Marketing trend: authentic is better than perfect or famous

In the UK as in many other countries, transparency and authenticity have become two very important values, as much in society as in business. Marketing, advertising and communication have been, and will be, profoundly touched by this trend. Here are some reflections and data.

Companies and brands are increasingly called upon to respect the values of the context [social, cultural AND economic] in which they operate: it is no longer enough to produce – albeit wisely – something, it is necessary to be in line with the consumers’ universe of values, making goods and services choice one of the forms of self-expression.

One of the fundamental concepts to be respected appears to be that of transparency. Starting from the label, people want to get to know as much information as possible and 39% of consumers are interested in changing brands for one that has a more transparent label.

Transparency becomes authenticity if we talk about models and testimonials: according to the latest Attest report, 82% of Britons agree “beauty should be representative of real people”. Brands and their ads are asked to be inclusive, realistic, as true as possible. Some of the most successful campaigns have taken a stance by stopping images’ retouching, using real people as models, and including the representation of non-binary individuals.