With the presence of uncensored, opinionated, and raw information online and offline, consumers are growing an appreciation for transparent, honest brands. They want forthright openness from the businesses they deal with. Today, transparency in brands is becoming ever more popular. Instead of showing transparency just by admitting imperfections when they occur, businesses are being more transparent and upfront during the creation of brands and campaigns.

 

Online trend firm trendwatching.com coined the term maturialism to describe a marketing trend that focuses on shock value and pushing boundaries. The term emerged when businesses began introducing more in-your-face, attention-grabbing campaigns. Examples include Zappos' "More Than Shoes" campaign, Gold's Gym's "Burning Calories" campaign, and Calvin Klein's "Get it Uncensored" campaign.

 

Over the years, maturialism has become less about shock value and more about businesses creating a balanced exchange with consumers by being completely transparent and brutally honest. Forbes provides a list of 10 global business leaders who aren't afraid to be transparent with their employees and consumers regarding business standards and practices.

 

While eye-catching campaigns and brands are vital to a company's success, being transparent can put you at an advantage for gaining a consumer's trust and loyalty.  

 

Lead by Example

 

Elements of transparency can be produced through well-thought-out campaigns. In April, UNICEF Sweden launched a 'Likes don't save lives' fundraising campaign with the slogan "Like us on Facebook, and we will vaccinate zero children against polio." This campaign helped bring to light the fact that popular social media campaigns, while valuable in spreading awareness, may not directly help fundraising efforts the way social media users think they will.

 

In February, a Japanese seafood restaurant began charging customers a fine for not finishing a specialty dish. The fines were collected as donations for local fishermen, whose dangerous job puts their lives at risk. In May, the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa hosted "The Exchange,"---a pop-up shop that encouraged organ donation. The shop did not take money in exchange for products, but instead required customers to register as organ donors, and then allowed them to take an item of their choosing.

 

The Building Blocks of Trust

 

These extreme campaigns made consumers think, and the take-away was a different perspective and an appreciation for the facts. These are the building blocks of trust.  

 

Consumers want to make informed decisions---and they need all the facts to make them. By incorporating integrity, transparency, and a little shock value into your company's brand and into each campaign, you'll build trust and avoid future damaging pitfalls.