Entrepreneurial Marketing Authenticity: Enactment and Practice - Profit or Passion?

Introduction
This study investigates the enactment and practice of entrepreneurial marketing and specifically the construct of authenticity, in the process of “going to market” (Piercy, 2016:7-10) by the individual owner-entrepreneur (OE) in micro and small firms within the food and drink sector of South East Wales. The nature of the research problem therefore requires a number of disciplines within the social sciences to be explored including entrepreneurial marketing (EM), SME marketing and contextual marketing (CM). In addition, the exploration of consumer tribe marketing authenticity antecedents: freedom, excellence and connection and the motivational ‘cues’ leading to authenticating acts and authoritative performances that signify self-authentication and lead to ‘belonging’ in a community of practice or interest (CoP or CoI) and/or the consumer tribe. Aspects of entrepreneurial narrative identity, practice and motivation are also explored that provide insights into process of ‘becoming’ an entrepreneur and how individual OE tell the story of their past, present and future selves.

Methodology
The research approach employs the qualitative methodologies of multiple-case design with (holistic) single-units of analysis and ethnographic participant observation. An empirical and theoretically developed conceptual model of ‘entrepreneurial marketing authenticity’ which lies at the heart of this thesis is used to explore the enactment of the individual in the process of going to market based on their social construction, symbolic interaction and personal constructivism as manifested in the social practice within the CoP/CoI/tribe. The model consolidates the enactment and practice of 15 micro/small firms in South Wales within the food and drinks sector over a longitudinal period of 7 years.

Findings
The findings reveal a process of self and social identity development, the result of which is the outcome of social construction and personal constructivism as a cognitive and psychological process and symbolic interaction as social process. These processes enable the individual to “become” (as an individual) and “belong” (as a member of a social group) within the CoP/CoI/tribe through enculturation into the contextual and situation-specific setting. This assists in their validation, legitimacy, and view of themselves through the eyes of others within the social construct and the contextual nature of what they are trying to
achieve by developing and mastering the art of their specific product(s). The resultant conclusions identify oscillations between rational and emotional logics that influence the OE’s thinking and behaviour based upon their individual perceptions of themselves (skills, knowledge and experience) and the situation presented.

Implications
There has been little research focussed on the individual as ‘marketer’ or ‘enactor of a process of going to market’ within the authenticity construct. This paper therefore makes a significant contribution to the EM literature in relation the ‘individual as marketer’ in first developing and then refining the concept of ‘entrepreneurial marketing authenticity’, a cross-discipline qualitative framework that employs psychological and sociological approaches to analyse participant narratives within the context and situation-specific nature of the individual enacting their marketing authenticity within a firm.