Authenticity In Business

The Blueprint: How to Build an Employee Ambassador Programme Every company will tell you their people are their biggest asset. But if you look closely, most treat them like a line on a balance sheet, not a path in their brand story. And there lies the problem. We're in an era where audiences don’t just want to see what a company does, they want to understand who’s behind it, what they believe in, and how they show up in the world. That’s why Employee Ambassadors matter. Because their voice creates both. And just like any marketing channel, their impact is exponential when it’s built with intention. Here’s my top level blueprint I wish every brand had: 1️⃣ Identify your natural storytellers Every business has them, your culture carriers, A-players, internal influencers. You don’t need everyone posting, just empower those who already live your values and can translate them externally. 2️⃣ Provide frameworks, not scripts People connect with voices, not scripted copy. Give your team clarity on what stories matter, not pre-approved captions. Define key themes and moments and let them share through their own perspective. 3️⃣ Teach storytelling as a brand skill Storytelling isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a competitive advantage. If your team can clearly explain what you do, why it matters, and who it helps, you’ve built an organic marketing engine. Lead learning and development workshops on finding your voice, storytelling and delivery. Give them the tools and they’ll give you the content. 4️⃣ Recognise and reward visibility We celebrate sales and KPIs, but rarely celebrate the people who build trust equity for the brand. Visibility *is* brand contribution. When employees grow an audience or earn industry credibility, the whole business benefits. Acknowledge it. Incentivise it. Celebrate it. Build it into culture. 5️⃣ Build a two-way feedback loop The best advocacy systems work both ways. Leaders give visibility, employees bring insight back. That exchange keeps both sides accountable, aligned, and moving in the same direction. It prevents disconnects, ensures consistency, and turns advocacy into a source of growth - not risk. 🤝 When this system is implemented, your people become living extensions of your brand’s promise. And collectively, they build something no campaign ever could: human trust at scale. Employee Ambassadors don’t just grow your audience, they grow your authority.  Next week, I’ll unpack the business advantage - how visibility turns into real commercial value. Drop your questions, thoughts, challenges below! - 👋 I’m Grace Andrews - brand & marketing educator, creator-entrepreneur, and former Brand Director for Steven Bartlett & The Diary of a CEO. This is post 3/6 of my new series Inside Voices, exploring the rise of the Employee Ambassador and how they’re reshaping modern marketing. Hit Follow to stay informed! - I'm sharing a post every week unpacking how they’re changing the way brands grow, hire, and lead.

In 2024, Visit Oslo released a campaign that went viral with nearly 20 million views. The message? “Don’t come here.” On the surface, it looked like reverse psychology. But the brilliance of the campaign was that it tapped into our fatigue with glossy, generic tourism ads that deliver a safe, predictable sea of sameness.. I see so many tourist boards around the world make the same mistake right now: still investing all their budgets into spotlighting only the popular landmarks and tourist traps, creating content that makes their destination indistinguishable from another. Visit Oslo did the opposite. They connected back to an idea blogger Elena Paschinger created years ago: “life-seeing”  instead of “sightseeing”. Enjoying travel for what it should be - real cultural experiences that make your life richer and connect you with a place that is different to your home. This is the kind of shift we need to see more of in travel marketing. Authenticity over aspiration. Depth over gloss. Destinations that give people a taste of the real experience, not just a curated version. As consumer behaviour evolves, the destinations that will win are the ones brave enough to go against convention, just like Thea Gunnes and the VisitOSLO team have done here.

"We're moving forward with another vendor." Every rep's nightmare sentence. I pressed for details. "Their approach felt more open. We actually knew what we were buying into." That stung. I'd shared: ••• Exhaustive feature documentation ••• Dozens of success stories   ••• Complete pricing breakdowns Where'd I go wrong? Days later, I got access to our competitor's sales process. The difference hit instantly: They didn't preach transparency. They lived it. Their follow-up wasn't an email avalanche. It was one collaborative hub where buyers could: ••• Monitor which stakeholders engaged with what ••• See their exact position in the evaluation journey ••• Find materials curated for their unique pain points ••• Manage internal distribution seamlessly My revelation: I was buried in PDFs. They were cultivating partnership. Next prospect, new approach: I built a shared workspace exposing EVERYTHING: → Which team members on our side viewed their data → Critical docs they'd missed → Realistic implementation expectations → Where we excel AND where we don't The buyer's response: "Finally, someone not playing games." Ink on paper in 10 days. Here's what's real: Today's buyers aren't starved for data. They're starved for authenticity. Yesterday's strategy: Bombard with polished assets that sidestep weaknesses. Tomorrow's strategy: Build transparent environments that tackle doubts directly. Your buyers know when something's off. Even when nothing is. Quit running sales like a shell game. Start running it like a glass house. You with me?

