Since I first stepped into the category of hair supplements 8 months ago, I’ve been struck by how the modern media and ecommerce environment makes credibility easy to imitate, and difficult for consumers to evaluate.
A combination of AI, automation, and low-barrier platforms have made it simple for any company to harness the buzzwords, claim the right credentials, and show up on the same stage as brands that spent years earning theirs.
The noise is overwhelming and customers end up paying the cost of trying to figure out which company is backed by something real.
For brands that are doing the actual work, this trust problem can be a burden, but also an opportunity to cut through, educate, and differentiate through their credibility.
Here’s what I believe that looks like in practice.
Closeness, not reach
A marketer’s instinct in a crowded category is to think about how to increase reach. The more important question is how close you can get to the people you serve.
Real proximity means deep customer listening to understand not just what people buy, but what they’re experiencing: what’s failed them before, and what they’re afraid to say out loud.
It means being embedded in the expert communities where your product is evaluated and recommended, and letting your customer’s voice be the primary input into your strategy, not an after thought.
This closeness makes honesty possible. People don’t want to be dazzled; they want to be respected. Being honest about real outcomes like what your product can and can’t do, for whom, and under what conditions, is how you earn the right to be heard.
It requires backing up your claims, answering questions without defensiveness, and engaging in the communities where your customer actually talks—not just broadcasting information to them. It also means showing humanity and vulnerability. If your voice could have been written by anyone, or generated by anything, then it’s already costing you.
Set the standard, but don’t grade your own homework
Setting your own standard can be murky. You have to have the creativity, conviction and discipline to create a new definition of good, and then stick to it. A clear purpose is the best filter. We often ask a simple question internally: Does this help us solve the problem we exist to solve? If the answer is no, it’s a pass.
That level of discipline becomes even more important where competition is real and it can be tempting to chase what others are doing. Differentiation only works if you are willing to defend it. You have to be clear on what makes you distinct, and then consistently reinforce it, even when it limits you. It might not happen overnight, but this kind of constraint is what builds belief over time.
