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Social media isn’t one-size-fits-all anymore (if it ever was). Every platform has its own vibe, audience, and content style. What works on Instagram might flop on LinkedIn. A killer TikTok might not even make a dent on Facebook. If you’re still using the same...
Apr 29, 2025
Ever notice how you trust recommendations from a friend but skeptically scroll past corporate ads? This response is natural. We’re wired to connect with people, and the era of being impressed by overproduced branded content is over (was it ever even a thing?)
It’s not about discarding polished content altogether. But today’s audiences prefer authenticity over excessive editing and relatability over perfection. It’s the result of decades of exposure to dry, boring corporate-speak and the more recent rise of the creator economy.
The reality is that creator-driven storytelling, augmented by platforms like Instagram and TikTok, has reshaped people’s expectations. Instead of carefully crafted facades, they want unfiltered perspectives.
When brands need to schedule social media posts consistently across platforms, the real challenge becomes keeping that voice human and relatable. This change has been happening for a while in marketing — especially in social media, and it’s not just a trend but what I believe is the future of branding: people over logos.
Let’s explore why the brands to win the next decade will be the ones that feel most human.
We instinctively trust people who seem like us, show vulnerability, and speak to us directly — not faceless entities that feel engineered by committee.
Look at what’s happening on LinkedIn. According to the platform’s Official Guide to Employee Advocacy, although only 3% of employees share information about their companies, their content-sharing accounts for 30% of the overall brand engagement.
Personal brands have become powerful trust engines in virtually every industry, especially in digital marketing:
What makes these personal brands so effective is their willingness to share failures alongside successes, to speak in a voice that feels unfiltered, and to engage directly with their communities.
Authenticity and relatability are competitive advantages. When people follow individuals, they build relationships based on shared values, interests, and experiences. And brands need to become human, too.
Of course, humans have always been behind brand communication. But, somehow, the human touch got lost in the process of carefully crafting messages, going through layers of approval, and polishing content to the point of depersonalization.
The creator economy is breathing new life into content creation. And people love it.
Recent studies found that consumers place 2.9 times more trust in creator content than traditional ads. This content also resonates more deeply, being seen as more exciting, unique, relevant, and shareable. Creator content’s superior ROI is also acknowledged by 66% of brands and 82% of agencies.
It’s no wonder that 80% of marketers believe influencer marketing is highly efficient and that nearly 64% of brands plan to partner with influencers in 2025.
Beyond collaborating with relevant influencers, businesses must rethink who creates and owns brand narratives. In the traditional model, brands carefully controlled every aspect of their story.
Andreea Stefan, SEO Lead at Planable, put it perfectly:
“In the creator-driven model, the dynamics flip. Brands become enablers of stories told by others. The most successful ones are learning to share control, providing creators with resources, access, and freedom while trusting them to translate brand values in ways that resonate with specific communities.”
What’s interesting is how this approach scales beyond celebrity influencers (who are inadvertently turning into big brands themselves). Micro- and nano-influencers (those with smaller but highly engaged followings) often deliver higher conversion rates precisely because their audiences trust their authenticity. They feel like real people, not marketing channels.
Even more powerful is the rise of employee advocacy. When your team members become brand storytellers, content comes with built-in authenticity because they actually know the product, culture, and vision firsthand.
At Planable, for example, we practice what we preach. We both make people our shining stars — because they are what makes our business stand out — and encourage them to share authentic content about their experiences.
Audiences don’t just want stories about your brand, they want stories from people they can relate to.
Companies that want to stay relevant must empower storytellers rather than trying to control every narrative.
Shifting from corporate-speak to personal storytelling isn’t easy. It’s not just marketers and copywriters who need to adopt a more direct tone of voice, but brands themselves — from top to bottom — must accept that people are the real heroes of the story.
Traditionally, brand messaging prioritized consistency above all else. Every piece of communication had to reflect the same voice, values, and carefully crafted persona. In theory, this creates a coherent brand experience. In practice, it often results in content that feels manufactured and lifeless.
The new model proposes something different: a brand as a collection of authentic voices united by shared values rather than identical language.
The change is subtle but impactful. For example, instead of creating strict messaging guidelines with approved phrases, tonality, and language, you can establish core brand principles but encourage individual storytellers to express them in their authentic voice.
I can feel the panic rising among some of you. Won’t this approach lead to inconsistent messaging? Won’t some people say the wrong things? These concerns are valid. But remember: audiences today value authenticity over perfection. They respond more positively to genuine communication, even with occasional flaws, than to corporate perfection.
It’s a mindset shift from controlling to enabling.
