Thread by @chriscantino

99% of brands are skipping out on opportunities to earn trust and engagement.

Here’s how the best in the game do it, and examples of where startups can make huge gains while their competition stands on the sidelines. 👇

Transparency: a word that has lost its meaning.

Sharing where ingredients come from? Giving back by planting a few hundred trees? I cringe through every halfhearted about page, wondering: what does this brand really stand for?

One good deed does not translate into authenticity.

The ones worth rooting for? Those offering a look behind the curtain into how their businesses operate, and all the messy failures along the way. And more importantly, showing us what the hell our money is actually supporting.

So, what can we learn from who’s doing this well?

Exhibit A: The Recording Artist.

From Cardi B to Lil Uzi Vert, entertainers don't hesitate to share intimate snippets of their lives, or behind the scenes of progress in the studio. And their fandom skyrockets.

Why? Because audiences love witnessing the journey.

6ix9ine’s followers watched him go to jail, and return this week to break the record for IG Live viewers.

Yet brands are afraid to take risks by posting more raw, direct content?

Like entertainers, brands need to own that they are SO MUCH MORE than just their product.

PSA:

As brands, selling your product on shelves or online without showing us *who you are* is the equivalent of a recording artist without a social media account.

Do not neglect this opportunity.

Exhibit B: The Celeb-preneur.

Gwyneth Paltrow. Kylie Jenner. Jessica Alba. Oprah.

As the faces of their respective companies, each is remarkably well-suited to present their products to their target audience. And none of them shy away from repping in the media.

When people buy goop, they are *actually* buying into haute wellness ideology. And its ambassador is Gwyneth Paltrow.

Ask yourself: would goop be half as capable in delivering its value proposition without Gwyneth's presence throughout the website, shop, and Netflix series?

The rest of us are not celebrities. But we can learn from them the power of ambassadorship, and take a similarly direct, transparent approach with our customers.

Over time, the benefits of this approach multiply.

Just ask Emily Weiss.

Exhibit C: The Rest of Us.

@EmilyWWeiss started @glossier—AS A BLOG—just ten years ago. Today, it is valued well over $1B. As CEO, Weiss speaks directly to Glossier's audience, and empowers her staff to do the same.

This is what credibility looks like. intothegloss.com/2011/07/my-mak…

There’s a distinctly American instinct to present only our most realized, optimized selves. To protect ourselves from negative feedback. We're discouraged from "over-sharing."

The result: a sea of diluted, anonymous brands following formulaic paths to success.

F*ck the formula.

Be like @jaimeschmidt. @helena @woodyhambrecht. @trinitymouzon. @amy_riveter. Speak directly to the customer. Share with video, if you can.

It does not take McKinsey & Co to recognize the impact trust and authenticity has on customer engagement and retention.

Build in the open.

If you’re wondering whether or not you can BE that founder—you can. It starts with a single, fearless peek into what you’re working on. Right now.

Do that consistently for years, and you will have your community. I promise you.

With conglomerates scrambling to build media properties in hopes of better connecting to consumers, realize your greatest asset is, well, you. Customers crave YOU.

If you’re wondering what the brands of tomorrow will look like, look no further. Anything less is noise.