The King has no clothes

Authenticity is the currency of marketing today: be real or, don’t bother.

When I was a pup, growing up in radio, Larry King was lord of the talk universe; doing interviews with little or no prep, asking the questions we would ask. It worked when King was dialed into what was going on around him. That was then…

Time has marched on and Larry has become increasingly out of touch. What once came across as sincere curiosity is now seen as inauthentic faking. Today’s increasingly connected consumer can spot a fake just like Jerry Seinfeld does here:

The days of faking it are dead. Authenticity requires homework; know to whom you’re talking. Cut this corner and it’s only a matter of time till you appear as out of touch as Larry King.

 

[Originally published 7 November 2007]