Online communication in general and communication in social media in specific have increasingly come to the fore of public relations lately. What are the factors which promise PR to be successful in the social network? Which behaviour is advisable for companies, non-profit organisations or politicians? One frequently cited prerequisite of success is ‘authenticity’. However, this euphonious vocabulary can become a knockout argument, if the active players ignore or fail to recognize the expectations of the netizens.

The German-language dictionary of politics by Schubert/Klein defines authenticity as a positive characteristic which generates subjective approval. But does this expression imply genuineness, reality, and honesty in PR, too? Back in the 1980s authenticity was associated with verisimilitude and media virtue. A decade later authenticity was said to be producible. Currently, the vocabulary is defined as the knowledge about one’s own effect on others and as readiness of speech in the media. And when it comes to online PR measures, the dictionary of politics lists other keywords, too: readiness to engage in dialogue, sincerity, and transparency. But aren’t PR and honesty/genuineness mutually exclusive every now and then?

In a research project, Thomas Pleil and Daniel Rehn from the ‘Institut für Kommunikation und Medien’ at the University of Darmstadt analysed the expectations of Internet users in public relations in the social web. As a basis they used respective publications from social network pages and weblogs in the period from January to June 2009.

Those polled separated in two groups in the end: while some of the participants of the study prized ethics highly, the other group only considered whether a conscious decision for or against authenticity had been made. The latter were of the opinion that authenticity was produced for them. This can be achieved by personalizing posts, a style which is considered authentic or elements like slips of the pen in a blog or low-end cameras in video contributions which convey a somewhat amateurish impression. Using communication tools such as twitter and YouTube is considered to benefit authenticity, too. As an answer to the question who is able to create the desired credibility in online PR, participants of the study named employees, managers, stakeholders, clients, and … PR experts. After all, parts of the Internet community contradicted the wide-spread prejudice that members of our profession were just not able to communicate authentically.

The researchers from Darmstadt added some case studies (available only in German) as well: they consider the corporate blog of juice producer Walther, written by manager Kirstin Walther, a very successful example for authentic PR. Walther is perceived as a palpable personality by the web community. Her readiness to enter into dialogues and her disarming openness when she addresses current problems or even asks her readers for their advice are well received. The twitter account of Lufthansa, however, comes off rather badly in the study. PR professionals, stakeholders, and fans criticize that the airline engaged an external service provider to run their account. In addition, this agency is said to miss the necessary talent to generate authenticity and the interest in an exchange of views and ideas. Another point of criticism was the fact that twitter was mainly used to publish advertisements, tout for prize games and special offers instead of trying to built a network with other users.

As its most important result, the analysis shows that a certain quality in communication is the basis of authenticity in the Internet. Online networkers explicitly ask for such a high quality and do not tolerate neglect in this regard. No one wants to be treated as a target group, an anonymous or faceless user or sales potential. All those who want to win and maintain the favour of their readers, should stay away from discrepant ghost writing, a lack of willingness to communicate, and the use of faked testimonials. You do not have to be perfect to win sympathy in social media – however it is important to recur to this means moderately since exaggeration generally has contrary effects. Trying to establish a personal contact, using everyday language, and having the courage to tell the truth in the communicated content, promise maximum success. Authenticity is no innate characteristic but the result of a search for identity, says Thomas Pleil in his summary. It is undisputable that those who have succeeded in this endeavour can be sure to have their readers’ attention.

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