AUTHENTICALLY AMERICAN


Just as culture is to an organization, authenticity is one of the most valuable and inimitable assets a brand can have. Authenticity is strongly associated with honesty, truth, and integrity – all essential elements of any relationship. In the Real Potential edition of Destinology, we explored Americans’ perceptions of authenticity. Most notably, 80% of attraction visitors like to visit places that are authentic – spots where something real happened in history, natural places untouched by human hands, and unique things that couldn’t be done elsewhere. Natural attractions like the Grand Canyon and living history museums like Colonial Williamsburg ranked highest.


ATTRIBUTES OF AUTHENTICITY


• UNIQUE Original, Artistic, Inventive, Spontaneous


• REAL Historical, Natural, Landmarks


• HUMAN Genuine, Trustworthy, Caring


• NON-COMMERCIAL Simple, Not fake/glitzy, Not “out to make a buck”


• SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL Bonding, Feeling closer to family/friends


A visit to the United States is inherently authentically American – catching a game at Wrigley Park, grabbing lunch at In-N-Out, or strolling Central Park – all of these are American experiences simply based on the sights, sounds, and people who populate these spaces. Te most “authentically American” experiences for our international respondents can be categorized as Food (24%), Locations and Landmarks (21%), and Leisure (18%).


For the foodies of today, tasty treats often come top- of-mind when traveling the world – how ingredients are sourced, stored, prepared, and served tells so much about people’s community, family, values, economy, and culture. Smells of savory bao conjure warm feelings of street stalls in Shanghai, while grabbing a cob of corn covered in mayonnaise and chili pepper can make most bellies grumble and long for Dios Muertos. Unsurprisingly, technology ranked as the lowest “authentically American” asset, most likely since so much of our hardware is imported, as well as transportation – hypothetically because these other countries also have similar taxis, buses, streetcars, trains, and planes, so ours don’t stick out as clearly American. Tese insights may explain why campaigns like Brand USA’s “Ask a Local” have been so popular.


WITHIN THE “AUTHENTICALLY AMERICAN” RESPONSES


BURGERS, BBQ, FAST FOOD, JUNK FOOD, SPORTS, THEME PARKS, MOVIES, AND SHOPPING


were all prime ambassadors of the American experience.


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