Category Creation

11Establish Trust at Scale Through Authentic Executive Communication

Imagine that you’re browsing your social feed when you discover a video of someone you recognize participating in a Carpool Karaoke sing-along stunt, similar perhaps to something you’d find on late night television. They’re not celebrities or really famous in any way, but the production quality makes the two-minute video well worth the watch. Months later, you find video footage of that same individual in a recording studio working on a hip-hop single. You know he’s particularly musically talented, but somehow you can’t stop yourself from searching for the song on Spotify to hear what it’s all about. Not bad, surprisingly. A few weeks later, you’re at a corporate event where that same person—now somewhat more recognizable after having put himself out there—is pouring his heart out in front of an audience of thousands, sharing his struggles with loneliness and how that’s impacted him both professionally and personally. Who is this person, and better yet, why are you so drawn to him? He’s not an actor, musician, or any hired gun really.

For the marketers reading, what if I told you that that vulnerable, self-deprecating person on camera and on stage was your CEO? Founders and executives, what if that person was you?

I can appreciate that your first reaction may be that there’s no way you’ll ever get me (or my CEO) to sing along to Abba or Backstreet Boys on camera while driving through Palo Alto. You may also ...