Why consumers crave independent brand information

The rise of influencer fatigue has led to a more worrisome lack of trust in paid endorsements, putting a premium on independent (i.e. trustworthy) brand information. When asked about barriers to purchase, US Gen Z consumers rated a lack of independent information as #1:

The most obvious kind of “independent information” on social media is #UGC, and because TikTok’s algorithm allows anyone to go viral, even small accounts can do very well.*

Less obvious but just as important is organic posts from large creators who want to “be in” on popular brands, knowing it also helps their account be found and liked by fans of the growing brands: “On TikTok, influencers including Alix Earle and Jus de Rose organically posted about Sol de Janeiro.” (SDJ CEO in Glossy, Dec 2023)

Most brands aren’t popular enough to get that much organic UGC, but the good news is that they do have access to the most ubiquitous form of “independent information” on social: comments on the content they post (owned) and commission from influencers (paid earned).

Because they are unfiltered, comments are not just the most ubiquitous source of independent information on social (on TikTok definitely), they are the most powerful (and often the most overlooked.)

Not only do comments make branded posts stickier and more memorable, the algorithms reward stickiness with more views.

Most importantly, comments complement what consumers view as a “biased” brand/creator point of view with an unbiased ‘community take’: the combination makes the post a richer, more potent experience, and fuels #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt.

Given consumer resistance to “biased” branded content, how can brand Owned and paid Earned get viewers to watch until the end and head to the comments?

As the worst politicians and the best ad men have always known, emotions are the key. Sceptical consumers only spend more time with branded content if they’ve been moved by it. Perfectly rational, well structured left brain arguments are rarely sufficient, especially when dopamine friendly content lies just one scroll away.

By under-estimating the role of comments in the exposure, content creators end up trying to do too much: tell stories, engage, convince, show results...

With consumers unlikely to fully trust or act on what a brand or a paid influencer tells them, any content perceived as not independent should focus on engaging so deeply that viewers can’t resist heading to the comments.

Discussions between peers are unfiltered and largely authentic, and ultimately most likely to nudge consumers into consideration or trial.

*Yet another reason why Instagram needs to further tweak its algorithm to be more meritocratic, less oligarchic.

About the author: 20+ years experience in insights & marketing mix at P&G, marketing & media consultancy at McKinsey, head of Europe at L2, co-founder at eBench and Rethink x Social. Have worked with over 250 clients teams across 100+ companies in a dozen categories.

About Rethink x Social: we’re a boutique marketing consultancy, backed by our proprietary tool that tracks and analyses hundreds of thousands of accounts, surfacing insights on trends, best practices, category leaders, and content excellence. We help clients on everything from investment priorities, to social strategies. Our most recent R&D emphasis has been on video content codes, tackling tone of voice, storytelling/editing/pacing principles, the roles of subtext, sounds, protagonists, content big ideas.