The best salespeople don’t sell. They don’t need to. Here’s what they do instead. They listen, connect, and align their solution with what the prospect truly needs. But here’s the catch. None of that works if you’re pretending to be someone you’re not. Authenticity is the ultimate advantage. People don’t buy from a script. They buy from someone they like and trust. Authenticity looks like this: • Saying “I don’t know” when you don’t have the answer, instead of offering some BS that you think sounds good. • Asking hard questions from a deep desire to understand. Like, “What would happen if we delayed this project for another 18 months? Would anybody notice?” • Walking away from a deal that isn’t the right fit. You are the guard at the gate of your pipeline. Don’t let low quality deals in. The moment you stop trying to impress others and start being real, everything changes. Trust is built faster. Conversations go deeper. And you stop chasing—people come to you. Sales isn’t really about persuasion. It’s about alignment. And alignment starts with authenticity.

Polaroid BUILT AN ENTIRE CAMPAIGN AGAINST SCREENS AND AI, THEN HUNG IT RIGHT OUTSIDE THE Apple STORE. Genius. That headline says a lot about where marketing is heading. For more than a decade, brands chased perfection. Higher production values. More retouching. More technology. More precision. More optimization. Now the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction. Consumers have become incredibly sophisticated. They instantly recognize when they are being sold to through highly produced, hyper-polished campaigns. In an era of AI-generated content, perfect images and flawless videos often feel less believable, not more. What feels fresh today is authenticity- free pm photography not digital. Polaroids. Imperfect lighting. Real people. Genuine moments. Ironically, the more powerful AI becomes, the more valuable human authenticity becomes. Independent brands have been leading this movement for years, building communities through honest storytelling rather than manufactured perfection. Now we are beginning to see larger brands, and even luxury houses, embrace the same approach. In a world flooded with artificial content, authenticity is becoming the ultimate premium.

If you over-curate & overthink your personal brand to perfection, your engagement will be dead! You see them everywhere—polished, poised, and perfectly positioned personal brands. Yet, their engagement is flat. Their audience? Passive. This is the"Perfect Persona" Effect—where people curate an online brand so flawlessly that it becomes unrelatable. And science backs this up. 📌 A study from Harvard Business Review found that leaders who share their struggles increase trust by 66% compared to those who only share polished success. 📌 Social psychologist Dr. Elliot Aronson’s "Pratfall Effect" proves that people perceive those who show vulnerability as more likable than those who appear perfect. The brands that win aren’t the ones that look flawless. They’re the ones that feel real. This is how we work this out with SackBerry clients: 1. Show the process, not just the results. ❌ “We grew our business 10x in a year!” ✅ “We struggled for months with zero sales—here’s what finally worked.” People relate to struggles, lessons, and real journeys. Share the how, not just the highlight. 2. Write like you talk. The easiest way to sound human? Read your post out loud. If you wouldn’t say it in a conversation, rewrite it. 3. Share your unpopular opinions. The fastest way to stand out isn’t to blend in. Take a stance. Challenge industry clichés. Say what others won’t. 4. Use the “3-Post Rule” to create trust. Your content should rotate between these formats: A personal story (human connection) An actionable insight (expert credibility) A polarizing take (sparks discussion) 5. Don’t fear the “mess.” -Not every post needs to be perfect. - Test new ideas. - Share drafts. - Build in public. People love watching something unfold in real time. So, tell me—what’s one thing you wish more people shared online? #PersonalBranding #Authenticity #BuildingInPublic #ContentMarketing

Staying true to yourself while climbing the career ladder isn't easy. But it's crucial. I've seen firsthand how a mismatch between personal values and company culture can lead to disaster. One individual, a quiet, process-oriented person, was overwhelmed by our fast-paced, energetic environment. He left within a month. I've also witnessed people trying to adapt to cultures that didn't suit them, suppressing their natural tendencies and feeling unfulfilled. The lesson? Find an organization where your values align. Seek a culture where your authentic self can as much shine. When you find that alignment, magic happens: • You'll contribute with passion and purpose. • You'll bring your best self to work. • You'll achieve true career growth. Don't compromise your authenticity for the sake of fitting in. Find the environment that allows you to thrive, both personally and professionally.

