By Sophie Bell, Managing Director, Toast
For a long time, authenticity in marketing has been seen as shorthand for freedom – the ability to speak candidly, share personal perspectives and connect through unfiltered experiences.
But, especially in financial services, that definition is no longer fit for purpose.
As financial promotion rules tighten and scrutiny increases, the conditions that once enabled that kind of open expression are changing. While the regulatory environment evolves, audience expectations haven’t disappeared. People still want to engage with financial content that feels real, relevant and human. This is content they will readily turn to before making financial decisions.
The challenge is that the industry is still working from an outdated understanding of what authenticity actually is.
The problem with the old definition
Authenticity has traditionally been associated with spontaneity: content that feels a bit rough around the edges, unscripted, personality-driven and conversational. That model has powered the rise of influencer marketing and shaped how many brands think about engagement.
But, in financial marketing, spontaneity carries a specific risk.
Regulation requires financial communications to be precise, balanced and clearly understood. There’s very little tolerance for ambiguity, and even less room for interpretation. A passing comment quickly becomes problematic when taken out of context.
And this creates a fundamental issue – the very qualities that made content feel “authentic” are the ones most likely to fail regulatory expectations.
We’re seeing a growing disconnect as brands either lean into control and lose relatability, or lean into personality and increase risk. Neither option is sustainable.
Authenticity is evolving but it’s not disappearing
The assumption underpinning this problem is the mistaken belief that authenticity can only exist in informal, lightly controlled environments. But that assumption doesn’t reflect how audiences engage with media today.
In this context, authenticity is less about how something is said, and more about how responsibly it is communicated.
Clarity, transparency and context are core to credibility for financial brands. Content that acknowledges complexity, sets expectations and avoids over-simplification can feel just as “real”, if not more so, than something delivered off the cuff.
It’s a case of redefining authenticity, rather than abandoning it.
A shift in creative approach
This shift in our understanding of what authenticity really is calls for a different way of thinking about content creation.
Instead of asking how much freedom can be given to individual content creators, brands need to focus on how stories themselves are formed. The emphasis moves away from personality and instead focuses on story as the core.
That doesn’t mean removing human voices, of course. It just means placing them within a clearer structure.
One model that reflects this is brand-led, influencer-supported content. Here, brands take ownership of the narrative (ensuring it meets regulatory requirements) while individual influencers contribute their perspective and relatability within those defined boundaries.
This approach doesn’t eradicate the role of the influencer, it just shifts it from sole source to contributor towards the message.
Story matters more than ever
Audiences don’t engage with content purely because of who delivers it, but because of what it communicates. It’s important we remember that.
In financial services particularly, stories carry weight. Decisions about money are rarely straightforward, and the experiences behind them are often nuanced, emotional and context-dependent. When content is built around those realities it becomes more useful and more trustworthy.
At Toast, this thinking is embedded in our StoryX platform, which uses AI-driven searches to uncover real human experiences which we can then shape using editorial discipline. Rather than chasing “viral” content, it prioritises well crafted, responsibly told, authentic stories.
In regulated sectors, this is exactly what makes meaningful storytelling possible.
The definition of authenticity in financial marketing is changing
Authenticity is moving away from a focus on personality alone and towards accountable reality. In areas that directly affect people’s lives and decisions, trust is built through responsibility as well as connection.
Brands that recognise this will be better positioned to earn attention, trust and relevance in a space where all three are increasingly hard won.
