This past week, I attended the Digital Summit in Detroit. No, you’re not experiencing déjà vu. A few weeks back, Allison wrote about her experience at the Digital Summit in Chicago. We exchanged some notes on what we’ve learned because it’s always so interesting to see how two people attending almost the same event can leave with very different information and experiences.

Authenticity
Marketers really know how to take a concept or idea and milk it till it runs dry. First, it was synergy, then came innovation, then strategy, and now authenticity.

Most of those concepts and terms are important (synergy is an eye roll, but no room for that here) and if implemented properly make a big of a difference. But, if you’re a tire shop and you start selling oranges on the side, saying it’s because you love healthy eating while the real reason is you need more money … just, no. That’s not part of your mission, vision, and values, and therefore you’re not being authentic.

And if your values contradict your work, you might want to rethink the accuracy and authenticity of your list and how it aligns with your ultimate purpose.

Seth Godin said it best: “The last time anyone in this room was authentic was when they ran around with poop-filled diapers. We do things with purpose.”

Budgets & Prices
Two things.

1. Speakers at these types of conferences work with clients like Netflix, Nike, and Google. Their budgets have a few more zeros than the nonprofit and advocacy work we like to do. It makes it challenging to apply their thinking and methods when you work with limited resources. However, looking at the big picture and the ideas proposed and then taking it down to scale can help inspire new mediums and tools for your less-than-gigantic clients.

2. Another great quote from Seth Godin: “When people say your price is too high, what they’re saying is I don’t care enough about this, so you better be the cheapest one.”

Dennis Rodman
Yep. He was there. A whole 15 minutes on stage. I believe the thinking was, “We’re in Detroit. Let’s find us one of the Bad Boys because it’ll be fun,” or something like that.

Despite what you think of him or his journey, you have to admit that he was a pioneer of the public persona movement. Mostly flavored with shock value.

This tactic has evolved to influencers, spokespeople, brand ambassadors, and endorsers. Each is contracted differently, with different levels of expectations, conduct, and even ROI. And shock value may garner you some initial attention (any publicity is good publicity, right?) But is that beneficial—and authentic—to your work?

The most important brand ambassadors a business can have are its employees. They represent your organization’s values, purpose, and personality. It reminds me of family lineage. Whether you’re royalty or not, the family you come from provides others with an impression of you. The place you work is similar. People will make assumptions based on where you work. Cancer center? You must have a heart of gold. Monsanto? Some might question your moral compass.

The business you choose to associate with says a lot about you, and that goes for the people you employ. Do they align with your values and what you stand for, and do you provide them with the tools to represent you as needed?

Side note: Dennis Rodman won’t be representing Redhead any time soon, as charming as he might be.