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Does trust start with the story or the storyteller? I would argue that they should be on equal footing from the start.
For example, I can shout loudly in a quiet restaurant and get people's attention. But who they think of me and what I shout are equally important factors in whether people behave the way I want them to.
If I wear a badge and a uniform, people will make certain assumptions. So if I yell at everyone in a crowded restaurant to follow me, everyone will follow me. (In marketing terms, the conversion rate is higher.)
However, the result will be very different if people cannot recognize who I am, or if I wear a badge and a uniform but shout incomprehensible things.
The “authentic” marketing storyteller
Recently, brands have been placing more and more emphasis on people being the voice (storyteller) of their values.
Consider the rise of influencer marketing, which relies on people (inside or outside the brand) to gain access and build trust with audiences. Recent research from Ogilvy found that 75% of B2B marketers already use influencers, and most of those who don't say they plan to start soon.
And then there's the trend toward founder-led marketing (the name is new, but the practice is not), where founders or executives are encouraged to build a more personal connection with prospects.
Finally, there is increasing pressure on leaders (even in large companies) to speak out and communicate their opinions on social and cultural issues. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer found that 62% of respondents expect CEOs to communicate about societal changes, not just those happening within their company.
Therefore, many marketers today place emphasis on “authenticity”.
However, if trust in the storyteller begins on an equal footing with the story itself, we would be better off using words like “trust,” “honesty,” or “transparency.”
Why? Well, because the primary definition of “authentic” is simply “of undisputed origin; genuine,” as in an authentic Andy Warhol painting. Other definitions are “accurate or reliable” or “based on facts,” as in an authentic depiction of that historical event.
So you can be a real jerk (reliably rude, mean, and untrustworthy). And you can be a real liar (one of unquestionable provenance).
In short, your brand (and its storytellers) can be authentic and distrustful at the same time.
Authentically suspicious
I recently spoke with a team at a large, well-known technology brand that wants to tell a new story through its blog and social media. The company's new CEO is the leading thought leader and storyteller, and the team is struggling to get anyone to listen.
Comment after comment and survey after survey told them the same thing: audiences didn't trust the brand to tell this story because they didn't know this CEO or believe in his depth of knowledge.
It wasn't that they questioned his authenticity or his motives – they just didn't trust him yet.
This mistake can be seen in several founder-led initiatives. For example, OpenAI used CEO Sam Altman and CTO Mira Murati to tell the story of generative AI. It's safe to say they failed to build the trust the brand needs to expand its audience. The company now seems to be on the back foot, trying to win back trust – even from its own employees.
The same challenges can also be seen with Tesla/SpaceX CEO and X-Owner/CTO Elon Musk and Meta-CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the issue of trust.
On the other side are Canva CEO Melanie Perkins, Spanx founder Sara Blakely and 37Signals CEO Jason Fried.
The biggest challenge for founders and influencers who struggle to build trust is not authenticity, but belief in the storyteller. The tech brand's new CEO had not earned the status of a “trustworthy storyteller.” And the leaders at OpenAI seem unable to tell a consistently trustworthy story.
Developing trustworthiness
So, wait a minute. Doesn't this seem like a vicious cycle? If the storyteller has to gain an audience's trust before he can tell a new story, how is he supposed to do that without actually telling the story?
Does this mean that a brand can never evolve towards new stories or introduce new storytellers? No, of course not.
The reason these brands fail is not because they are trying something new. It's because they see influencer- or founder-led approaches as a shortcut to building customer trust. The calculation seems to be: “We need to build trust quickly, so a warm, human storyteller should be the star, not the cold, corporate brand.”
But that's not how trust and storytelling work.
To be successful, you must do one of two things.
The first is to slowly and deliberately evolve the story (with or without new storytellers) to slowly ease audiences into it. Think of the years-long journey Mattel took with Barbie, slowly addressing the toy's lack of appeal to modern audiences before bringing in new storytellers (Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie) to tell a new and different story.
The second is to suffer the distrust of a large portion of a potential or existing audience because the storytellers prove themselves to be trustworthy to those who give them a chance. Like it or not (I and many others didn't like it), Toys “R” Us used OpenAI technology as a storyteller in a controversial ad. The brand has since stated that it will continue to use AI as a storyteller despite unfavorable reactions.
The tech brand I mentioned earlier created incredible content for the CEO in the form of honest, passionate and true stories told in a humorous way. But because the team told these stories through the mouth of their new, not very well-known CEO, it might as well have been CNN trying to launch a streaming service. No one was willing to give it a chance.
The answer for them? One experiment they're trying is to separate the content from the company's voice and brand. Creating a separate content brand gives them the opportunity to build a trusted voice (and engaged audience) and get the CEO on board.
They also pair the CEO with other influencers to build their reputation in the industry, slowly getting their audience to realize that their brand (and their CEO) is behind this new story.
Author John Maxwell once wrote, “People buy the leader before they buy the vision.”
Does his quote contradict my position that they are equal? I don't think so.
The story creates the value and trust. But if your audience doesn't believe in the storyteller, it's much harder to make the story worth telling.
It's your story. Tell it well.
This article no longer contains any quotes from Neil Gaiman that were included in the original version.
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Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
