Authenticity: A Requirement in 2025 and Beyond

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As marketers, we are continually keeping our eyes on the trends. That’s just part of being a leader in your field. In an industry where our main goal is to elicit a certain response from a specific audience, understanding the evolution of the tendencies and tastes of that audience is critical.

So as the title of the blog suggests, today we’re talking about one of the bigger buzzwords being thrown around our circles: AUTHENTICITY.

I first remember hearing this term regularly used in marketing as an element of another term that was buzzing years ago: TRANSPARENCY. In fact, this term seemingly became so popular that I was hearing plenty of non-marketing businesspeople asking for clarification on what it meant and whether or not they’re achieving it for their company. It became a big demand for companies to be as transparent as possible with their audience, both in terms of its customers and its internal team.

As the digital age continued to evolve, and there was more information readily available at the average person’s fingertips, there became a significant amount of noise out there. This seemed to sew a level of distrust in the public about anything they were hearing. Skepticism started growing and people lost trust in what was being communicated with them.

To combat this phenomenon, marketers leaned into transparency. Notions of, “We’re an open book. We’re giving you all the information, and we have no hidden agenda,” became the theme that ran through much of the messaging you’d see. Then, the notion of transparency could be taken apart a bit more, leading to authenticity as the new buzzword.

People can recognize phony content.

How many times have you come across a short form video on social media that you can tell after a few seconds that it’s a staged interaction? The reactions… the premise… the camera frame … None of it seems real. People have continually gotten better at recognizing when they’re consuming something that isn’t authentic.

This is one of the top reasons podcasts have taken over the entertainment landscape. Instead of a highly produced, tightly controlled 7-minute segment on a talk show, consumers are now more inclined to listen to a 70-minute podcast interview without cuts or breaks. People appreciate that raw conversation. It feels like they’re a fly on the wall listening to real conversation about real events.

So, what does this have to do with marketing?

The principles are the same. People don’t like being sold to, and as we know, they’ve now been conditioned to be skeptical and not to trust everything they hear. Your marketing messaging must be authentic, which is why we encourage companies to use more third-party validation.

Sharing more testimonials and success stories from customers allows your audience to see themselves in that customer’s shoes. They will put far more trust in a customer’s review of your product or services than what you say about yourself.

As AI continues to make its way further into everyday life, audiences will put an even bigger premium on noticeable, authentic content. If you’d like to find out how to make your messaging and marketing more authentic, be sure to give us a call. We’d love to talk with you about it.