Beyond the Buzz: How Modern Brands Are Trading Empty Promises for Visible Credibility

In the rapidly evolving landscape of contemporary marketing, the gap between being a "known" brand and a "chosen" one has never been wider. At the recent Advertising Week New York, a panel of industry heavyweights—representing powerhouses like The Hershey Company, LinkedIn, and e.l.f. Beauty—converged to address a singular, existential question: How do brands sustain relevance in an era of skepticism, shifting cultural norms, and infinite consumer choice?

The consensus was clear: Credibility is no longer a byproduct of clever advertising. Instead, it is a currency earned through tangible, visible action. For modern marketers, the mandate is to move beyond the traditional "familiarity trap," where brands are recognized but ignored, and toward active consideration through value-driven strategies, authentic partnerships, and a rigid adherence to corporate values.

The Evolution of the Consumer Relationship: From Familiarity to Action

The panel discussion, which touched on the struggles of both legacy giants and agile digital-first brands, highlighted a critical shift in consumer psychology. Stacy Tappitt, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at The Hershey Company, articulated the struggle of the legacy brand: "You can be loved but not chosen actively."

For a company with 90 distinct brands at various stages of their lifecycle, the challenge for Hershey is ensuring that the comfort of a "household name" does not devolve into consumer passivity. The modern marketer’s task is to transition from being a static fixture in a shopper’s pantry to an active participant in their daily lives. This requires a move away from passive brand awareness toward a model of "active consideration," where every touchpoint provides utility, insight, or an emotional bridge to the consumer’s current reality.

Value Before Trust: The New Marketing Litmus Test

A recurring theme throughout the session was the "Value-First" mandate. Before a brand can ask for a consumer’s loyalty or data, it must first prove its utility.

Paolo Provinciale, Vice President of Marketing at LinkedIn, argued that the era of the "loud" brand is over. "It’s not what you say, but actually the way you show up," Provinciale noted. LinkedIn has operationalized this by leveraging its massive proprietary data set. Rather than relying on standard corporate messaging, LinkedIn’s economic team tracks hiring and skills trends, publishing research that serves policymakers, job seekers, and business leaders. By providing this information freely, LinkedIn builds trust as a thought leader before ever asking for a user’s engagement.

This philosophy extends to their storytelling. LinkedIn has pivoted away from the traditional, linear success narratives—which often feel unattainable—to celebrate the "zigzag" nature of modern professional life. By highlighting stories of career changes, setbacks, and pivots, the platform creates a more authentic, relatable connection with its user base, thereby cementing its role as an indispensable career partner.

The Operationalization of Values: Walking the Talk

For Lori Lamb, Chief Brand Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, credibility is synonymous with consistency. In an era where "purpose-washing" is quickly sniffed out by digitally savvy consumers, Lamb emphasizes that values are meaningless unless they are reflected in internal operations.

e.l.f. utilizes a "zero distance" culture, a structural approach designed to keep leadership connected to the workforce and, by extension, the customer. This ensures that company decisions are not just top-down edicts but are aligned with the values they espouse in their marketing. "It’s the consistency of playing out values—not just delivering values, but standing behind them," Lamb explained. For e.l.f., this means that the "brand" is not just what is seen in a campaign, but how the company treats its employees and how it conducts its business operations.

Strategic Partnerships: Adding Value, Not Just Reach

The panel cautioned against the "collab-for-clout" culture that dominates social media. For a partnership to build credibility, it must offer something complementary that benefits both parties and, more importantly, the consumer.

Stacy Tappitt shared how Hershey evaluates potential collaborations. Using the example of Reese’s partnerships with Oreo and Nitro Bar, she illustrated how a brand can move into new, relevant spaces. The Nitro Bar collaboration, which resulted in a Reese’s pumpkin latte, did more than just sell coffee; it introduced the Reese’s brand to a younger, trend-conscious demographic and created a new "occasion" for consumption—home recipe creation.

Similarly, e.l.f. Beauty’s partnership strategy is community-informed. Lamb noted that their collaboration with Bubble was not a generic marketing stunt, but a tactical alignment of two brands with distinct, yet compatible, product offerings. The goal is to avoid the "any two brands could do this" trap. A successful partnership, in the eyes of these leaders, must possess a unique, additive quality that resonates with the existing community of both brands.

The Art of Cultural Participation

Perhaps the most difficult challenge for modern CMOs is deciding when and how to enter a cultural conversation. The temptation to "jump on the trend" is high, but the risk of appearing inauthentic is equally significant.

LinkedIn’s Provinciale offered a guiding principle for his team: "The overarching rule is not to ask yourself how can I jump into the conversation, but what can I add to the conversation." If a brand cannot provide unique value, data, or a fresh perspective, it is better to remain silent.

Lori Lamb echoed this sentiment, noting that e.l.f. prefers to "shape culture" rather than chase it. By building narratives that align with their community’s evolving needs, they maintain their status as a leader rather than a follower. This requires a high degree of patience and strategic restraint—a luxury that many brands, driven by the pressure of quarterly reporting, often sacrifice.

Managing Crisis and Missteps

The discussion concluded with a frank look at the inevitability of error in a transparent, social-media-driven world. When criticism spreads, or misinformation takes hold, the panel argued that speed and honesty are the only antidotes.

Tappitt emphasized that Hershey prepares for potential scrutiny by building "response infrastructure" before a crisis occurs. When a mistake is made, the brand must own it immediately. "You own up to a mistake. You’re transparent about it. You try to make it right, and you live to fight another day," she stated. This radical transparency, while uncomfortable, is the only way to preserve long-term credibility in an age where cover-ups are easily exposed.

Implications for the Future of Marketing

The implications of this panel’s discussion are profound for the marketing profession. We are witnessing the end of the "image-driven" era and the dawn of the "action-driven" era.

1. Utility as Currency: Brands that do not provide direct value—through research, service, or authentic connection—will find it increasingly difficult to compete for attention.
2. Internal-External Alignment: The brand of the future is defined as much by its internal culture and operational integrity as it is by its creative output.
3. The Death of the "Collab": Strategic partnerships will move toward more complex, value-added integrations that solve consumer problems rather than merely creating social media buzz.
4. Cultural Stewardship: Brands must stop trying to "hack" trends and start focusing on contributing to the long-term narratives of their communities.

As these industry leaders suggest, the path forward is not found in more aggressive media buying or higher-budget campaigns. It is found in the quiet, consistent work of providing value, standing by one’s values, and acting with the transparency that modern consumers demand. For the legacy brand and the challenger alike, the message is the same: credibility is not a static state, but an active, daily choice to be useful, honest, and relevant.