In this day and age, nobody knows whom to trust. This is a sad state of affairs. Sadder still, they have reason.

Everything in life seems to have a catch. We pay a reduced price for our plane ticket, but an increased price for our bags? We sign up for free checking, but then get an invoice for the checks. We say goodbye to Blockbuster late fees only to say hello to restocking fees. We sign up for unlimited text plans only to get texts to say we are over our limits. The reality is that we live in a nickel and dime society filled with gimmicks and gotchas and lost leaders.

Society is hard wired for the negative narrative. For every voice, there is a flow of opposing voices that are 99x as strong. We love a good train wreck, celebrity breakdown or rehab admission. We say we are searching for purpose, but our minds are entranced with the likes of Ponzi schemes, financial bailouts and the like. We look at people like Bernie Madoff, Osama Bin Laden and even George W. through a paparazzi’s lens as if they were the newest movie villains that get far more press than the superheroes that are supposed to protect us (admit it – Madoff does look a bit like a modern day Penguin!)

It all makes sense actually. We’ve been burned. We’ve seen behind the curtain. We are constantly reminded of the problems that diminish our need for hope. Just look how fast the mighty Obama train came off the tracks. He was hired by our hearts and emotions, but will soon get fired by our brutal swords and the reality that solving problems is harder than just saying “Yes We Can!” Once we see a cloud of darkness, the natural reaction is to gain validation of the dark instead of information to protect the light.

As a brand marketer, it is easy to say we should just steer our clients to relevant, meaningful and believable platforms. Meaning, we should make sure our brands tell the absolute truth and that, in doing so, people will have reason to trust them. In our complex society of self-publishing, the truth no longer sets us free because consumers can adopt and edit their own version of the truth. As we continue to guide our brands, we should be careful in making sure the promise is plausible (not overselling or being too extreme) and that facts should always be balanced with emotion to give people a reason to feel better.

Success lies not about what you say, but rather what they choose to hear. You can trust me on that.