I don't answer my phone anymore unless I know who's calling. This is strange to me because I love talking to people. But 99% of the time, it's spam or some new phishing scheme.
My phone is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve all had to complete IT training teaching us to scrutinize every email because we can't automatically trust the sender. Online is so much worse.
How many of you saw the video where coyotes were jumping on someone's backyard trampoline in the middle of the night? Now, it's not that uncommon for wild animals to wander around at night, so on the surface, maybe not too far-fetched. But then you look closely, and all the coyotes are jumping with the same cadence, in the same spots, over and over.
Then I saw the same video, but this time it was corgis. Which is hilarious because I have a corgi and some algorithm knows that. These little creatures with short legs supposedly jumping on a trampoline.
There are so many examples, and I'm sure we have yet to know the full extent of the impact. But what I can definitely say is that authenticity is under siege.
When you live in a world where you have to question everything in your personal life, what can we actually trust? That skepticism doesn’t just disappear when you’re evaluating vendors, services, or thought leaders. If anything, it intensifies.
Companies are navigating uncharted territory. Your customers are smart, and their trust is fragile. Once they get burned once or twice, every interaction becomes suspect.
Case in point: there’s a growing trend where fully AI-generated avatar-based videos are being created using a CEO’s likeness. The reaction from employees and customers? Mixed at best. Does the CEO actually care about the message and about them? Does it inspire trust or erode it?
AI can be transformative for marketing. But you have to take a step back and think about how you're presenting yourself to the world. There are so many ways to leverage it to amplify your voice, not replace it.
The ones that do are the ones that will stand out.
How can you ensure that people trust your brand in a world where they question everything?
