Marketing’s New North Star: Believability Trumps Virality, Report Reveals
New York, NY – In a seismic shift for the marketing world, a groundbreaking report is challenging the long-held belief that virality is the ultimate measure of campaign success. The Shutterstock Creative Impact Report 2025, released today, argues that genuine believability – the degree to which consumers trust and connect with a brand’s message – is now the critical KPI for long-term growth. This is urgent news for marketers navigating an increasingly skeptical digital landscape, and a potential game-changer for SEO strategies focused on brand resonance.
The Erosion of Trust & The Rise of ‘Believability’
For years, marketers have chased shares, views, and reach. But the report highlights a growing disconnect: marketing spend is increasing (up 33% according to recent data), yet purchase intent is lagging (rising only 17%). This suggests a fundamental problem – audiences are overwhelmed and increasingly distrustful. The report introduces a dual KPI system: Virality (shareability) and Believability (credibility and trust). It’s a distinction based on a simple premise: virality amplifies, but credibility builds brands.
What Does ‘Believability’ Actually Mean?
Believability, as defined by Shutterstock, isn’t just about avoiding falsehoods. It’s about a campaign’s ability to feel authentic, trustworthy, and emotionally genuine. Unlike virality, which can be artificially inflated by algorithms or controversy, believability directly impacts purchase intent, long-term brand building, customer loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations. Shutterstock’s analysis uses sophisticated models combining content analysis, emotional perception, digital behavior, and business outcomes to assess believability in real-world campaigns.
The Emotional Equation: Anger vs. Belonging
The report reveals a fascinating insight into the power of emotions. While anger is a potent driver of shares, it’s also deeply polarizing and generates the least credibility. Conversely, emotions like pride and belonging consistently push believability scores above 61%, making them ideal for fostering trust. This is a crucial takeaway for marketers who have historically relied on emotionally charged, often negative, content to generate buzz. The age of algorithm-driven virality, prioritizing reach over genuine connection, is coming to an end.
Strategic Emotions: Aligning Feelings with Goals
The report proposes a strategic framework for choosing the right emotions to align with specific campaign objectives:
- Build Trust: Prioritize Pride, Belonging, and Nostalgia.
- Generate Viral Awareness: Leverage Anger, Surprise, and Humor (with caution).
- Drive Retail Conversion: Focus on Success, Joy, and Nostalgia.
- Reinforce Brand During a Crisis: Employ Empathy, Belonging, and Calm.
Notably, nostalgia emerges as a surprisingly powerful emotion, offering a unique balance between virality and credibility – outperforming even fear by a significant margin.
The Perils of Viral Campaigns Lacking Credibility
A viral campaign that doesn’t resonate with authenticity can be a disaster in disguise. If a campaign generates conversation but triggers rejection, polarization, or superficiality, it actively damages brand credibility. This is a major contributor to the growing trend of social backlash, which has already impacted 66% of brands. Many of these backlashes stem from campaigns that went viral but were perceived as culturally insensitive or opportunistic.
How CMOs Can Adapt: 5 Key Strategies
- Measure Believability Before Launch: Test emotions, language, and tone with a focus on credibility, not just engagement.
- Define Your Primary Objective: Are you aiming for shares or genuine belief? The strategy must align with the goal.
- Choose Emotions Intentionally: Don’t chase trends; select emotions that build brand value.
- Maintain Narrative Consistency: Campaigns with a consistent core message across all formats deliver a +40% ROI and are more credible.
- Think Long-Term: Avoid short-term creative thinking that prioritizes spikes over sustained perception.
Brands Leading the Way
Several brands are already embracing this new approach. Nike consistently blends cultural purpose with high-impact emotional executions. Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign builds product credibility through authentic user-generated content. And Liquid Death, despite its provocative tone, maintains a coherent and believable aesthetic within its unique brand universe. These companies understand that it’s not enough to simply reach people; you need to stay in their minds through emotional truth.
The future of marketing isn’t about creating fleeting moments of virality. It’s about building lasting relationships based on trust, authenticity, and genuine connection. Ignoring this shift isn’t just a missed opportunity; it’s a risk to your brand’s long-term survival. Staying ahead of the curve requires a fundamental rethinking of how we measure success and a commitment to prioritizing believability over simply going viral. For more insights on navigating the evolving marketing landscape, and staying on top of breaking news, continue exploring archyde.com.
