The rules of business and marketing haven’t changed - but the way we play the game? Completely different.

I’ll be brutally honest - it’s cutthroat out there. As I write this third edition on trust, I have to ask:

Does trust even matter in business anymore, or has profit completely taken over?

Gen Z isn’t buying the BS. Flashy campaigns? Clever taglines? They see right through them.

📉 56% of Gen Z say brands lie about their products. (Vogue Business)

Or do they? Maybe business operates on two parallel tracks:

1️⃣ The "get rich quick" approach - short-term, high-impact, fast in, fast out. Attention today, forgotten tomorrow.
2️⃣ The long game - building a brand that actually lasts. But in a world where trust is eroding, how do you do that?

With SXSW approaching, here’s the theme we’re pushing:

🎭 “It’s Not Like It Was”
🔥 What’s worth keeping?
🔄 What needs to evolve?
⚔️ What’s worth fighting for?

If you’re even a little curious, read on. And here’s a test: If I’ve built a newsletter, a community and a personal brand - have I earned your trust? Or is trust something entirely different? Please take the poll at the end, because without feedback how can I add to your week?

One of my all-time favourites - PEJAC. His work explores choices, consequences and societal shifts, which hits home for this week’s theme.

💡 Which path do we take? The fast, flashy road or the slower, trust-driven one?

This piece stood out to me; a visual gut-punch of the very question we’re asking.

Here’s What We’re Talking About Today:

Audience Insights & Future Trends:

🚨 Why Trust is Collapsing - And How to Fix It

📉 Gen Z doesn’t trust most brands.
They’re drowning in ads and can spot a cash grab a mile away.

🔹 Average brand trust among US Gen Z: 11.26% (Statista, 2023)
🔹 Millennials & Gen X: More than double that

🔎 70% of Gen Z & 69% of Millennials only trust brands after doing their own research. (Vogue Business)

💡 Translation: Brands don’t control trust anymore; people do.

📌 Community over Campaigns.
Gen Z doesn’t follow brands; they follow communities.

🔹 78% of Gen Z belong to digital or in-person communities tied to their interests. (Adweek)

📉 Who Do They Trust?
❌ Social Media (Least trusted industry)
✅ Tech Companies (Most trusted – Edelman Trust Barometer, 2024)
✅ Their peers.

But let’s be real, I talk to founders, brand marketers and creators every day and not one of them has ever said, “I love LinkedIn.”

So maybe it’s not just Gen Z that’s changing. Trust itself is being redefined.

🛠️ So where do we go from here?

🚀 The Takeaway: Stop Playing It Safe

The old playbook is dead.

Big ad campaigns, polished taglines, and “because-we-say-so” marketing? That era is over.

🔹 Thought for the Week: PR has always used experts to add credibility to stories. Brands should steal that playbook.

👀 The new strategy? Use credentialed experts - not just influencers - as the trust layer in marketing.

🛠️ How to make it work:
✅ Find experts with real credibility & engaged audiences
✅ Use them to add trust where your brand can’t
✅ Pair them with cultural influencers to deepen the message

This is earned media meets the creator economy, and it’s about to change everything.

👉 So what actually works? Understanding your audience, talking to them, adapting. Because one size fits none.

Which brings us to a perfect test case - Liquid Death.

Case Study: Liquid Death - Brilliant Marketing or Just a Quick Cash Grab

I’ve always been drawn to Liquid Death’s marketing. It’s bold, disruptive and fun.

But here’s the big question:

Does great marketing alone make a great brand?
Or is Liquid Death proof that hype without substance eventually collapses?

📉 UK Sales Reality Check
Despite launching in Tesco, Iceland and Co-op, Liquid Death’s 2024 UK sales were just £2 million.

🚪 Now, they’re exiting the UK market. Proof that branding alone isn’t enough to guarantee global success. (Source: The Grocer)

📌 So what happens next?

🗣️ “It’s all about the ads, the attitude, the social, the events. And nothing else.” – Mark Ritson view on the Brand
🗣️ “Selling water in a can is crazy - only marginally crazier than selling bottled water at all.” – Avi Shankar

✅ The real test? If trust isn’t built into the foundation, even the most brilliant marketing will collapse.

Liquid Death’s next chapter will reveal whether it was a movement - or just a moment.

🚀 The Lively Grit Daily House is back at SXSW Austin

🔥 Real Conversations. Real Innovation. No BS.

This isn’t just another SXSW event; it’s where founders, disruptors and creative visionaries collide to talk about what really matters in brand, tech and culture in 2025.

🎤 Who’s in the room? Some of the brightest minds shaping the future:

💡 Creative & Brand Innovators
Deeps Ramanathan (Ex-CMO, Degreed, Twitter, Google) – The blueprint for community-driven brands
JC Oliver – One of the world’s top creative strategists on human + tech relationships

🤖 Robotics & AI Disruptors
Enchanted Tools – Meet their AI Robot, straight from Paris
Isabelle Blanchot (CRO) – The future of AI-powered experiences

📢 Founders & Influencers Changing the Game
Shay Safarzadeh – Tech entrepreneur shaking up the startup space
Isabella Di Stefano – Creator & entrepreneur bridging influence and business

🎬 Hollywood Meets Tech – Brought by Dell
AJ Wedding (Founder & CCO, Orbital Studios) – Pushing boundaries in virtual production
Andrew MacLusky (Co-CEO, Narwhal Studios) – Leading the next wave of content innovation
Alex Porter (CEO, Mod Tech Labs) – Merging AI and storytelling like never before

🎟 This is a room you WANT to be in. Limited spots.

👉 Want in? Register now! Special VIP pass for readers Audience101 🚀 Email me if you want to take part, we have a few spots left.

Behind the Scenes: Confessions of an Agency Founder - Why I Built Audience101

I’ve always believed the best work happens when you collaborate with the best people.

For years, I ran agencies that didn’t chase trends - we found the people who actually knew their craft. We didn’t pay influencers to game an algorithm; we worked with experts who shaped industries.

But where was the space for people like us?

So I built one.

Introducing Audience101: A Community for Those Who Actually Know Their Craft

✅ We value expertise over vanity metrics.
✅ We collaborate, not compete.
✅ We believe in long-term brand-building.

📩 If this resonates, let’s talk.

Mood Board: What’s Fueling Big Ideas this Week - Click on images for insights

🎯 Final Takeaway: Marketing Gets You Noticed, But Trust Keeps You There

✅ Forget marketing tricks - honesty wins.
✅ If your brand isn’t built on trust, it’s built on borrowed time.

📩 Made it to the end? Reply & let me know. Because trust is a two-way street. 🚦