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A whopping 81% of consumers say trust is a major deciding factor in purchasing.
As the founder of Creative Noggin, an award-winning marketing agency, this statistic doesn't surprise me.
As a human being living in the age of misinformation, I'm even less surprised.
Consumer trust is at an all-time low.
While the early days of the internet were promising, misinformation has spread rampantly in recent years. We're bombarded with so much content daily that we don't know what to believe anymore. Our confidence in the media has waned dramatically, everything's become politicized, and we're less trusting overall.
We're at a pivotal point as a society. People are craving something real, which means being authentic and trustworthy is more important than ever for brands.
Glossy exteriors simply don't matter as much as they once did – value-centric content that features real people does. The rise of user-generated content (UGC) is proof of that.
What does this new era of authentic branding entail, and how can you leverage it for your business?
The shift toward more transparent branding
Over the past two decades, I've seen a shift in the marketing landscape, largely due to social media.
When social media first entered the mainstream, companies often viewed it as an opportunity for "free marketing." It took some time for them to learn that social media isn't an online brochure — it's an opportunity to connect, engage, listen, and learn from their customers.
Today, social media marketing is finally becoming less brand-centric and more people-centric. That's good since 52% of consumers say they are exhausted by self-promotional social media content.
Brands like Patagonia and REI have done a particularly good job at learning to create engaging, people-centered content. It's part of the reason why they've ranked among the top brands on the Authenticity 500 Index of the most authentic brands in the world, holding the #1 and #8 positions, respectively!
Use social media to get to know the people who are engaging with your brand. While you're at it, don't be afraid to let people meet the people behind your brand. After all, 70% of consumers feel more connected with brands whose CEOs are active on social media.
Three pitfalls to avoid
While many brands have come around to the idea of more authentic marketing, they fall prey to some pitfalls in their attempts to do so.
Here are three of the most common mistakes.
1. Not knowing your audience and trying to be everything to everyone.
In theory, appealing to a wider audience is great. In practice, it can come off as inauthentic and negatively impact a brand.
Take Bud Light. In 2023, they partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, a trans woman, following her popular "Days of Girlhood" TikTok series. While I'm sure their efforts to be more inclusive came from a good place, they backfired big time. In an attempt to grow market share and attract young drinkers, they alienated their core customers, leading to boycott threats and a barrage of hateful social media comments.
As a business, it's important to know who your core customers are, what's important to them and why they value and align with your brand. If you want to evolve your brand and attract new markets, stay true to your values and never coopt attributes that don't fit your brand simply to appeal to new audiences.
Related: How to Upgrade Your Mindset to Outsmart Imposter Syndrome
2. Teetering on offensiveness in an attempt to be edgy or funny
Sometimes, trying to be relatable and inject humor into marketing efforts doesn't pan out. The famous "Bumble fumble" is a prime example.
In early May 2024, Bumble, a female-centric dating app, ran an ad campaign featuring billboards that proclaimed, "You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer." This attempt to make light of women's dating woes came off as tone-deaf and downright offensive. The company later pulled the ads and issued a public apology.
The lesson: while it's fun to be creative, you also need to be careful!
Related: 8 Ways to Make Sure Your Leadership Style Isn't Offensive
3. Not approaching current events with sensitivity
Another big mistake I see brands make is failing to read the room.
Kendall Jenner's infamous Pepsi ad faced tremendous backlash. Pepsi was accused of appropriating a police brutality protest and trivializing the real emotions and dangers faced by those on the front lines of the Black Lives Matter movement, all in an attempt to sell soda. Just like Bumble, Pepsi apologized and halted the ad.
My advice: if you want to go there, approach social justice matters with caution and compassion.
How to actually create an authentic brand
Creating an authentic brand requires deep discovery. That's exactly what my company does using a methodology we call Real Branding™.
Instead of jumping into creative execution right off the bat, we research to understand what's inherently real about a company and their position within their industry. We call it branding from the inside out. Crafting a brand simply based on your perception of what the customer wants is a mistake. Your brand should truly reflect your company's persona and what customers experience when engaging with it. That minimizes the chance they will face a disconnect during the customer journey. Bait and switch is never a sound philosophy in marketing.
This methodology has led to incredible client results, including one rebrand for Pre-K 4 SA, an early childhood initiative for the City of San Antonio, Texas. After the rebranding and rollout of our marketing efforts, the initiative's approval rating with voters increased from 51% to 73%.
It's been proven time and time again that creating a truly authentic brand starts with doing your homework!
Embracing authenticity in this new era of branding isn't just good for optics; it's good for your bottom line. It's much more expensive, anywhere from five to 25 times more, to attract a new customer than to keep a current one happy. There's so much value – both financial and social – that can come from being authentic throughout the entire customer journey.
So, do your research, stand for something, show the world the people behind the brand, and don't be afraid to inject personality into your marketing (within reason). After all, authenticity is more than a trend — it's the future of successful branding!
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