Authenticity over perfection, RELATABLE beauty: We are less drawn to flawless ideals and more moved by stories, textures, emotions, and experiences. Rather than perfection, authenticity is now what resonates. Emotional wellness is becoming central, and products and rituals are increasingly sensory-first, immersive, and emotionally rich, did you know than? +72% of customers report that brand authenticity influences their purchase decisions. →FATIGUE with perfection and digital filters: The ubiquity of edited images, airbrushing, SM filters, ultra-polished marketing has created a backlash. Many consumers now find “perfect” imagery dusty, disconnected from real life, and less trustworthy. Plus, the constant influx of new product launches has led to "launch fatigue," making it challenging for brands to maintain consumer attention and loyalty. +63% of consumers value authenticity and transparency in brand communications. →RELATABILITY and emotional connection: People want to see themselves in the brands they buy, their flaws, their stories, their real skin, their real life. Authentic content, with some mess or vulnerability, builds trust. Beauty is being reframed as emotional care: smell, texture, touch, sound, ritual matter nearly as much (or more) than clinical efficacy. Consumers are looking for products that support mood, relaxation, stress reduction, not just appearance. Products that engage multiple senses: scents, textures, sounds, packaging that delights. Rituals and self-care: making the way someone uses a product as meaningful as what it does. +75% of women agreed that beauty and personal care products have a positive impact on their mental wellbeing. In Asia, particularly in Korean cosmetics, consumers expect playful textures, tactile, sound, scent: examples include primers that melt, foams that bubble, etc. At DOUGLAS, European retailer, “emotional connection through sensory experiences … multi-sensory products … soothing scents and pleasant textures” are cited as key in “feel-good” experience. Concluding: Beauty today favors authenticity over perfection, with consumers seeking relatable stories, real experiences, and emotional connection. Sensory-rich, wellness-driven products, from textures and scents to rituals, make beauty meaningful, showing that feeling good is just as important as looking good. Find my curated search of examples and get inspired for you next success. Featured brands: Avon Chanel Daise Dear Doer Glow Receipe Glowery EADEM Fruta Innisfree Laneige Tamburins Summer Fridays St.Saj #beautybusiness #beautyprofessionals #marketingprofessionals #luxuryprofessionals

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 — 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭? In the race to grow their personal brand, I’ve seen people: ✔ Post what they think will go viral ✔ Copy formats, tones, even personal stories ✔ Speak like a brand, not a human And while it may get likes, it often loses the one thing that truly builds trust — 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. When I started building my personal brand, I promised myself: I’d rather grow slowly as myself than fast as someone else. Here’s what helped me stay grounded while showing up online: 📍𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 Your posts shouldn’t sound like a brochure. If you’d never say it out loud in real life, don’t type it. Tone = trust. And trust builds connection. 📍𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗶𝗻-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀” 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 Everyone loves a success story. But people connect with the messy middle. Not every post needs a perfect outcome. Sharing the journey builds more credibility than polished perfection. 📍𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 Not what’s trending. Not what’s getting others likes. But what reflects your experience, your lens, your thoughts. The more real you are, the more people remember you — not just your content. People trust individuals more than brands. That trust only comes from being you, not a curated version of what you think people want. Your personal brand shouldn’t feel like a performance. It should feel like an amplified version of your real self. How do you make sure your content stays true to you? Drop your take👇 #PersonalBranding #AuthenticityOnline #LinkedInCreator #TrustMatters #ShowUpReal

Over the last 6 months at Triangle, we’ve reviewed the performance of dozens of our Executive and Founder LinkedIn posts across all sectors. We pulled together reach, engagement, and story-type metrics, and three consistent patterns emerged. (1) Cultural hooks drive visibility. Posts that lead with a recognisable figure or big event attract high impressions. By tying in to these topics, you get broad distribution and big numbers. Then insert your idea, offer, company within this. Example: A tech leader building in the AI space opened with “Mark Zuckerberg wanted to buy Google.” The post reached 3.2M impressions. (2) Use proof points to build credibility. Executive posts that point to a real outcome (a campaign delivered, a deal closed, a client story) bump engagement rates significantly. Fewer eyeballs, but more meaningful interaction. That’s the kind of peer-recognition that moves you from “someone who talks” to “someone you want to buy from.” Example: A founder of a UK-based speaker bureau shared that they booked an Olympic gold medalist for a client. The post generated 26k impressions with 15 qualified MQLs. (3) Personal narrative and spotlighting others deepen the connection to your readers. When executives share a lived experience, like hardship, change, lessons learnt or they deliberately make someone else the hero, engagement spikes. You build trust at scale and deepen the connection with your audience. Example: A founder reflecting on 8 years of building their company reached 3.7k impressions with 1.57% engagement. Another spotlighting a client’s book launch hit 2.5k impressions and achieved 5.86% engagement. Actions you can take • Use a mix of formats rather than a single style. • Use a cultural hook when you need to amplify reach. • Use proof posts when you want to underpin your capability. • Use personal stories when you want to humanise your brand and deepen trust. • Track not just impressions but meaningful engagement: comments from peers, ICP engagement, follow-ups, profile views, DMs initiated. The difference between executives who get seen or not – is down to having a system in place. At Triangle, we build that system. Turning your ideas, proof points, and stories into a consistent flow of credibility, reach, and opportunity.