www.hbr.orgAND COMMENTARYHBR CASE STUDYAuthenticity: Is It Real or Is It Marketing?by David WeinbergerShould Gordon continue to back Marty s no-holds- barred authenticity approach?Four commentators offer expert advice.Reprint R0803AHBR CASE STUDYAuthenticity: Is It Real or Is It Marketing?by David Weinbergerharvard business review march 2008page 1HBR s cases, which are fictional, present common managerial dilemmas and offer concrete solutions from experts. COPYRIGHT 2008 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.Companies that boast of their authenticity confront challenges that more faceless firms don t even have to consider.Gordon McMaster, the CEO of Hunsk En- gines, introduced his new head of marketing to the company s top managers over bagels and coffee. “I want to make something clear,” Gordon told the group. “I know we ve gone through a number of marketing VPs and campaigns. But Marty is the guy we ve been waiting for. I know what he stands for, what he wants to push the company to do, and he has my un-qualified support.” Gordon knew Marty Echt had the chops for the position. The new hire had spent his early post-MBA years at a large packaged-goods company learning the consumer-marketing ropes, but he d earned his reputation as a fo- cused miracle worker elsewhere: He d trans- formed a bottled-water manufacturer into an innovator in the energy-drinks space and then built a distributor of specialty sports equipment into a cult brand.On his first day at Hunsk, Marty was dressed to impress. He wore his best work suit, his cream dress shirt, and a tie with a soft brown and green pattern that pulled it all together. But Paula Marchesi, director of promotions, was most interested in the unpolished, black, heavy-soled boots under Marty s trouser cuffs. “Trouble,” she thought. Marty thanked his boss and then took thefloor. Hunsk Engines had, he explained to his new colleagues, systematically devalued its considerable pedigree. There had been a time when Hunsk was considered a rival to Harley- Davidson. Harley made the wild brute ma- chines with their characteristic growl, but Hunsk appealed to those who wanted a bike that ticked like a clock even as it moved like a rocket. The paradigmatic Hunsk rider wasn t someone who was just trying to look like an outlaw. He (men dominated the com- pany s demographic) was a real rebel. FiercelyAuthenticity: Is It Real or Is It Marketing?HBR CASESTUDYharvard business review march 2008page 2independent. Confident and edgy. More a Dennis Hopper than a James Dean. The company had made the classic mistake of trying to expand its reach at the expense of its existing market. Twenty years ago, Hunsk had tried to move into light motorcy- cles, touting the quietness of its engines with a tagline that asked, “Was it the wind or a Hunsk?”as if people rode Hunsks because they didn t want to be noticed. Then there was the attempt to appeal to the youth market. Marty liked the way the tagline “Before you have to get a car, ride your Hunsk” reposi- tioned cars as a drag, but Hunsk bikes were no adolescent playthings. They were serious machines. Currently, the company was using an eco-friendly marketing pitch: “More free- dom per gallon.” Marty had known all this before he arrived. Keeping up with the motor- cycle industry was a passion for him. He bet he was the only one in that roomincluding, he suspected, the CEOwho could rattle off the model and year Hunsk last used real leather for seats. The next day, Marty gathered the entire marketing group. “What happened to the Ital- ian suit?” Paula asked. Marty laughed. He was now in a tired sports coat, black slacks, and his motorcycle boots. “I didn t want to frighten anyone right away with the real me,” he said with a smile. After the others had introduced them- selves, Marty began: “Obviously there are going to be changes, but this is something we can succeed at only if we work together.” The direction Marty wanted to go was sim- ple and seemed blindingly obvious to him. “This is a real company,” he said. “It s not some internet start-up that switches from making video games one day to saving whales the next. We re not making cheap knockoffs of designer dresses. Hunsk is the real deal. We make the best damn motorcycles in the world. We don t have customers we have believers. Well, we used to, before we got away from our roots.” “So,” said Paula, “we re going to do a back- to-our-roots marketing campaign.” Marty noted the touch of cynicism in her voice. “No. It s not just a marketing campaign. We re really going back to our roots. Hunsk has always been about authenticity. We are going to become the authentic company we once were. If it were just more marketingbull, our customersour believerswould sense it.” “We re going to eat our own dog food?” suggested Carla Meyer, head of marketing communications. Marty crossed his arms and smiled. “We re going to be our dog food