticity Gap

1. FleishmanHillard Authenticity Gap The Authenticity Gap is a methodology to help companies understand and proactively manage the gap between audiences’ expectations and their actual experience of a company or brand. The data allows them to create true relationships with their audiences – real Authentic Engagement – that drives progress and opportunity. What Happens When Your Brand And Your Reputation Are Not On The Same Page? FleishmanHillard’s approach to the Authenticity Gap involves both brand and reputation. We believe Authentic Engagement happens only when the actual experiences of your stakeholders and the expectations they have of your organization match what your organization is saying about itself and what it is actually doing – in other words, with your brand. Customers don’t buy… Legislators don’t vote… Employees don’t come to work…simply because of what you promise in your brand. Rather, they act because of what they believe. Their experiences. Their expectations. In other words, your reputation. Creating better alignment between brand and reputation is critical for success and growth. It is the central issue that every organization must solve today. The Nine Drivers of Authenticity Our research is framed against the Nine Drivers of Authenticity – those attributes that most shape audiences’ perceptions and beliefs about a company. The drivers are tracked over time to monitor the organization’s current authenticity and momentum against key competitors. Together these nine drivers provide a map to the agendas of today’s stakeholders and how they engage with a company. All findings are country-, industry- and brand-specific. How is the Research Relevant? Rather than a list of rankings like so many other research studies, our study gives communications and marketing executivesactionable data they can use to shape their brands and business initiatives − thus addressing the Authenticity Gap. The research is conducted in partnership with Lepere Analytics who have developed a proprietary method for identifying experts in any industry category. The methodology ‘flips’ the traditional recruitment process and identifies a subset of individuals who self-select only the categories in which they have a higher level of interest, knowledge, engagement and influence. Once the research is complete we develop a course of action to help the organization close the critical gaps while building on its competitive strengths.

2. Latest Authenticity Gap Findings • For every brand studied, there is an Authenticity Gap – a gap between people’s expectations and their actual experiences. • Industry leaders meet or exceed competitors on all nine of the authenticity drivers. • They also maintain a wide margin of differentiation on one or two drivers. • Corporate behavior matters as much as customer benefits. • Consumers now have a personal relationship with brands that goes deeper than transactions. • There is no such thing as “global.” Consumer expectations vary widely by market. How Are Companies Applying The Insights? • The Authenticity Gap insights can be used to address a wide spectrum of brand and reputation needs. These include, but are not limited to: • Differentiating for industry leadership • Identifying strengths & weaknesses for reputation recovery • Strategic business planning • Mission, vision values development • KPI in measurement dashboard • Building business case for additional resources • Government & community affairs strategy building • Cultural integration with employees Authenticity Gap Products & Programs For more information about the FleishmanHillardAuthenticity Gap please contact Marjorie Benzkofer at Marjorie.Benzkofer@fleishman.comor visit the Authenticity Gap webpage at CenterOnReputation.com http://www.facebook.com/ FleishmanHillard FleishmanHillardat @Fleishman http://www.youtube.com/ FleishmanHillard