The Industry is Searching for Authenticity. Purpose-Led Communications Has the Answer and Needs to Back Itself.
By Ayesha Gardiner, Associate Strategy Director, Shape History
Social impact communications leaders, we’re sitting on the answers to the industry’s authenticity crisis. The question is whether we know it – and are brave enough to act on it.
The communications industry is in the middle of an authenticity crisis. The industry has reached a historic low point of trust according to Edelman’s 2026 Trust Barometer, as the majority of people retreat inwards to the people and spaces they already know. The finely tuned detectors for inauthenticity have grown more acute and critical, making it harder than ever to reach and connect.
The past year has seen a lot of commentary and money spent figuring out how to feel more… human. From brands quietly shelving their purpose statements, to the scramble for authentic UGC content, to creative campaigns rejecting AI entirely: the search for how to reconnect continues.
The irony is that the thing everyone is scrambling to manufacture already exists, in abundance, in purpose-led organisations. But it’s not being recognised by those who hold it.
I’ve spent my career in purpose-led communications and am always struck by how little confidence the sector has in what it’s sitting on. So much has been gained from the innovation, creativity and rigour that other sectors bring to the industry – but right now, something is running in the wrong direction.
Everyone is chasing authenticity, human voice, plainly-spoken truth – we’ve always had to deliver that. Not because we’re naturally brilliant at communications, but because the work itself demands it. When the issue is real and the consequences are human, you can’t hide behind abstraction for long. To do it well, you have to find a simple truth inside a complex issue, be transparent about what you need and why, and hold discomfort rather than soften it into something more palatable.
It’s always been about real stories, genuine outcomes and centering people. Not as a creative device, but because that’s the truth. The knowledge and raw material exists – but instead of owning it, the sector packages it inside frameworks designed for selling products, measurement models built for consumer brands, or tone of voice guides modelled on the wrong references. The result is communications that’s neither authentically its own nor convincingly commercial. It falls somewhere in the middle, and the middle is the most forgettable place to be.
This is where leadership should come in. Not the kind that requires a bigger budget or a rebrand, but the kind that reads a moment correctly and backs itself accordingly. How we position our expertise, defend our instincts and measure what we know matters.
In a world where audiences only trust what feels close and real, the organisations whose entire existence is built on proximity to real human experience have a genuine advantage they’re not yet claiming. The industry should be looking to those who’ve been doing it all along. The question is whether we’re going to be bold at this moment, or keep searching for answers somewhere else.