C&B team calls for brands to ease off the hard sell and adopt an anti-consumption model to earn attention.
Buy now
That’s the message almost every brand is screaming at consumers.
But in a room full of voices trying to shout over one another, it’s the quiet ones that garner trust. People are tired of being sold to, and they applaud brands that call out the absurdity of the situation.
Myth #1
“Anti-consumption hurts brand image.”
Fact #1
70 per cent of customers are more loyal to brands they perceive as authentic.
Myth #2
“#Deinfluencing is a passing TikTok trend.”
Fact #2
Deinfluencing has amassed more than 3 billion views as of 2025 and continues to grow.
Myth #1
“Only Gen Z consumers are influenced.”
Fact #1
42 per cent of millennials and 34 per cent of Gen X admit they’ve been swayed by #deinfluencing.
The big picture
3 out of 4
social media users feel bombarded by ads.
81%
of consumers say that trust drives their buying decision.
36%
of Gen Z and 53 per cent of Gen X/Boomers appreciate brands that are values-driven.
The messaging inversion
Traditional model
Anti-consumption model
Brands doing it right
Dove
- Actively discourages consumption of beauty content.
- Campaigns against toxic beauty standards.
- More than 6.5 billion earned media impressions and a Cannes Lions Gold win.
REI
- Closes all 195 stores on Black Friday.
- Pays more than 14,000 employees to spend the day outdoors instead of shopping.
- More than 1.2 million employee hours spent outside (150,000 paid days off).
Bottom line
In a market obsessed with selling more, restraint is what earns attention.
When brands ease off the hard sell, people lean in.
