In our increasingly experience-driven world, consumers crave what’s authentic.

It’s a paradox of today’s Experience Economy: the more contrived the world seems, the more we all demand what’s real. As reality is qualified, altered, and commercialized, consumers respond to what is engaging, personal, memorable – and above all, authentic. If customers don’t view your offerings as real, you’ll be branded inauthentic – fake! – and risk losing credibility, customers, and ultimately the sale.

But what’s authentic? In this provocative and practical guide, James H. Gilmore & B. Joseph Pine II define what authenticity means to the postmodern consumer, and how companies can render their offerings as "really real."

Building on their groundbreaking bestseller The Experience Economy, Gilmore and Pine explain that availability, cost, and quality no longer suffice. Today’s consumers seek the authentic where and when they buy. Satisfy consumers’ demands for authenticity – across every kind of offering – and you’ll capture their hearts, minds, and dollars.