Amidst the Marketing Clutter, Consumers Crave Authenticity

We frequently write about the trust economy and the importance of being credible in a marketing environment filled with pseudoscience, hype-inducing headlines, and misinformation. Trust and credibility are key battlegrounds for brands that want to deliver meaningful health & wellness value to consumers.

Another word you see and hear a lot in these conversations is authenticity. Brands want to be authentic, appealing to consumers through not just shared values, but also through the appearance of being real, human, and not just a corporate monolith. That’s a pretty significant challenge, particularly as consumers have become savvier and, in many cases, more cynical.

So how can healthy brands be authentic, beyond the trappings of social media and public relations efforts?

For us, the answer has always been health professionals. If a healthy brand wants to engage in a truly authentic conversation with their consumers, nothing beats a health professional.

Authentic interactions
When a health professional is engaged in a counseling interaction with a patient or client, there is no doubt about the authenticity of the exchange. The patient or client's health and wellness is the only objective. In other words, both people involved in the interaction are rowing in the same direction.

Authentic recommendations
Earning exposure through health & wellness bloggers and media personalities carries with it one major challenge to authenticity—someone is getting paid. When you’re talking with your personal health professional and they recommend a product or solution, no one is questioning their motives. Those recommendations are truly authentic and powerful.

Authentic engagement
Reading a social media post, a sponsored blog or article, or seeing a segment on the local news can start a consumer down a healthy path, but nothing beats the engagement that comes from a face-to-face conversation with a trusted health professional—a conversation grounded in education and expertise, and one that is private and protected.

It’s more important than ever that brands take a step back and reconsider how they’re communicating with consumers. Amidst the clutter of marketing efforts, health professionals are a breath of fresh air that provides consumers with authentic and trusted advice