Money won’t buy you trust

👋 Hi all,

Hello to another week. While temperatures are dropping in Amsterdam🧣, this piece is hot as always. I found a fantastic online game launched by Snapchat, tailored towards agencies but fun for all, and how Apple will update your iPhone before you even bought it while still in the box 📦.

My essay concerns trust, influencers, and how brands must adapt to a new reality of turning attention into dollars.

See you on Friday,

Bas

The internet is growing and becoming more mature, but many businesses aren’t maturing simultaneously. Back in the day, it was enough to develop a brand with many followers, and they were all fighting over clicks and likes. Brands with the deepest pockets usually won. They had the f*ck you money to spend on advertisements, television commercials, and buy endorsements from the most popular influencers. This will change and grow old.

Creating content, professional videos, a state-of-the-art website, or a product demo will all become a commodity. It already is. With today’s power of artificial intelligence, all these things can be done by kids, with no need for money, technology advantages, or location. All you need is an internet connection and time.

Brands will evolve as consumers loom for something else in the next five years. Something more personal: trust. Trust is something you need to earn, can’t be bought, and is hard to duplicate. This is why the influencer economy boomed for a while. Influencers have the reach and attention of their followers; they have earned their trust. Many influencers realized they had created an audience they could monetize by working with brands and promoting their products. But with every product and service they promote, the trust from their audience slowly decreases.