Branding Authenticity: How to Know When It’s Real
Discover the moments that prove a brand is authentic, purposeful, and built on emotional connection
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That One Defining Moment on the Expo Floor
Waiting for my turn to keynote at NAMM, the big music trade show in Nashville, I was wandering the conference room floor past booth after booth of flashing lights, giveaways, and amplified noise. Suddenly, I heard a sound that made me stop in my tracks. Not the roar of a packed session or pleas of someone hawking giveaways, but a man in a booth playing blues harp as if his life depended on it.
His tone was raw, urgent, and undeniable. I needed to hustle along to my soundcheck, but I stood there anyway with that unmistakable shiver crawling up the back of my neck. And right there, right in the middle of a crowded expo floor, I had a GBM.
You’ve had them too. We all have. That sudden jolt when something hits you in a way you can’t explain. A line in a song. A phrase in a keynote. A moment that stops you cold. GBMs are rare, unforgettable, and impossible to fake.
GBMs are nature’s branding department.
GBMs tell us when something is resonating deep inside: a phrase in a song, a moment in a speech, a product experience that delights. I’ve felt it when clients nail their brand voice for the first time, and everyone in the room leans forward. I’ve felt it when I’m standing on a keynote stage, and the audience goes from polite attention to locked-in emotional engagement.
What Is a GBM, Really?
So what’s a GBM? Hold that thought.
But first, a story. The Harmonica Lesson That Defined It.
A few weeks ago, I was listening to the Happy Hour Harmonica podcast. David Barrett, a harmonica teacher I’ve learned a great deal from, was the guest. The host asked David how he chooses what techniques or technologies to pursue. His answer was beautifully simple:
“I follow my goosebumps.”
And there it was. The definition I’d been circling all along.
A GBM is a goosebump moment.
Why Real Branding Authenticity Matters Most
You can’t fake GBMs. You can’t manufacture them with jargon, AI, or Canva templates. You have to earn them.
In my experience, brands that matter aren’t built on analytics or aspirational adjectives. They’re built on truth. Clarity. And the courage to say something real. In other words, they’re built on GBMs.
And that’s the secret. Not a strategy deck. Not a weighted scorecard. Not a focus group. Just goosebumps. Following goosebumps is not just a marketing strategy or a productivity hack. It’s a biological directive that points to what matters.
So here’s your question:
When was the last time something gave you a GBM at work? Not stress or urgency, but that electric feeling of being exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to do with clarity and purpose?
If you can’t remember, maybe it’s time to stop chasing buzzwords and start listening to your own skin.
The most powerful ideas, the ones that cause GBMs, don’t always come from a strategy session or a spreadsheet. Sometimes they come from a finger-picked guitar or a gritty voice echoing in the dark. Sometimes you read them in a book or hear them on a podcast that catches you off guard.
Your Body Already Knows What Matters
And sometimes, they come from the reminder that your body already knows what matters. All you have to do is listen.
Final Thought: Follow Your GBMs
Follow your goosebumps.
It’s good advice for musicians. And it’s good advice for everyone else, too.
I talk about this, and plenty more, on stages around the world. If your audience could use some goosebumps of their own, let’s talk. I’ve still got a few open dates in 2026.
You can learn more at www.bruceturkel.com