1. Federico Bertulessi - Marketing Management
Class handout
Co-constructing authenticity:
an integrated model from the l’Occitane case
29th May, 2009
Marketing Management, Double Degree Bocconi - HEC Paris

2. Agenda
Authenticity: the new business imperative
Postmodern and Mediterranean Marketing, cradles of the debate of authenticity
Methodological triangulation across Paris and Provence
A tool to compose an authentic melody
So what? A step beyond

3. Authenticity: the new business imperative
“People increasingly see the world in terms of real and fake and want to buy
something authentic from someone genuine not a fake from some phony” ‐ Gilmore and Pine, 2007
Shift to an Experience Economy
Rejuvenation of Localisms
Nostalgic rooting of Retro‐marketing
When consumers want that is real, a proper management of the consumers’ perception of authenticity
becomes the new primary source of competitive advantage ‐ the new business imperative.

4. Research questions
1. Which are the dimensions that influence the
perception of an authentic product, service or
consumption experience?
2. How can l’Occitane optimise the perception of
authenticity of its offerings?
3. Is there a phenomenon of co‐construction of a
authenticity between companies and consumers?

5. Cradles of the debate on authenticity
Postmodern thought ‐ towards a symbolic‐communicative concept of
consumption
existence of an objective truth
blind trust in human progress
against three pillars of
through task specialisation
modernity
superior value of abstract and
universally valid systems
Focus on a contextual and interpretative world view
Cultural meanings are socially constructed (iconic vs. indexical authenticity)

6. Cradles of the debate on authenticity
Mediterranean marketing ‐ a mental space based on Mediterranean
culture values
“a meridian thought that [..] involves a theroetical as well
as practical approach, leading to create and promote a sense of community,
belongingness and authenticity” ‐ Caru, 2005
Openness to Alterity, moderated relativism
Joy and pleasure of being
Resistance to the notion of progress
Main traits
Slow‐down of life pace
Conflict acknowledgement
Authenticity and tradition
Sense of moderation

7. Authenticity vs. Hyper-reality ?
Baudrillard
“Hyper‐reality as a simulacrum
of reality for reality”
Eco
“Hyper‐reality as an authentic replica”
Cova
“Hyper‐reality as an ersatz of authenticity”

8. Gilmore&Pine - Beyond the reality/fiction dichotomy
Main insights
Natural auth.
Original auth.
Authenticity as a multidimensional concept Exceptional auth.
Referential auth.
Influential auth.
On a philosophical base, any human business is ontologically fake
‐ that is, inauthentic in its very nature ‐ but its products can be
The Authenticity Paradox
phenomenologically real ‐ that is, perceived as authentic by the
individuals that buy them.
Authenticity as a subjectively defined concept
the only judge apt to determinate the cultural meaning of authenticity of any offering is
the individual who perceives it ‐‐> focus on perceptions rather than reality/hyper‐reality

9. Consumer agency : towards co-construction
Toffler’s prosumer: first contribution on the active role of the consumer
linked to the agricultural society ‐ neither manifacturer nor consumer in proper terms,
and at the same time he is both
today, physical co‐construction of market offerings is more and more diffused,
valued by companies and desired by consumers
Consumer Agency : co‐construction brought to a symbolic level, proper of cultural meanings
consumers rielaborates their
they are not a simple processor of
consumption experiences thanks to
information and stimuli, but active
their own cultures, adding cultural and
producers of meanings
affective elements to what they buy

10. Why l’Occitane

12. An iterative Research Design
Desk and Libraries search:
Papers Books Sites Sources for a theoretical background
Data collection:
In‐depth Different methodologies in order
Ethnography
Interviews to achieve a triangulation
Analysis and Interpretation:
Analysis and Systematic approaches while looking
Interpretation for an epiphany
The final step:
Final report Shredding and prioritizing to achieve
an ordinate synthesis
Paris
2 distinct contexts
Alpes de Haute Provence

13. IDIs, Ethnography - Back to the things themselves
Ethnography
27 days on the Ile de St. Louis in Paris, breathing, eating and living l’Occitane
In‐depth Interviews Parisian context
32 IDIs with l’Occitane managers and clients across France
Consumer Axis
Corporate Axis
41 hours of recorded interviews ‐ 493 transcript pages
16 corporate contributions from Int.l and Operational
Marketing, HR, Sales and Training Teams
15 consumer informants selected among 1291 potential profiles Provençal context

14. The interpretative model
a tool to compose an authentic melody

15. Strings of authenticity
Natural
link to nature, ecology, rusticity, simplicity, spontaneity
Authenticity
Original unicity, innovation, differentiating, rarity, first of its
Authenticity kind
attention, are, research, craftsmanship, small size, hand
Exceptional made, rarity, preciousness, human warmth, intimity,
Authenticity personal touch , savoir faire, consumer respect
Referential culture, territory, traditions, autoreferentiality, history,
Authenticity past, longevity
sustainable development, respect of nature, refusal to
Influential
animal testing, ecology, human respect, fair trade,
Authenticity charity

16. Chords - guidelines to harmonise strings
..simply touching strings isn’t enough : their sounds have
to be integrated in different chords
Sincerity / Informative to say the truth without altering reality or presenting
reliability offerings in a distorted manners
Informative to give all the valuable information to the consumer,
exhaustivity without hiding anything
less is more - to aim to the essential, without being
Pruning
redundant or sophisticated, nor too understated and humble

17. The Nostalgic
Consumer
The Elitist The Relational
Consumer Consumer
Listening experiences
sketches of consumer profiles
The Ethic The Metropolitan
Consumer Consumer

18. Other pieces of the mosaic..
Luxury Nivea
seen as empty, superficial, excessing in not only recalling a shared is a source of an
elaboration, poor in naturality, but still luxury authentic perception: you can also recall to
can be authentic: LVMH vs. Hermès a personal past experience.
An outstanding blue multiuse jar
Mass market
the Piper metaphor no research, care, industrial products linked to
Stereotyped perception of Marketing vs. commercial logics, but still mass can be authentic:
authenticity in the context! Leader Price/Petit Marseillais vs. l’Oréal

19. ..so what? Managerial Implications
Theoretical level
A complete tool including all co‐construction actors, trying to define their essential roles and tools
Intertwined relationships and links between strings
Referential
Originality as a mix of other strings traits Natural Exceptional Authenticity Influential
Authenticity Original Authenticity Authenticity
Referentiality as an interpretational key
Authenticity
for the other strings ‐‐> Lush vs. l’Occitane
Operational level
Natural authenticity Original authenticity Exceptional authenticity Referential authenticity Influential authenticity
recovery of ancient boxes
bio rationalisation, stress your firsts l’Occitane vs. l’Occitane
(+ performance), Braille recovery, explicit
A.O.C. label and refill (corporate/boutique en Provence, Histoires
moderating portoflio Foudation results
policies diffusion levels) vraies rework
evolution rate

20. Limits and future directions : a step beyond
Context limits ‐ Partially homogeneous environments: common national culture, autoselected
informants!
An intrinsically static picture vs. a cultural meaning in continuous evolution
A rich, but nevertheless specific point of view
over authenticity
Reply the study on different contexts,
industries and entrepreneurial realities.
And along different periods of time!

21. Limits and future directions : a step beyond
No distinction on authenticity potentials between reality and hyper‐reality
perform a splitted in‐depth analysis
Structural lack of exhaustivity in
consumers’ profiles
integrate a quantitative approach !
to find all profiles and weight them
to draw a perceptual map of authenticity
to further study links among strings

22. ..thank you for your attention.