Contrived. Disingenuous. Phony. Inauthentic. Do your customers use any of these words to describe what you sell-or how you sell it? If so, welcome ...
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reviews
Nov 29, 2010
Emalick
rated it: 
Although it's a book about business and marketing, this book easily translate into the interests of this current generation of adolescents about gravitating towards the realism in life. They can sense hype and reject it in a heartbeat. They demand proof for things and participate in things that they can relate to their daily lives. I have used the items in this book and have applied it to my teaching with awesome results.
Aug 06, 2009
Nenad
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Authenticity will be the buzzword of the twenty-first century. And what is authentic? Anything that is not devised and structured to make a profit. Anything that is not controlled by corporations. Anything that exist for its own sake, that assumes its own shape. The modern world is the corporate equivalent of formal garden, where everything is planted and arranged for effect. Where nothing is untouched, where nothing is authentic.
-- Robert Doniger, in Michael Crichton's Timeline
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-- Robert Doniger, in Michael Crichton's Timeline
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Aug 10, 2011
Glen
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Disappointing - rather than celebrating authenticity of companys that have it, it tells the rest how they can "fake it" enough to get by.
Jan 04, 2011
Paul
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While not quite as revolutionary as The Experience Economy, Pine and Gilmore's insight on experience economics is dead on.
Oct 12, 2007
I won this book at a workshop on Wednesday, started reading it. Main concepts were expressed in workshop. I'll summarize at some point, but the main premise is that authenticity has joined, goods, services, quality, cost etc. as a factor people look for when they purchase. "Fake" is the new "junk." There's a fake-real matrix, inspired by Hamlet: Is the company true to itself? Is it who it says it is to others? Know who you are, and be that. Don't plaster real over everything
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May 17, 2008
Nick
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Apparently Gilmore and Pine were the first to write about the 'experience economy'; they may not have invented the idea, but they certainly had the bestseller about it. That was powerful and groundbreaking. Authenticity is not. The main point, that you have to be authentic in some way to appeal to consumers today, is incontrovertible. But the authors' approach to the subject is overly complicated and pretentious. There are too many suspect diagrams that mean nothing upon closer inspection.
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Aug 07, 2010
Samson
rated it: 
The authors discuss authenticity in only a very superficial sense, and they never reconcile the paradox of consciously manufacturing or creating "authenticity." Perhaps they are unaware of the paradox; perhaps they ignore it because it does not suit the stated ends of their book, which is to project a sense of "authenticity" to the consumer in order to sell more widgets.
Jul 20, 2010
Ben
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There are some interesting nuggets in here (the fake/real matrix) but I'm so glad I didn't pay for this book. It reads like a short paper expanded out into a book with anecdotes and company examples. At least it provided some food for thought.
Jul 02, 2008
Nick
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I'm still working through this book (other things keep popping up) but definitely a book full of insights. I'm through chapter 3 and it has already spawned hours of brainstorming on the topic.
A great book that is sure to get better.
A great book that is sure to get better.
Dec 16, 2007
Rob
rated it:
I am into the middle portion of this title and its words ring true so far. As consumers, not only do we want "real" products, but we want "real" experiences. Very interesting to see how companies try to bring this to the market.
Nov 06, 2007
Teresa
rated it:
possibly one of the worst marketing books i've ever read.
a load of hackneyed crock.
impressive plagiarism, this book is in its own words, "fake-real."
a load of hackneyed crock.
impressive plagiarism, this book is in its own words, "fake-real."
Sep 20, 2008
Eager
rated it:
I agree with Nick. I thought the Experience economy was eye opening, but this wasn't as engaging or as fresh a viewpoint.
Oct 31, 2008
Iben
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This is not a good book, per se, but it served as an excellent case study for what I'm researching.
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