Honesty is the best policy

In the current climate, it’s more important than ever for brands to be transparent. Consumers are looking to brands which they know, love and, perhaps most importantly – trust, and open, honest communication is the ultimate way to deliver this.

With the emergence of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels, a variety of quick-fire trends are encouraging users (including influencers and consumers alike) to be their authentic selves by exposing the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of their everyday lives – whether that’s through before and after-inspired trends, or posting bloopers. This is something which has been carried across to additional media outlets, and is undoubtedly a positive; however, with this comes a certain expectation for any brands which do choose to post content on these platforms – an expectation that brands will follow suit and will be more open than ever before.

From fashion to FMCG various brands are finding ways to make this new ‘behind-the-scenes’ exposure work for them. For example, In The Style has been working with actress, influencer and tv personality, Jacqueline Jossa, in order to showcase ‘normal bodies’. Following the launch of her swimwear range, the brand has been using Instagram to post a series of ‘edited versus unedited’ and ‘posed versus relaxed’ pictures to highlight the way in which factors such as positioning, lighting and airbrushing can drastically alter the appearance of peoples’ bodies. By doing so, alongside the slogan ‘every body is a beach body’, In The Style has successfully positioned itself as a highly attainable, relatable fashion brand which consumers can trust. But it’s not only the fashion world which is exposing itself; restaurants such as Chipotle have also begun revealing long-held secrets- including coveted, fan-favourite recipes, as well as hacks whereby shoppers can claim free food from the popular restaurant chain.

It’s vital that brands find ways to stay visible and relevant without coming off as opportunistic – and we’re helping our clients do exactly that. Instead of hopping on the back of just any trend, we’re working with our clients to create tailored content which we can be assured will resonate with their audiences. For example, we’ve recently worked with our client, Pukka, to distribute a poll across social media – asking our audience to vote for their preferred flavour of vegan pie, with the top two flavours being carefully made and baked by Pukka. By collaborating in this way, we drove significant engagement via social media, helping the brand to produce a new product which they can be confident will prove popular.

Across the board, we’re continually working to help our clients navigate this new open and honest comms landscape, ensuring that all communication is relevant, authentic and brand-appropriate. Watch this space!