Let’s get one thing out of the way: you can’t “vibe” your way into authenticity.
In 2025, nothing tanks faster than a brand trying to fake something they're not. Consumers — especially Gen Z and younger Millennials — have been raised on algorithms, influencer implosions, and enough corporate cringe to fill a streaming queue. They can smell insincerity the moment your marketing team says, “Let’s make it sound like a TikTok."
If your brand is putting on a costume instead of showing up as itself, good luck. You’re not fooling anyone.
Consumers don’t just scroll anymore, they investigate.
They’ll:
• Dig up that 2016 blog post you thought was forgotten
• Side-eye your “inclusive” campaign that doesn’t include anyone
• Screenshot the hypocrisy and share it with commentary
They’ve got time, Wi-Fi, and a very public platform.
The Fastest Way to Lose Credibility? Fake It.
Here’s what sends red flags flying:
• Hopping on every trend like you’re speedrunning culture
• Swapping in a themed logo to ride the cultural wave, then ghosting the cause the moment it stops trending
• Partnering with influencers who’ve clearly never used your product
• Using Gen Z slang like it’s a costume
• Creating “relatable” content that feels like it was brainstormed by ChatGPT and approved by legal
If it doesn’t feel natural, it’s not. And that’s all your audience needs to know.
What Does Authenticity Look Like?
It’s not about being trendy, flawless, or wildly entertaining. It’s about being real — consistently, across platforms, even when it’s inconvenient.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Know who you are
Brands that try to be everything come off as nothing. Choose a lane. Stay in it. Whether you’re quirky, educational, wholesome, sarcastic — own it.
2. Speak human
Drop the brand jargon. People want brands that sound like people. Don’t say “leveraging agile community engagement touchpoints” when you mean “we replied to your comment.”
3. Align your words with your actions
If your brand talks about sustainability, we better not find your packaging in a sea turtle’s TikTok. Mean what you post, and show the receipts.
4. Show your people
Share your team, your workspace, your process. Show the behind-the-scenes mess. Authenticity is often unfiltered — and that’s the point.
5. Admit when you screw up
Perfection is overrated. When you mess up, own it. Apologize. Learn. If you can be honest and a little funny, even better.
Who’s Getting It Right?
• Duolingo: The TikTok owl is chaotic, strange, and wildly on-brand. It feels like there’s a real person behind the phone — because there is.
• Liquid Death: Selling canned water with metal-band energy. It’s absurd, but always consistent. They never explain the joke, and it works.
• Oatly: They once ran an ad that said “This tastes like sh*t,” and people loved them for it. It was honest, self-aware, and didn’t smell like marketing speak.
These brands didn’t do market research to decide what authenticity should look like. They just showed up as themselves and stayed that way.
Bottom Line
You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be everything to everyone. But if your brand isn’t real, it’s replaceable.
Because today’s consumers don’t just scroll past fake brands…
They roast them.
They meme them.
And then they buy from someone else.
AdNauseam
March 24, 2025
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