Why playing it safe is the riskiest thing your brand can do
Or how to win trust without alienating people
Last January, West Midlands Police used Microsoft Copilot to compile intelligence reports on football fans. The AI invented a non-existent fixture (which allegedly turned violent) to justify banning Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from travelling – a ban that never should have happened. It was a stupid, lazy move. Relying on unverified data is shocking for an organisation meant to uphold the truth. The fallout was inevitable: it made the headlines, the chief constable, Craig Guildford, was forced to resign and the reputation of the police was tarnished.
We bring this up because a quieter version of this issue plays out in marketing every single day. Customers notice when brands publish unverified facts or use sloppy AI language that sounds authoritative but, after further reading, is empty. They pick up on when brands are clearly trusting machines over real humans with integrity. And when they do, their opinion of said brand or organisation is tainted. Sometimes permanently.
The internet is getting worse on purpose
Part of the problem is what many call enshittification. Coined by writer, blogger and activist Cory Doctorow in 2022, it describes the deliberate, systematic degradation of digital platforms once users have been hooked, so they can be monetised.
Making something worse after you’ve locked your clients in so that they’re manipulated into paying more for a better service strikes us as a really stupid business model. If we started delivering badly written copy littered with errors and then asked our clients to pay a premium for the better version, we’d be out of business very quickly.
But this is happening, almost everywhere (Facebook, Spotify, Netflix, Hinge – the mind boggles). Instagram, which built its entire user base on the promise of a clean, visual feed, is now charging UK users £2.99 a month just to see it without adverts.
Fellow storytelling agency Sonder & Tell writes about this here, highlighting this report from a publicly funded Norwegian council which, along with 70 groups and individuals across Europe and the US, is calling for a fairer technological future.
But we think the erosion of trust goes even deeper than what’s happening on social media platforms. Consumers are tired of fake news, of institutions that lie, and of politicians who do as they please. The unravelling of public trust is endemic.
And while people are getting better at spotting what’s real and what’s not, it’s an exhausting process. There’s so much information and shite content to sift through. Being on high alert and in uber-sceptical mode all the time isn’t much fun. So it’s hardly surprising that we’re all retreating from the cacophony of the modern world.
The good news hiding inside a crisis
But here’s the twist. While people are increasingly sceptical of unfamiliar companies, ‘big tech’ firms and social media, trust in brands is actually on the rise. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual global survey that measures public trust in institutions, shows brands are now more trusted than any traditional institution it studies. That’s pretty wild.
“In an environment of economic pain, geopolitical turbulence, and cultural upheaval, consumers are looking to brands they trust to provide stability in their lives. Our data shows that trust isn’t won with purpose statements – it’s earned through relevance, responsiveness, and relentless clarity of action. To be a trusted brand today is to have purpose beyond profit and to authentically show up in culture and community.” – 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer
Crucially, 80% of people trust the specific brands they actually use. This specificity is key. People don’t want brands to ‘save the world’ in a vague way; they want brands to save their own worlds. It’s selfish, but we can relate. Apart from when we go out to vote, we don’t have a huge amount of control over what our government does. We certainly can’t control what other governments do. But we do get to choose where we spend our money. And when we buy products or services, we’re not just looking at price or whether something is trendy or not. Even celebrity endorsement isn’t enough. We look at whether a company shares our values, whether it shows up across all touchpoints with clarity, consistency and a genuine point of view.
We see this as a huge opportunity for lifestyle, wellness and travel brands, which, unlike institutions or presidents, can actually do quite a lot to help people make considered choices in their personal lives, whether that’s buying sustainable fashion or supporting causes that affect their local areas. In fact, the report shows that consumers are more likely to buy from brands that take action on issues such as clean air (60%) and climate change (55%).
Hence why niche, values-led storytelling that talks about these values beats broad broadcasting that tries to appeal to the masses. Stories are your way in. Use them to create smaller brand worlds built on heartfelt ideas and concepts that appeal to a particular tribe. The fun bit (that we love) is thinking creatively about how to pinpoint those emotional triggers that will make people fall in love with your brand and what it stands for. More on this later.
Left: Manfreda Cavazza and Felicity Haythorn, co-founders of storytelling agency Salt & Sage: the brands winning in 2026 are the ones saying something worth listening to (not shouting the loudest).
The trust paradox: to niche or not to niche?
First: let’s tackle the niche question as it’s one we get asked frequently (and is where the paradox lies). Being niche generates trust, but the moment you become specific about your values, you exclude the people who don’t share them.
So how far should you be drilling down into specific worlds and groups of people? Is there a risk that you end up being exclusive or putting people off for being too Marmite? The short answer is no. You don’t alienate people by being niche; you alienate them by being hostile or elitist. There is a big difference.
Let’s break it down.
Safe brands
Appeal to everyone by keeping their messaging neutral and polished. They don’t alienate anyone, but they don’t really connect with anyone either. Result? Bland and ignorable.