Here’s how you can make sure you get authentic content working for you:
That means real training, easy-to-use resources, and a content platform where they can easily collaborate, create, and publish. Don’t just tell them to “create”, give them the tools to do it well.
Do you have amazing stories within your community, but no one sees them? That’s on you. You need a solid strategy to make those stories visible.
You need rules, sure, but don’t choke the life out of creativity. Set clear boundaries, but let your people breathe. Trust them to be authentic.
Set up real feedback loops. Help your creators improve, but make sure you’re not turning them into robots.
Do this right, and you’ll see a snowball effect. Authentic content performs. People see it, and they want to create. More content, more authenticity, more results. It’s a win-win, but you must be willing to provide support and trust your people.
And speaking of robots…
Maybe it’s ironic to predict that the future of branding is personal in full AI boom. Or is it? With technology taking over many aspects of our lives, expecting and enjoying humanity in communication is understandable.
Many marketers have tried writing articles and social media posts with AI only to find that the output is formulaic and bland, almost like — no, exactly like — traditional corporate-speak. Does that mean we ditch AI? No.
Technology and authenticity aren’t inherently opposed (unless you’re only looking for shortcuts). The most successful brands don’t choose between AI efficiency and human creativity. They find the balance between them, using AI to automate boring, repetitive tasks while freeing people to tell their stories.
AI excels at tasks like:
It figures out exactly what your audience wants, down to the formats they prefer and where they’re hanging out.
AI’s personalization is like having a mind reader for your audience.
AI gives you starting points, format ideas, and editing help.
AI breaks down huge amounts of data so you know exactly what’s clicking and why.
But AI can’t replace you and your brand’s identity. Your stories, values, and team’s undeniable charm — that’s what connects with people. That’s the stuff AI can’t generate.
For example, we’ve integrated AI into Planable to help social media marketers get unstuck. We made it a seamless part of the process so users can leverage it if they need ideas or help with editing, but they can also ignore it when the creative juices are flowing.
I believe that the brands achieving the best results are those using technology to scale what’s human rather than replace it. They’re asking: “How can we use AI to help more authentic stories reach the right people?” rather than “How can we use AI to generate more content?”
It’s about giving creators better tools, not replacing creators with tools. By doing that, you lift part of the burden that eats away at creativity, making room for more humanity in branding.
So what does all this mean for the future? How will branding evolve over the next ten years, and what should forward-thinking companies be doing today?
Here are my predictions for what will define winning brands in the coming decade:
Rather than thinking of their brands as something they project outward, companies will increasingly recognize their brands as synonymous with the communities they nurture. The most valuable brand asset won’t be messaging or visuals but engaged community members who create and share their own stories.
As trust continues to erode in institutions, brands that embrace transparency — about their processes, challenges, mistakes, and impact — will earn people’s trust.
One-way broadcasting will continue to lose effectiveness as audiences expect to participate in brand narratives rather than merely consume them. Content that invites co-creation and response will win the engagement games.
The most innovative companies will move from centralized brand and marketing departments to distributed models where every employee, partner, and customer has the tools and permission to contribute to the brand story.
I’m already seeing these shifts among early adopters. It’s those brands that make you wonder, “How are they getting so much engagement when I can barely get my posts noticed?”
Take a cue from Ryanair’s cheeky online presence.
Or learn from Nike’s masterful use of personal storytelling.
Or check out the talented brand storytellers at Planable. Are we perfect? No. Do we blunder sometimes? Absolutely. But we’re real people obsessed with offering marketers a platform where they can collaborate on content that feels authentic.
Are you really going to keep hiding behind corporate jargon, while everyone else is building connections? You’ll get left behind. It’s that simple.
Wait a minute, you’ll say. You’ve invested a lot in your branding strategy. Are you supposed to throw it all out and start again?
Of course not. Brands that have been working hard at establishing themselves are in a great position. They have the processes, tools, and experts to go in the right direction. They just need to take a realistic look at what’s working and steer towards becoming more relevant.
For those ready to embrace this future, here are actionable steps to start incorporating personal branding:
The stories, passionate advocates, and human connections already exist within your business. The question is whether you’ll have the courage to let them shine.
What’s your first step toward more human branding? It might be simpler than you think.
George – Content Marketing Strategist, storyteller, and self-appointed cringe detector. 7 years in marketing, starting from graphic design to social, campaigns, and content. Writes, shoots, edits – if it’s creative, he’s on it. Knows what’s funny, what’s fresh, and what should never see the light of day. Always up to date, always cooking up something (and trying to hit his protein goal), all while pretending to get 8 hours of sleep.
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