In today’s hyper-aware marketplace, authenticity isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the backbone of brand trust. As Södergren (2021) aptly puts it, authentic branding is the unsung hero of modern marketing. With consumers increasingly guided by ethical values and social consciousness, brands are under more pressure than ever to align their messaging with genuine purpose.

Georgiou (2021) reinforces this by highlighting that consistency and transparency are key to eliciting a positive consumer response. Yet, despite this knowledge, we continue to see campaigns with seemingly good intentions fall flat—often because they feel performative rather than principled.

Take Burger King’s 2019 “Real Meals” campaign as a case in point. Launched during Mental Health Awareness Month, the campaign introduced satirical alternatives to McDonald’s Happy Meal such as the “Pissed Meal,” “Blue Meal,” and “DGAF Meal” and paired it with the slogan, “No one is happy all the time.” While the campaign aimed to spark conversation around mental health and poke fun at a competitor, it was met with swift backlash. Consumers took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticise the campaign as a shallow gimmick, lacking any real advocacy or support for mental health initiatives.

The lesson? Social justice messaging without substance is not only ineffective…it’s damaging.

Consumers are quick to spot inauthenticity, especially when a brand’s actions don’t back up its words. Cause-based marketing must be more than a moment; it must be a movement. Without tangible advocacy such as donations, partnerships, or long-term initiatives, campaigns risk being perceived as opportunistic rather than impactful.

This brings us to a critical question: does your brand have the credibility and lived values to speak on the issue at hand? For organisations like Headspace, which are inherently aligned with mental health, the answer is clear. But for brands outside that domain, the path to authentic advocacy requires deeper reflection and long term commitment.

Ben & Jerry’s offers a masterclass in getting this right. Their “Make Some Chunkin’ Change” campaign wasn’t just a clever play on words, it was a call to action for racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental change. What made it resonate wasn’t just the message, but the brand’s long-standing history of activism. As Kelly (2024) notes, Ben & Jerry’s success lies in its consistency: funding research, forming long-term partnerships with advocacy groups, and using its platform to amplify underrepresented voices. Their message wasn’t a marketing stunt—it was a natural extension of their brand identity.

Unlike Burger King, Ben & Jerry’s didn’t borrow a cause, they embodied it. And consumers responded with trust, loyalty, and enthusiasm.

The takeaway is simple but powerful: authentic branding is about alignment. Your message must reflect your values, your actions, and your audience’s expectations. When done right, authenticity builds trust.

And a trusted brand? That’s a brand people buy into, literally and emotionally.