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Authenticity has historically been associated with transcending the self and the market (Beverland, 2005; Fine, 2003; Kozinets, 2002; Peterson, 2005; Thompson, Rindfleisch, & Arsel, 2006), yet an emerging stream of consumer research identifies that people attribute authenticity to brands. Research suggests that authenticity is central to brand status, equity and corporate reputation (Beverland, 2005; Gilmore & Pine, 2007), with some even suggesting it is one of the "cornerstones of contemporary marketing", (Brown, Kozinets & Sherry, 2003, p. 21). Scholars have previously examined consumers' quests for authentic experiences (Arnould & Price, 2000), rituals associated with the authentic self (Belk & Costa, 1998; Kozinets, 2002), the cues used to attribute authenticity to objects (Beverland, Lindgreen, & Vink, 2008; Grayson & Martinec, 2004; Leigh et al., 2006; Thompson et al., 2006), the processes used to assess an object's authenticity (Rose & Wood, 2005), and the various forms that authenticity can take (Brown et al., 2003; Grayson & Martinec, 2004). We extend this line of inquiry by defining and measuring consumer-based brand authenticity. We do this through the development of a brand authenticity scale. Such research seeks to reduce the present fragmentation of research on the consumption of authenticity and assist managers create and maintain a brand's authenticity-building on calls for more research in this area (Beverland, 2005; Leigh et al., 2006; Peterson, 2005).Four separate studies were undertaken to generate and refine scale items (Study 1), determine and then confirm the underlying factor structure of brand authenticity (Studies 2 and 3), and finally to test for convergent and discriminant validity of the scale (Study 4). In Study 1, Churchill's (1979) scale development paradigm was adopted, using a deductive approach for the generation of scale items (Schwab, 1980). Drawing on the extant literature, an initial list of 157 items was generated reflecting brand heritage (26 items), quality commitment (21 items), craftsmanship (14 items), sincerity (43 items), nostalgia (23 items), cultural symbolism (21 items) and design consistency (nine items). Content validity of the initial pool of items was then assessed following the method outlined by Bearden, Netemeyer and Teel (1989) and Zaichkowsky, (1985), resulting in the retention of 33 scale items. Study 2 involved further purification of the scale and an assessment of the internal reliability of the 33 items. Data was collected via self-administered questionnaires from 247 undergraduate students at a large inner city university. Several items were eliminated during analysis, resulting in the retention of 19 items reflecting three factors, namely quality commitment, heritage and sincerity. These items formed the basis for further structural testing through confirmatory factor analysis in study 3, where data was gathered from a second sample of university students (n=203). Examination of the data suggested the deletion of five additional items, ...

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Postmodern consumers use brands to create an authentic self and to reconnect to place, time, culture and others. Although previous research has identified that consumers draw on a range of cues in order to attribute authenticity to branded objects, no scales exist to measure the construct of brand authenticity. Building on the existing literature, this paper uses quantitative methods to develop a psychometrically robust measure of brand authenticity from a consumer's perspective. Findings demonstrate convergent, discriminant and predictive validity, whereby 14 items represent three interrelated first order factors labeled quality commitment, sincerity and heritage that correspond with a higher order brand authenticity construct. This study extends our understanding of the consumption of authenticity. Moreover, it provides a tool by which firms can evaluate the effectiveness of strategic decisions designed to deliver an authentic brand offering to consumers. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.