Trust in traditional institutions is eroding. As customers lose faith in advertising, government and even online reviews, they're turning to voices that feel most relatable: peers and communities. Edelman's latest Trust Barometer shows the most credible spokesperson for a company is now "people like me."

Ben Shaw and Professor Ryan Hamilton explore the decline of influencer credibility, the rise of community-driven word-of-mouth, the tension between authenticity and control, and why attention + trust will be the "coins of the realm" for brands in the decade ahead.

1. Trust > control – brands that over-engineer influencer content or product placement erode the very authenticity that made those channels effective.

2. Attention + trust are today's scarce currencies – in an AI-shaped customer journey where deep-fakes, fake reviews and scam sites abound, both are harder to win.

3. Community is the new battleground – brands should put the "social" back into social media: support micro-communities, forums and peer-to-peer validation rather than chase mass reach alone.

4. Influencers ≠ "people like me" anymore – audiences are starting to view most creators as a separate, commercial class.

5. Virtual influencers may be a short-lived novelty – unless treated as fictional characters with entertainment value and transparent intent.

• Edelman Trust Barometer

• G2 crowd / peer-review sites – cited B2B tactic to harness "people like me."

• Case notes: Super Bowl celebrity ads vs brand recall, Vodafone Germany's virtual influencer, Colonel Sanders' virtual persona.