It’s possibly the fundamental question in marketing: why do we buy one brand and not another? Quality, availability, affordability – all of these matter. But more often, our buying decisions are about how those brands make us feel – or, more specifically, how they make us feel about ourselves. And this is inextricably linked to how much we trust them.
“Trust among consumers at the moment is poor.”
Trust is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ in marketing, it’s a critical brand metric. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report found that trust is only one percentage point behind quality when it comes to buying decisions, at a massive 88%.
Years to build it, seconds to lose it
And yet, trust among consumers at the moment is poor. The same report found trust in social media is at 50%. In retail it stands at 65%. And fashion is 63%.
So what’s going wrong?
The problem is largely one of authenticity. A brand can’t build trust unless it’s authentic. It needs to be true to what it stands for. To speak from the heart – or at least from its core values. And it needs to genuinely understand and empathise with its customers.
We live in a world of fake news, deep fakes and AI slop. Knowing what’s real or not is getting ever-harder. This isn’t intended to bash AI, because it can be an incredible tool. When used well, it can transform workflows, deliver new levels of efficiency and be a springboard to creativity. But AI is only a tool. It’s not a substitute for intuition, emotional intelligence, empathy – or gut feeling. Steve Jobs said, ‘people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.’ That wasn’t based on any algorithm. It was instinctive. It was human.
“The more a brand disengages with the creative process, the more it disengages with its audience.”
Effort breeds engagement
Even as AI becomes increasingly good at replicating human output, it still won’t engender trust in the same way. Humans buy into a brand, in part, because of the care, effort and craftsmanship that’s gone into it. AI may well be able to paint like Da Vinci, but it will only ever create a reproduction. So it’s a dangerous strategy for a brand to lean too heavily on AI if it means jeopardising authenticity.
Even if customers accept pure AI content in the short term, the more a brand disengages with the creative process, the more it disengages with its audience.
And they feel it. Not necessarily immediately, or even consciously, but eventually.
Humans in the loop
When you sacrifice authenticity, you ultimately sacrifice trust and loyalty. So yes, AI can be an amazing tool. But when it comes to creating real connections, humans always need to be ‘in the loop’, working with AI to add their empathy and understanding. Then directing and curating the messages to hone them to perfection.
After all, no one wants to buy from a brand that didn’t care enough to put in the effort.
Ink’s been developing human-led, empathetic, brand messages for over 20 years. We can help you find your brand’s truth. Get in touch to talk.