Framing authenticity and shaping regional identity to create markets

Abstract

Authenticity is attributed when an organisation’s practices credibly represent its genuine identity. While studies have shown that provenance, identity and sincerity influence what is considered authentic about organisations, few have examined how meanings of authenticity are produced, contested and altered over time. Additionally, authenticity construction through countervailing collective action remains underexplored, as does the role of authenticity in creating markets. To address these gaps, this keynote reflects on the study of a business association of wine producers in the Swartland region of South Africa, asking: how and why the collective rendering of authenticity creates markets. Seventy-one interviews were conducted with Swartland Independent Producers (SIP) making “authentic wine” and other market participants such as policymakers, competitors, regulators and media actors active in the South African wine field. The framework developed through qualitative analysis of the case shows that authenticity is collectively rendered and new markets emerge through the interplay of two sets of collective action framing strategies: authenticity work and authentication, that generate authenticity through perceived credibility; and hot and cool authenticity framing producing meanings of authenticity through the control of subjective beliefs by authorised declarations. Authenticity work consists of efforts to generate credible perceptions of authenticity through three actions: claiming purity, performing charisma and tethering. Authentication by market participants occurs through polarising evaluation, valorising status and reframing meaning. The theoretical framework shows that businesses can create markets by directing their collective action through regional business associations and framing their practices as authentic. The keynote provides lessons and a roadmap for developing effective regional strategy, governance and identity signalling practices to elevate status and value in markets.

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