Authenticity

An authentic market offering is something that is sold in the marketplace, and whose market value is based wholly or partly on a belief that the offering has a particular kind of real, truthful, or genuine connection with something that is important or special to the consumer. Judgments of authenticity are inherently subjective. One kind of authenticity relates to whether the market offering has a factual and physical link with something important to the consumer. For example, an article of clothing may be deemed authentic because a celebrity actually wore it. Another perceived factual connection that influences perceptions of authenticity is between personality and behavior. For example, a product may be deemed authentic because it reflects the true personality of a company's founder. Products that are unique and/or consistent over time are also more likely to be viewed as reflecting the company's true personality. A second kind of authenticity relates to whether the market offering physically resembles something valuable to the consumer. Here, the connection is not physical but is perceptual. This meaning of authenticity is frequently used when describing replica art objects and facsimiles of brands and products.