Authenticity is a recognized cornerstone of effective marketing—especially in a high-information digital marketplace. Savvy consumers understand the ways advertisers seek to influence them and increasingly doubt highly polished messaging, seeking genuine signals that a brand’s actions align with its stated values.
Studies of consumer behavior have shown that emotions influence engagement and purchasing behavior. And when a brand is able to make a genuine connection with its audience, the impact goes beyond just making the sale: Salsify’s 2025 Consumer Research report found that 87% of shoppers are willing to pay more for a product from a brand they genuinely trust.
As experts in brand storytelling and customer engagement, the members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank understand that, in a saturated, noisy market, clarity and consistency are no longer just differentiators—they’re necessities. Consequently, understanding what “authentic” truly means has never been more vital. Here, five of them share their definitions of authenticity, identify the qualities that distinguish trustworthy brands, and share examples of companies that have successfully built lasting connections by staying true to themselves and their target audiences.
“You can tell when a company’s words are grounded by how it operates, how employees speak, how customers are treated, and how decisions are explained.”
Authenticity Emerges When Messaging and Behavior Align
Sarah Chambers, Fractional CMO and CCO of SC Strategic Communications, emphasizes consistency as an essential ingredient of authenticity.
“When a brand’s message, behavior and delivery all match, inside and out, it earns trust,” she says.
For Chambers, authenticity isn’t a veneer or a vibe. Real trust is built when brands invite people into the process rather than presenting a flawless façade.
“Authenticity and vulnerability have to coexist because they follow the same path to trust: alignment and availability,” she explains. “A brand builds credibility when it shows progress, not perfection, and lets people see what it’s learning along the way.”
Chambers emphasizes that genuine marketing feels steady rather than performative—a quality that’s easier to develop when a company’s outward message matches its internal culture.
“You can tell when a company’s words are grounded by how it operates, how employees speak, how customers are treated, and how decisions are explained,” she says. “One example of a company that gets this right is Patagonia. Their environmental stance isn’t a slogan; it’s a system.”
While staying true to values may not be easy, Chambers says it’s essential.
“Authenticity isn’t about tone. It’s the discipline of living the brand you claim to be, especially when it’s hard.”
Purpose-Based Branding Builds Credibility
For Daryl Travis, Founder and Chairman of Brandtrust, connection and credibility are rooted in a brand’s convictions.
“Authentic marketing happens when what a brand says and does is fully aligned with what it believes,” he says. “It’s rooted in the brand’s real purpose, culture and human truth rather than in a trend.”
Travis explains that brands that achieve this marketing match feel human rather than manufactured, adding that people can sense authenticity through imagery and tonality.
“If something’s not true, they’ll know,” he asserts. “An authentic message doesn’t try too hard to impress; it simply reflects the brand’s lived values and the people it serves.”
Travis stresses that self-awareness and a deep knowledge of your core audience are both keys to success.
“If a brand can’t truly express and defend its beliefs or doesn’t fully understand its customers, it risks the very real danger of feeling and being inauthentic.”
“An intangible connection comes from honoring the struggles and aspirations of others—it resonates, elevating marketing to ‘seeing’ over ‘selling.’”
Truthful Storytelling Creates Human Connection
Brands are often encouraged by marketing pros to become storytellers. But according to Paul L. Gunn Jr., founder of KUOG Corporation, not just any story will do—it must be rooted in reality.
“When storytelling intersects with truth, it tends to have elements that are well-received by others and align with a more authentic marketing message,” he says.
What matters most, he explains, is the emotional dimension—being able to recognize and honor the human experience behind every decision.
“An intangible connection comes from honoring the struggles and aspirations of others—it resonates, elevating marketing to ‘seeing’ over ‘selling,’” he says.
Gunn also stresses the importance of a brand’s behavior reinforcing its promises, noting that “trust is the natural byproduct of integrity.” When purpose comes before performance, he says, authenticity emerges naturally. He points to Bobbie Baby Formula as an example of a company that “aligns commerce with conscience.”
“The company embraces compassion when interacting with its ecosystem of customers, vendors and staff,” he says. “Their trust is not fabricated, and they weigh the human experience behind every transaction.”
Clear Brand Identity Strengthens Audience Trust
As important as messaging and tone are, Evan White, CMO of ERIN, argues that authentic marketing is about more than sounding “real.”
“It’s about being consistent, self-aware and human,” he says.
Brands that excel at this don’t try to appeal to everyone. Instead, White says, they lean fully into their personality—even if that means polarizing some audiences. He singles out Liquid Death as a brand that does this well.
“It’s just water in a tallboy, but the message is bold, weird and unwavering,” he says. “You trust it because it never tries to be something it’s not.”
He also references Dude Wipes, noting that the brand embraces bathroom humor to reach its niche audience—and owns its locker-room persona across every touchpoint.
“These brands know exactly who they’re for and don’t dilute themselves trying to be universal,” he says. “That’s what makes them feel real.”
White says that while knowing, and homing in on, your core audience won’t win over everyone, your true fans will always be on board.
“Authenticity is about being so clear on who you are that the right people never question it.”
“Authenticity is about delivering messages that genuinely resonate with your audience and expressing what matters to them—not just what serves your bottom line.”
An Outward Focus and Clear, Consistent Outreach Fuel Real Resonance
Rachel Perkins, Founder and Chief Strategist of Venturesome Strategies, argues that authentic marketing is inseparable from a company’s underlying purpose. She encourages leaders to ask a simple but powerful question: “Do our brand’s voice and actions truly reflect our company’s values and purpose?”
Perkins emphasizes that real connection happens only when brands turn their sights outward, focusing on their customers’ perspective.
“Authenticity is about delivering messages that genuinely resonate with your audience and expressing what matters to them—not just what serves your bottom line,” she says.
If a brand is to achieve a loyal, lasting community, Perkins says the whole team must get on board. While it’s the leaders’ job to establish clear messaging, everyone must absorb brand culture and “walk the talk.”
“You need top-down clarity on your core brand messages and bottom-up trust in your team to express those messages consistently,” she concludes.
Practical Ways to Build More Authentic Marketing
- Align your message, behavior and delivery. When every part of your brand matches inside and out, customers perceive steadiness rather than performance.
- Stay rooted in your core purpose. Brands that understand what they believe and who they serve avoid the pitfalls of feeling manufactured or insincere.
- Honor real human emotions in your storytelling. Stories rooted in truth resonate more deeply because they acknowledge the struggles and aspirations of the people you serve.
- Know exactly who you are—and who you’re for. Clarity of identity helps your true audience trust you because you never try to be something you’re not.
- Let your values guide both communication and culture. Messages that reflect what matters to your audience—and are reinforced consistently by your team—build long-term trust.
The Future Belongs to Brands That Live Their Values
Trust is earned when brands consistently act in alignment with what they claim to stand for. Whether through internal culture, storytelling, purpose or personality, authenticity becomes real only when it permeates every touchpoint and experience. And as consumers grow more discerning and more vocal about what they expect from the brands they support, companies must treat authenticity not as a tactic but as a core operating principle.
Looking ahead, the importance of clarity of identity will only continue to grow. While technologies like AI can help brands understand and communicate with target customers, they can also fracture trust. The organizations that stay grounded in their beliefs, honor their audiences and show up consistently will stand out in an increasingly automated world. Authenticity may take discipline, but the payoff is lasting loyalty—and a reputation strong enough to endure whatever comes next.