Elitist brands
Automatically put up barriers, usually purely financial and status-driven. They’re saying: “You can’t sit with us.”
Editorial, creative, Marmite brands
Editorial copywriters and the brands that work with them tend to take this third path: standing for a narrower set of values, but resonating deeply with a smaller crowd.
Why the distinction matters
Say you’re organising a wellness retreat for high-end customers. An elitist content marketing approach might use words like exclusive, five-star, high-net-worth and expensive.
It tells the reader: “If you aren’t rich enough, you don’t belong here.”
A values-based, editorial approach might talk about the retreat being a quiet digital detox for exhausted founders who believe that true luxury is 48 hours of silence and a return to circadian rhythms.
It works because there is a shared value (silence over overwhelm). It doesn’t matter if you’re a billionaire or a mid-level manager; if you value that specific truth about burnout, you’re in. It’s inclusive to the mindset, not the bank balance.
Or perhaps you’re the CEO of a sustainable fashion brand. The elitist approach would talk about ‘limited-edition pieces, available only via a private waitlist’ for those who ‘understand true craftsmanship’. Using scarcity as a tactic and insider language immediately makes people feel they’re probably not cool enough.
A values-based approach might talk about ‘wardrobe staples for the radical minimalist who would rather own three perfect, traceable linen shirts than a wardrobe full of fast fashion.’ Yup, you’re alienating and probably guilt-tripping people who love shopping for mass-produced clothes, but you will create an immediate bond with anyone who believes less is more or who is trying to make a difference.
How an editorial approach makes people feel they belong
Being specific – and yes, polarising – has become a commercial advantage because it makes people feel like they belong. Research from Salsify (2026) shows that 68% of consumers are now willing to pay more for products from brands they trust.
But to make this effective in your content marketing, you have to present your point of view in a way that doesn’t feel commercial. This is the values-led approach we use for our clients. As a storytelling agency founded by former journalists, we’re trained to drill down into what our audience wants to hear. We don’t think about personas or where our readers live or what they eat for breakfast (as is so often the case in traditional marketing). Instead, we think about what’s in it for the audience. Why should they care? What’s the bigger picture?
The more specific you are about your customers’ desires, needs and beliefs, the better. By shifting away from the demographics of your audience (who they are) and focusing instead on the psychographics (what they believe and why they buy), you’re automatically creating an ecosystem of content ideas based on values. It’s a much more positive foundation for your marketing strategy. Because you’re not really selling or alienating anyone – you’re telling stories.
Take a stand on the sort of brand you want to be
It’s natural to feel uncomfortable about being a Marmite brand. It feels cliquey, insular. Indeed, the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer highlights a global shift towards insularity, with 70% of people now admitting they only trust voices that mirror their own values. But our take is this: big brands and organisations clearly have a responsibility to build bridges and encourage understanding of different cultures and backgrounds. Meanwhile, smaller, independent, niche brands can tap in on the personal relationships, community and authenticity that customers are yearning for.
As lifestyle copywriters and brand storytellers with decades of experience working for newspapers and business magazines, we have no problem with saying it how it is. We’re known for our honesty and liberally peppering our content with the F word. But we’re OK with that. And for our clients, who are all desperately trying to find their voices amid the cacophony, our wordsmithery and strategic storytelling remain in high demand. In fact, we actually think AI slop is helping us by making our human-made services even more desirable.
We’re living proof that in 2026, appealing to everyone is the quickest route to being trusted by nobody. It’s time to start being genuinely useful to a smaller, more engaged group of people.
In the next part of this series, we look at the other side of the trust crisis: not just why people are pulling back but what they’re looking for when they do. Hint… it’s not more choice.
Coming soon: The decision detox: why expert curation is the new luxury. Sign up here to be the first to receive it.
FAQs: The lowdown on trust
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The digital world is suffering from enshittification. Platforms are getting worse on purpose to make more money and AI-generated noise is everywhere. People are exhausted by the cacophony and are retreating into smaller, private circles where they feel safe.
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It is an editorial approach that focuses on psychographics. Instead of looking at who your customers are, we look at what they believe. Authentic brand messaging based on shared truths builds trust faster than any vague purpose statement.
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Playing it safe is the real risk in 2026. Being a Marmite brand means you stand for something specific. You might not appeal to the masses, but you will be impossible to ignore for your target tribe.
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We use journalistic rigour to strip away the marketing speak and corporate jargon. By finding the human story at the heart of your business, we help you earn a spot in those small, selective circles of trust.
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Research shows that most consumers are willing to pay more for products from brands they trust. In a world of generic content, integrity is your greatest competitive advantage.
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Customers notice when brands trust machines over real humans. They can spot unverified facts and hollow language from a mile away. Leading with a human-led, strategic storytelling approach ensures your brand remains relevant and respected.
