Josephine ‘Jay’ Sebesho unpacks the importance of authenticity in brand communication

Authenticity in brand communication and advertising comes up a lot and we unpack what it means in this episode of The Lead Creative podcast. Josephine ‘Jay’ Sebesho who is the MD and Founder of Janong, a Creative and Digital Agency, joins us on this episode to share how they view and include authenticity in their work.

Josephine Jay Sebesho – The Lead Creative

The Coca-Cola “Share a Coke” campaign comes in our conversation was one of the most authentic consumer and insights-driven communications of recent times. The culture of sharing was on the rise at the time of this campaign, both social media and across other platforms. “This is an example of how brands can plug into a change in the culture and show that they understand their customers,” said Jay.

Click play below to listen to the conversation:

Jay points to representation as one of the measurables in knowing whether a brand or a piece of communication is authentic. If the work represents the customer or target audience closely and builds a relationship that is more than
just transactional, then it is moving towards authenticity.

“It all starts with purpose. Articulating your brand purpose in
communication is important and adds to the authenticity, that cannot
be copied.”
—
Josephine ‘Jay’ Sebesho

Brands should strive to be authentic in both their connections with customers and their communication because it increases relevance. Jay thinks MTN with its Ayoba campaign shows this relevance and how a brand can fit into the local vocabulary in a way that says: “I see and understand you.”

“Authentic brand connections are about creating an emotional
the connection between the brand and consumer, it’s this positive
link.”
—
Josephine ‘Jay’ Sebesho

This episode has thoughts, strategies, and ideas on being a more authentic and connected brand.