If you listen to business or political leaders then you will have heard a lot of the term ‘transparency’ recently. It seems that everyone wants to let us know they are ‘transparent’, but what does this mean and why all of a sudden does everyone want to be seen as such?
There are two key types of transparency, literal and abstract. Literal being more analytical, data-driven and mechanical and abstract being more representative, relational and simulation.
Brand transparency is often said to have been preceded by ‘ethical consumerism’ but in my opinion the key element isn’t ethics but is the desire for ‘authenticity’.
There are many suggested causes of brand transparency, but I would argue the key cause is the changing role of branding itself. Branding has developed from a means of identification, to differentiation, to reputation, to relation. Brands create values which stakeholders can buy in to, they have spent years ‘humanising’ themselves with the purpose of creating emotional connections with consumers.
Of course the changing technological landscape is enabling consumers to be more demanding, more informed, more connected, and so has created a framework by which consumers can ask questions of brands and to a degree ‘govern’ them. It is through this connectivity that better relationships can be built, if brands are genuine and authentic. Brands and consumers now have the framework to develop truly reciprocal relationships, to create shared social value and values. To do this brands have to see transparency as real openness to share successes and failures, and not simply a marketing strategy to show selected successes.
It is my opinion that genuine brand transparency handled with intelligence and emotion can take brands, and branding, to a place where authentic relationships can be built around shared social values. Admittedly most of what you will hear in the media being referred to as transparency is nothing of the sort, at least by my definition, but brand transparency can be the opportunity for branding to move away from being ‘short-termist, shareholder focussed, narcissistic and communications led’ (Allan, M. ed Ind, N. 2003: 222). Businesses, political parties, or any other branded group need to see that it is the earning of trust, openness and sharing social values that will help create better, authentic relationships and therefore better business.
If you would like to read on the subject of transparency then I’d recommend the two books below as a good place to start.
Ind, N. (ed.) (2003), Beyond Branding: how the new values of transparency and integrity are changing the world of brands, London and Philadelphia: Kogan Page.
Elkington, J. (1999), Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, Capstone.
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