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According to Grayson and Martinec (2004), humans have been striving for authenticity for several hundred years. Despite the century-long interest in this human aspiration, the concept of authenticity has only recently captured the attention of marketing researchers as a result of the growing consumer demand for authenticity in purchased products and services. A variety of explanations can be found for this development. On the one hand, it is seen as a reaction to the growing number of serious crises over the past years, such as the financial crisis, current threats to society such as climate change, frequent scandals caused by managerial misconduct relating to moral issues or simply progressing globalization which increasingly separates people from their national identities (Bruhn et al., 2012; Fine, 2003). In line with these explanations, Turner and Manning (1988) state that the desire for authenticity is especially strong in times of change and uncertainty, when individuals search for something to rely on that offers them continuity. On the other hand, the need for authenticity is often also seen as a consequence of the increasing homogenization of the marketplace (Beverland and Farelly, 2010). In particular, authenticity serves as evidence of quality and differentiation for consumers. Market transparency, triggered by the communication opportunities of the internet, such as the viral and bi-directional dissemination of information, reinforces the mentioned processes (Eggers et al., 2013). Informed consumers demand consistency and authenticity of their brands and are no longer willing to accept insincere brand behavior (Holt, 2002).
Research has emphasized the increasing relevance that the brand authenticity concept has for the marketing discipline, as voiced by statements such as “consumer’s search for authenticity is one of the cornerstones of contemporary marketing” (Brown et al., 2003, p. 21), or “Quality no longer differentiates; authenticity does” (Gilmore and Pine, 2007, p. 23), demonstrating the potential that is ascribed to authentic brands. However, a key question that arises in the light of brand authenticity is what determines the perceived authenticity of a brand and which consequences can be attributed to brand authenticity? Thus, despite “authenticity’s long-standing, persistent, and contemporary marketplace appeal” (Grayson and Martinec, 2004, p. 296), companies have little indication of the influencing factors that might be used to promote brand authenticity nor do they...