If you’ve spent any amount of time among social-media types, authenticity is tossed around as a key to success.
It seems a straightforward concept: In the online realm, be honest, transparent, and open. Be yourself. And the audience will follow.
The danger with this approach is it’s possible for the primary motivation for being authentic to become building audience — and, ironically, the antithesis of authenticity.
Existentialist philosophers tackled the notion of authenticity in the context of art and creation, and raised the central conundrum: Are you creating for the purpose of exploring and revealing your inner self, or are you merely trying to seize attention and glory?
In a social-media/marketing sense, is it even possible to be truly authentic? I believe so.
One of the best examples I’ve found: the Green Bay Packers, one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. (Disclaimer: As a Wisconsin native, I have been a lifelong fan of the team.)
Connecting to community
The roots of this authenticity did not form overnight. You have to go back to 1923, when owner Curly Lambeau restructured the team as a public corporation and sold shares for $5 in the community. Its ownership structure is unique among professional sports franchises: It is the only one that is nonprofit and publicly owned in the United States.
The team tapped into its fans in 1935, 1950, and 1997 to help it stay afloat and expand Lambeau Field, its home stadium.
These shares do not increase in value. They do not pay dividends. If the team is ever sold, the proceeds go to build a soldiers’ memorial, not to shareholders.
Yet more than 112,000 people have bought shares in the team.
In December, the team went to the public again, offering 250,000 nonappreciable shares at a face value of $250 through Feb. 29. My wife and I decided to invest the team, as did thousands of other fans.
When I found out about the offering, I felt this overwhelming desire to buy into the team. I had spent years following the Pack, through seasons poor as well as successful, and this purchase — which would help fund new capital projects — seemed an ideal investment, even though I get no tangible benefit from the purchase.
What is it about the team that makes me feel it’s authentic?
- The ownership structure is designed for longevity, not profitability. As Umair Haque notes in “Betterness: Economics for Humans,” we need to recalibrate a corporate structure that prizes profitability above all else. Here, no single owner controls the team’s fate, and it is likely to remain in Green Bay unless it falls into dire financial straits.
- The team remains connected to the community, a city of about 104,000 people. Its players regularly volunteer, and in 1986, the team created the Green Bay Packers Foundation, which has donated $2 million over its history to groups and organizations throughout Wisconsin.
- Connecting with the organization provides a deeper connection with others. It may seem odd to elevate a sports team to the level of deep human connection, but internally, many of us feel a desire to be a part of something larger than ourselves. There’s something about being part of Packer Nation and running into fans wherever I go.
- It’s what leads people to join causes, participate in political campaigns, and volunteer and contribute to nonprofit organizations and churches — a connection that ties us to one another and reminds us we are not alone.